The mariner disembarks for El Paso tomorrow. Bearing I-10 all the way.
Today, we visited a chocolate factory. It was difficult not to buy out their stock. Clemson lost. Phoenix provided a pleasant sunny day.
The January/February Atlantic is dedicated to the 2016 election. It provides a broad view of trends and discusses American shifts in culture regardless of the outcome of the election. Online, you can read the magazine at www.atlantic.com
Mariner often uses the phrase “old school” politician. The criminal abuse allowed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder toward the city of Flint is an atrocity typical of old school politicians who protect status quo and destructively manipulate budgets to minimize budget overruns. In an article, CNN states “This had been the status quo for nearly two years and until September, city and state officials told worried residents that everything was fine. Former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling even drank it on local TV to make the point.
“When our team (Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, pediatrician) saw that it was getting into children and when we knew the consequences, that’s when I think we began not to sleep,” Hanna-Attisha said.
At first, the state publicly denounced her work, saying she was causing near hysteria. They spent a week attacking her before reversing their narrative and admitting she was right. See full article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/11/health/toxic-tap-water-flint-michigan/index.html
It is important to know your incumbent’s voting history as a guide. Use your search engine to retrieve specific information. For example, mariner typed “Steve King voting record gun legislation” and had King’s whole history regarding his votes on the gun issue. One can search several voting topics by changing the words behind ‘voting record.’
The reason this is unusually important is that you must vote for a cause of your choice and let that dictate whether you will vote for an incumbent. In the past, one would say “The Congress is terrible” but would reelect their own Congressman on very forgiving, general principles. Not so, this time. Vote for an issue, not a person.
Try to identify the candidate as ‘old school’ (stability and fiscal conservatism) versus ‘new school’ (identifying current and future issues with declared policies about the future).
Ancient mariner