Analogy?

I wrote down some ideas today and planned to write about them early this week.  But, to keep myself from falling asleep at 7:00 PM, I decided to play on the computer.  It was a tough and long week, compounded by a nice long run this AM, a pretty good bike ride, and then Michael's summer-league team practice.  I'm bushed and don't want Michael to make fun of me for going to bed so early, "like an old man."

I wonder if this is an apt analogy.  A good number of Western states are experiencing drought conditions, severe drought conditions.  California is one of them, as Karen and I saw first-hand last summer.  But there are others.  How would our two US Senators, Stabenow and Peters, respond to a request to take our Great Lakes water and send it to those people in the Western states, to ease their difficulties?  I'll bet we all know the answer to that one.  Of course they wouldn't.  So, then, why are they so willing and quick to take certain people's money (you know, the "greedy" rich) and give it to other people, who they themselves deem in need?  Surely the Westerners are hurting and need water, of which we have a lot.  Aren't we being "greedy" in not sending it to them?

No doubt, the 2016 Presidential election will go down in history, as the election with the absolutely worst candidate offered to voters.  I know there have been some dogs in the past, but c'mon--Clinton and Trump??????  But there's more.  Both candidates will now find themselves in an odd position--telling the truth!  As each begins to attack the other, they will actually be speaking truthfully.  BTW, I saw a couple more articles describing Clinton and Trump as "pathological liars."

Here's a good op-ed from Nolan Finley in the Detroit News this AM.  I have, in recent months, found myself opposing more of his stances than usual.  But not this one; he's right on the money.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/nolan-finley/2016/05/07/will-worst-choice-ever-president/84096098/

Imagine, 300 million people in the US and these are our choices?  Trump?  Clinton (who Finley identifies as a "habitual prevaricator")?  As he notes, both of them have majority negative images among US voters.  Here's an idea:  let's have an election that offers a third choice, not a minor party candidate, but "None of the Above."  I think I know who would win.  Why should this country be saddled with one of two evils.  Who was it who has said, "When given a choice of two evils, choose neither?"  (Later this week, I'll bring William Lloyd Garrison into the picture.)

In the end, it's our own fault, "The fault. dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."  We have allowed the system to become more and more rigged and corrupt.  We have, willfully I think, allowed ourselves to be duped again and again by lying politicians.  We have deluded ourselves into thinking, time after time, that our only choices came from the Democrats or Republicans--and look where they have taken us!  Look at how the wagons have been circled, among the Establishment politicians and the LameStream media, even the supposed conservatives like Limbaugh and Hannity.  It's support the party or be labeled negatively, marginalized, or even ostracized.  The Dems have made no secret of their spending, spending, spending--other people's money.  But note how the Establishment Reps went along with this, agreeing to W's spending spree, continually approving increased budgets, raising and raising again the debt ceiling.  And what happened to those candidate who were elected on the basis of stopping that insane, unsustainable, and irresponsible spending?  Yep, they were tarred and punished by the Establishment, kept from any positions of influence among the Establishment Congress.  Now, the Establishment--politicians and LameStream media--is starting the same thing with those Republicans who have already said they won't support Trump (for good reason!) or are withholding, at least for the present, support.

There is a solution, one I've employed, but virtually nobody else has.  Don't vote for any Establishment candidate, from either of the parties.  I know about "wasting my vote."  And I reject that view.  I've written about it before and hold to that.  By not "holding my nose" and voting for "the lesser of two evils," I am making a political and personal statement.  By voting for either Trump or Clinton I would be wasting my vote.  I hold my vote too precious to waste it on either of these two.  I am not sure if I will vote for a third party candidate or write-in someone.  As long as we "hold our noses," nothing will ever change.  Did you ever read Animal Farm?  Do you remember the ending, looking in the farm house window, at the poker game?  Here we are, sports fans......here we are.