An Election Campaign Technique That Gets My Vote

I was dumbfounded when I went to pick up the phone in the midst of all the pre-election frenzy to get votes. Instead of getting another prerecorded message, I got a live person. Even better, the candidate's name was actually displayed on my caller ID. So I took the call.

I told the person, a volunteer telemarketer, that I would be voting in the election, but wasn't too savvy with the candidates. (Yes, I'm terribly uninformed when it comes to politics...) She was able to give me a nice summary of the things the candidate hopes to accomplish if I vote for her and the issues that she will address. Sure, the caller could spin things to make the candidate sound great. But the difference is that I had an opportunity to have a dialog about these issues.

So guess what? I'll be voting for this candidate. Had I been really informed in politics, I would have had an opportunity to ask more questions, ask about specific issues and have, gasp, a CONVERSATION with a real person, instead of listening to yet another message sucking up my answering machine's recording time. With my little guy tugging at my leg and my phone time grinding to a halt, this method worked.

No Slots at the Mall

I am not politically savvy. However, this Halloween, I have to post about the posturing and masquerading of big business and the lobbyists over a big issue here in Anne Arundel County, MD.

Big business and the teachers and police unions are pushing the opportunity to have slot machines installed at Arundel Mills Mall. There are signs everywhere talking about increased jobs and revenue as a result. It's despicable, really. Let's promote a questionable activity that we would not allow our kids to participate in and use it to support our kids. Blood money!

Are we that desperate for money and jobs that we would use any means necessary?
Come on! Let's put the gambling where the gambling already exists - the Laurel racetrack. (If if were me, I'd vote to not have gambling, but that is just a personal, moral issue with me.)

Big business is not exactly being truthful with all this increase in jobs and revenue. More of it is going to end up in their pockets, and whatever is distributed to schools will be distributed across the state.

Are the lobbyists worried? I think so! They continue to cloud the issues and mention all the perceived benefits while ignoring the real issues of traffic, mall access and displaced jobs elsewhere. Not to mention the moral implication of providing money for our children with an activity that causes many participants to lose their savings and encourage indebtedness.

Being a fair person, I'll let you decide for yourself. Compare No Slots At the Mall and Vote for Question A. The No Slots site is much easier to navigate and really gets to the issues at hand. The Vote For site provides a lot of text, but hides under the banner of "More Jobs and Revenue".

Check out this op-editorial in the Baltimore Sun.