Lies, damn lies and politics

Mark Twain once said there are ‘lies, damned lies and statistics.’  After watching yet another election cycle where the politics of personal destruction is more important than the truth, maybe we should update Twain’s words to ‘lies, damn lies and politics.’

Certainly, we are all election-weary.

We’re tired of robo-calls, umpteen signs dotting the landscape and vicious attack ads, chocked full of lies, interrupting our nightly television viewing.  Heck, it’s gotten so bad that you can’t even listen to a song on YouTube without first having to hear yet another negative, throw-some-manure-against-the-wall-and-see-if-it-will-stick advertisement.  Sadly, it appears that the election cycle where a candidate actually tells us what they have done and why they should be re-elected are long gone.

The single issue that I find most irritating and dead-wrong is the belief by many folks that one party holds all the answers and has all the qualified candidates.  And it’s my belief that this type of flawed thinking is the single factor that makes election campaigns interminable and makes voters feel like their head is about to explode.  This line of reasoning also plays into a belief that I have that our elected officials count on two things from voters to remain in office – ignorance and apathy.  In short, some people vote for any candidate just because they belong to a particular political party while others are so sick and tired of the system that they don’t bother to vote at all.

Let me state unequivocally that I’m an independent voter and I’ve voted for many Democrats and many Republicans.  I try to learn about candidates, read how they vote and what they believe and certainly if they toe-the-line for the party bosses and not their constituents.  Without exception I believe there are good Democrats and bad Democrats and good Republicans and bad Republicans. No political party has a lock on good candidates. And while it may sound harsh, I also believe that anybody that votes a straight party ticket – either way – is a fool.

This point was driven home recently when I trudged off for my daily visit to the post office – another location that is not safe during an election.  In the mail that day I received a letter and a sample ballot from Kevin Acosta, who is a Democrat precinct committeeman on the west side of Franklin County.

Before I talk about the letter, let me say that I don’t have a problem getting a letter from a precinct committeman, in fact, I understand that rallying voters is a big part of what they do.  But, it was the content of the letter that I found troubling and untrue.

Let me explain.

The letter began by encouraging folks to go vote on Nov. 4 and talked about the importance of this particular election.  No problem with that as far as I am concerned. But, it was the second paragraph that was head-scratcher.  Here’s how it reads:

“The Republicans have gotten us in this mess and they have no plan to get us out.  If they get in they will cut programs to our most vulnerable citizens and destroy what’s left of the middle class.  We (Democrats) are the only hope for schools (children), hospitals (the sick), nursing homes (the elderly), organized labor and our veterans.”

Seriously? While I do agree we are in a mess, I have a different view about who got us there.

Let’s take that paragraph and dissect it line-by-line.

First, in Illinois and in Franklin County, Republicans are endangered species.  Illinois has a Democrat governor and a veto-proof Senate and House that is controlled by Democrats. In Franklin County, where unemployment is worst in the state, Democrats hold all elected positions, every single one.  In fact, there has not been a Republican elected to an office-holder position since 1960 when Bob Ice was elected sheriff.  And for the past 25 years I can remember two Republican county board members.  Currently, all nine county board seats are Democrats.

So, to say that ‘Republicans have gotten us in this mess’ is pure nonsense.  It would take somebody completely uninformed or with partisan political blinders on (or both) to believe that.

The first thought that came to my mind when I read the line that Republicans would ‘destroy the middle class’ was the 67 percent income tax hike in Illinois that was inflicted on us by Gov. Pat Quinn and Democrats.  Think about this — is there a more damaging way to attack the middle class than to go straight to their paycheck and help yourself to an additional 67 percent in income tax?

The final line in that paragraph is the most egregious.  That line reads: We (Democrats) are the only hope for schools (children), hospitals (the sick), nursing homes (the elderly), organized labor and our veterans.”

Keep in mind again, Illinois has a  governor and veto-proof House and Senate controlled by Democrats.  According to the Illinois State Board of Education, since 2009 there has been a $2.7 billion cut in education in Illinois – cuts that have led to the loss of teachers and aides, an increase in class sizes and the elimination of music, art, sports and other educational programs.

Additionally, massive cuts in health-related matters in Illinois have hurt the most vulnerable.  In recent months I have interviewed a mental health employee with the Illinois Department of Human Services who told me that her department has been decimated by budget cuts.

“I sit across the table from people asking for help and I know that they are going to die before I can get them the help they need,” she told me. Sad, huh?

And I recently talked with a nursing home administrator who told me that every month she spends money out of her own pocket for necessities such as toilet paper, paper towels, kleenexes and cleaning supplies because the state is running so far behind with payments.

It also seems to me if Gov. Quinn is the ‘only hope’ for organized labor they might be in serious trouble.  Despite the truckloads of money that unions are spending to try and get him re-elected, there has not been another Illinois governor in memory (Democrat or Republican) who has been more anti-union that Quinn.  AFSCME, the state’s largest public employees’ union, had to take Quinn to court to get a pay raise that had been gained through collective bargaining.  Here’s a link to the AFSCME website from 18 months ago.

As far as veterans – both Democrats and Republicans have done a poor job of meeting the needs of a group that should be near the top of the priority list, but it clearly does not fall on one party.

Regarding the letter I received, let me remind you again of my slightly altered version of Twain’s words one more time. There are lies, damn lies and politics.  And the letter I received was pure politics.  Look around on Nov. 4 and ask yourself if you are proud and satisfied with what you see in Illinois and your particular county.  Ask yourself if Illinois or your particular neck of the woods is better or worse than it was two years ago? Four years ago? Six years ago?  And then vote your conscience … regardless of political party.