For the last two years, my doctor has not liked the sound of my heart and has had me visit a cardiologist for an EKG. There is a bit of hardening of an artery, but otherwise the result is negative. The cost - over $2,000!!! Sure, insurance pays for it, but who pays the insurance premiums (or the taxes).
I've had a leaky valve for over thirty years and have had no ill effects from it. I've stressed my abdomen a few times with repetitive activity, had nausea, sweating, and heavy breathing, but the tests for heart problems were negative.
Given the range of physical activity I do, I have come up with a simple, inexpensive heart stress test that can be done by a doctor's assistant in about twenty minutes.
Take the patient's pulse and blood pressure. Have the patient do push-ups. The push-ups can be the traditional, from the knees, or against the wall. Take the patient's pulse and blood pressure. Wait five or ten minutes and take the patient's pulse and blood pressure.
For the dividend create some formula consisting of the pulse and blood pressure measurements and the expected norms for these.
For the divisor use the number of pushups multiplied by a percentage relative to the effort of the pushup style. The percentage for standard pushups would be 100%; smaller percentages for the other two.
The resulting quotient should give an indication of heart health, the smaller the number, the better the heart health. My wife suggested multiplying the result by age or an age range.
An even more accurate test might include respiratory rate and maybe oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange.
I'll leave the details to those who know much more about physiology than I do.
OK, Mel, how many push-ups can you do? Well, I don't want to brag with an exact number, but let me say that I can do about the same number as my 19-year-old grandson can do.
Oh, and another wild-eyed hypotheses: barring accident one should be able to live for as many more years as one can do push-ups.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Magree's software laws
Magree's first law of software is that the complexity of software rises to meet or exceed the capacity of the fastest systems available to run it. Don't believe me? Try accessing almost any web page on a 24kb dialup:)
From this discussion and others I've come up with Magree's second law of software: the number of problems rises exponentially with the complexity of software. It's kind of hard to believe if you consider the bad old days of mainframes having a good day without a crash. But on the other hand, I've had more problems this year with software than the previous three years.
From this discussion and others I've come up with Magree's second law of software: the number of problems rises exponentially with the complexity of software. It's kind of hard to believe if you consider the bad old days of mainframes having a good day without a crash. But on the other hand, I've had more problems this year with software than the previous three years.
Why should I vote?
I posted the following on Join the Coffee Party Movement in answer to "What is your response to people who say, 'Why should I vote?' or 'Voting doesn't matter.'"
One: the only votes that don't count are those not cast.
Two: we do not have a democracy because too many people (the dēmos) don't vote. A 50.9% turnout does not give a "winner" a mandate.
Three: when you don't vote it is possible that a lots of people who you do not agree with will, and give a result even worse than you wanted. Example - Ninth Congressional District of New York was won by a Republican. The Ninth is 3-1 Democrats registered and the turnout was low.
Four: voting is one of the civic virtues that was valued by the writers of the Constitution. Since so many of our current politicians have so little civic virtue, we the voters have to show a lot of civic virtue.
Five: if you don't like anybody on the printed ballot, in many jurisdictions you can vote for "Wright In".
One: the only votes that don't count are those not cast.
Two: we do not have a democracy because too many people (the dēmos) don't vote. A 50.9% turnout does not give a "winner" a mandate.
Three: when you don't vote it is possible that a lots of people who you do not agree with will, and give a result even worse than you wanted. Example - Ninth Congressional District of New York was won by a Republican. The Ninth is 3-1 Democrats registered and the turnout was low.
Four: voting is one of the civic virtues that was valued by the writers of the Constitution. Since so many of our current politicians have so little civic virtue, we the voters have to show a lot of civic virtue.
Five: if you don't like anybody on the printed ballot, in many jurisdictions you can vote for "Wright In".
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Is Rick Perry anti-Constitution and anti-Republican?
One of the two departments that Rick Perry could remember that he wanted to abolish was the Department of Commerce. He seems to forget that Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the power "To regulate Commerce … among the several states…" He also forgets that the Department of Commerce and Labor was created in 1903 during the tenure of the second good Republican President, Theodore Roosevelt. He forgets also that TR was the trust-buster, but Perry wants to be the lackey of today's trusts.
The department whose name he forgot is the Department of Energy. He probably wants to abolish it because, among other activities, it seeks to find alternatives to oil, something that made Texas rich, and to coal, something that made his bosses, the Koch brothers, rich.
The agency that he named to eliminate rather than the Department of Energy was the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that was proposed by President Richard Nixon. Its charge was to protect human health and the environment. So, he wants to stop the regulation of commerce that prohibits polluters, using Texas oil and Koch brothers coal, from putting their pollution in states downwind or downstream of the polluting sites.
If Perry is a favorite of some in the Tea Party who want a strict interpretation of the Constitution, where is his civic virtue? Civic virtue and common good are something stressed in the Federalist Papers, written by three of the signers of the Constitution: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
The department whose name he forgot is the Department of Energy. He probably wants to abolish it because, among other activities, it seeks to find alternatives to oil, something that made Texas rich, and to coal, something that made his bosses, the Koch brothers, rich.
The agency that he named to eliminate rather than the Department of Energy was the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that was proposed by President Richard Nixon. Its charge was to protect human health and the environment. So, he wants to stop the regulation of commerce that prohibits polluters, using Texas oil and Koch brothers coal, from putting their pollution in states downwind or downstream of the polluting sites.
If Perry is a favorite of some in the Tea Party who want a strict interpretation of the Constitution, where is his civic virtue? Civic virtue and common good are something stressed in the Federalist Papers, written by three of the signers of the Constitution: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
Having your cake and eating it too!
"For example, 53% of Americans believe the debt and deficits should be cut significantly... but the same percentage agrees that taxes should not be raised on anyone.
Similarly, 53% of Americans think that the influence of banks and corporations should be reined in... but that regulations on businesses should be pared back."
- "New Poll: Americans Now Think Economy Favors Super-Rich", Henry Blodget, Daily Ticker, 2011-11-08
Similarly, 53% of Americans think that the influence of banks and corporations should be reined in... but that regulations on businesses should be pared back."
- "New Poll: Americans Now Think Economy Favors Super-Rich", Henry Blodget, Daily Ticker, 2011-11-08
A bit of doggerel from this cuss
I was pouring water into the coffee maker trying to see the meniscus. The door bell rang; a cop came to frisk us and then whisk us off to jail because I had thrown a discus in the hibiscus.
Free markets for big corporations but not others
The Senate defeated a measure to block new FCC rules on net neutrality; that is, providers could not or give priority to their own content or block competitors.
"[Sen. Kay Bailey] Hutchinson said the rules were yet another example of the 'Obama administration's relentless imposition of new and destructive regulations... (that) are freezing our economy.' "Senate defeats effort to block Internet rules", Reuters, 2011-11-10.
Duh, Senator, aren't monopolists the ones freezing our economy?
"[Sen. Kay Bailey] Hutchinson said the rules were yet another example of the 'Obama administration's relentless imposition of new and destructive regulations... (that) are freezing our economy.' "Senate defeats effort to block Internet rules", Reuters, 2011-11-10.
Duh, Senator, aren't monopolists the ones freezing our economy?
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Coffee Party's call-in "Who's your Daddy?"
The Coffee Party suggested today, Nov. 9, as a day to call our senators and representatives asking them "Who's financing your campaign?" They were hoping to flood the switchboard. I don't know if they did, because when I called at 1:00 CST, I had an answer on the first ring from the switchboard, and was politely and cheerfully forwarded to the office of my Representative Chip Cravaack, Rep. MN-8.
The young man who answered on the first or second ring listened to my question, "What percentage of his contributors can vote for him, and what percentage of his campaign dollars came from voters in his district?" Before he answered, he asked my name and ZIP code. Fair enough. He asked me to hold while he conferred with somebody else. When he came back he referred me to the Federal Election Commission site and to the campaign headquarters.
I chose the first. Now two hours later I have some results on a spreadsheet. For 2011 through September, Rep. Cravaack has raised $539,748 with $270,517 from 352 named individuals and $146,567 from 106 other than party committees. There was also $122,664 unitemized individual contributions, probably less than $100.
Of named individual contributors, 11.65% were from out of state, but 82.08% of PACs were from out of state. Of dollars raised from individuals, 17.32% were from out of state, but 81.73% of PAC dollars were from out of state.
Of the total itemized dollars, 39.95% were from out of state, and 35.14% were from PACs, both in and out of state.
I didn't check on Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. It wouldn't surprise me that they had similar PAC and out-of-state contributions.
You can find the finances of all currently declared Congressional candidates at www.fec.gov. It can make for some interesting and time-consuming reading and calculations.
How can we fight too much money in campaigns?
One, don't watch TV. That is probably where most of the declared and undeclared money goes.
Two, let candidates who you think are too dependent on outside donors that you don't like such dependence and might not vote for them.
Three, be sure to vote, even if it has to be for Wright In. Staying away like nearly half the eligible voters do only helps the big bucks people get into office.
The young man who answered on the first or second ring listened to my question, "What percentage of his contributors can vote for him, and what percentage of his campaign dollars came from voters in his district?" Before he answered, he asked my name and ZIP code. Fair enough. He asked me to hold while he conferred with somebody else. When he came back he referred me to the Federal Election Commission site and to the campaign headquarters.
I chose the first. Now two hours later I have some results on a spreadsheet. For 2011 through September, Rep. Cravaack has raised $539,748 with $270,517 from 352 named individuals and $146,567 from 106 other than party committees. There was also $122,664 unitemized individual contributions, probably less than $100.
Of named individual contributors, 11.65% were from out of state, but 82.08% of PACs were from out of state. Of dollars raised from individuals, 17.32% were from out of state, but 81.73% of PAC dollars were from out of state.
Of the total itemized dollars, 39.95% were from out of state, and 35.14% were from PACs, both in and out of state.
I didn't check on Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. It wouldn't surprise me that they had similar PAC and out-of-state contributions.
You can find the finances of all currently declared Congressional candidates at www.fec.gov. It can make for some interesting and time-consuming reading and calculations.
How can we fight too much money in campaigns?
One, don't watch TV. That is probably where most of the declared and undeclared money goes.
Two, let candidates who you think are too dependent on outside donors that you don't like such dependence and might not vote for them.
Three, be sure to vote, even if it has to be for Wright In. Staying away like nearly half the eligible voters do only helps the big bucks people get into office.
Monday, November 07, 2011
Blasé about sports
When I was in high school in Cleveland, an adult I knew, when asked what he thought about the Indians, exclaimed, "There's Indians in town? Run for your lives!"
Now I have the same so what attitude toward sports. With the demands of the Minnesota Vikings to have the taxpayers fund a new stadium for them, I say,
The Vikings of olden times plundered states.
The Vikings of Minnesota plunder the state.
or "There's Vikings in town? Hang on to your wallet!"
Another argument I've seen is that the taxpayers of Minnesota are being asked to pay over a billion dollars to a billionaire for a bar for 50,000 drunks.
If so many are calling for governments to live within their means, why can't sports teams live within their means?
Now I have the same so what attitude toward sports. With the demands of the Minnesota Vikings to have the taxpayers fund a new stadium for them, I say,
The Vikings of olden times plundered states.
The Vikings of Minnesota plunder the state.
or "There's Vikings in town? Hang on to your wallet!"
Another argument I've seen is that the taxpayers of Minnesota are being asked to pay over a billion dollars to a billionaire for a bar for 50,000 drunks.
If so many are calling for governments to live within their means, why can't sports teams live within their means?
Banks, what efficiencies of size?
Many say that mergers and acquisitions provide greater efficiencies in operations. Then how do you explain:
"Moebs Services Inc., a research firm in Lake Bluff, Ill., estimates that it costs the giant banks about $350 to $450 per year to maintain a checking account. In contrast, smaller banks incur costs of $175 to $250 a year per checking account." - "Credit Unions Poach Clients", Suzanne Kapner, Wall Street Journal, 2011-11-07 via Yahoo! Finance.
Maybe it's because bigger companies have more levels of management, and the guys at the top "have to" get bigger bucks than the guys at the top of smaller companies.
"Moebs Services Inc., a research firm in Lake Bluff, Ill., estimates that it costs the giant banks about $350 to $450 per year to maintain a checking account. In contrast, smaller banks incur costs of $175 to $250 a year per checking account." - "Credit Unions Poach Clients", Suzanne Kapner, Wall Street Journal, 2011-11-07 via Yahoo! Finance.
Maybe it's because bigger companies have more levels of management, and the guys at the top "have to" get bigger bucks than the guys at the top of smaller companies.
Physician - heal thyself!
Bashar Assad, president of Syria, was trained as an ophthalmologist, but he seems to be blind to what many people in Syria want. Ironically, he was trained in a country, England, where he enjoyed the freedom of expression that he denies his own people. See the Wikipedia entry on him.
If you do nothing else on November 8, VOTE
Many localities and states throughout the United States will have elections for city, county, and school officials as well as referenda on taxes and constitutions. Whoever you favor or whatever your stance on referenda, be sure to show up and vote. Don't let the oligarchy that we've had for over 30 years decide our future.
Oligarchy? Aren't we a democracy? Only in theory, not in practice. The turnout in most elections has been pathetic and few have been elected with a majority of the eligible voters. Sixty percent of a sixty percent is not a landslide; it is a travesty. The oligarchs too often claim they have a mandate when less then forty percent of the eligible voters supported them. BTW, this includes President Obama too. See "Wisconsin - 'I don't give a damn wins again'".
On each and every election day, please give a damn!
To my readers outside the U.S., remember to vote when your elections occur.
To my readers in the few countries without elections, your turn may be coming. I saw a video a year or two ago where ten-year-old students were campaigning for class president. This in a country where their parents can't vote for the nation's president. What will these kids demand when they are adults?
Oligarchy? Aren't we a democracy? Only in theory, not in practice. The turnout in most elections has been pathetic and few have been elected with a majority of the eligible voters. Sixty percent of a sixty percent is not a landslide; it is a travesty. The oligarchs too often claim they have a mandate when less then forty percent of the eligible voters supported them. BTW, this includes President Obama too. See "Wisconsin - 'I don't give a damn wins again'".
On each and every election day, please give a damn!
To my readers outside the U.S., remember to vote when your elections occur.
To my readers in the few countries without elections, your turn may be coming. I saw a video a year or two ago where ten-year-old students were campaigning for class president. This in a country where their parents can't vote for the nation's president. What will these kids demand when they are adults?
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Headline overstatement
Sometimes newspaper headline writers make it too easy for people to generalize about "the media". A case in point is a headline in today's Star Tribune: "Consumer fury forcing banks to kill debit fees".
Are all consumers furious? Are those consumers who have withdrawn funds "furious" or just annoyed? How many consumers actually withdrew funds? How many sent letters or made calls of annoyance? None of this quantitative data was in the article. The closest is "cited customer feedback".
Of course, if even one percent withdrew funds that would probably get the banks' attention.
The problem is that space doesn't allow easy full-disclosure. Let's see: "Abnormal withdrawal rate kills bank debit fees", "Numerous customer complaints lead banks to kill debit fees", or "Widespread press coverage leads banks to kill debt fees".
Are all consumers furious? Are those consumers who have withdrawn funds "furious" or just annoyed? How many consumers actually withdrew funds? How many sent letters or made calls of annoyance? None of this quantitative data was in the article. The closest is "cited customer feedback".
Of course, if even one percent withdrew funds that would probably get the banks' attention.
The problem is that space doesn't allow easy full-disclosure. Let's see: "Abnormal withdrawal rate kills bank debit fees", "Numerous customer complaints lead banks to kill debit fees", or "Widespread press coverage leads banks to kill debt fees".
Campaign contributions
On the Facebook page of the Coffee Party was an item "Ask every candidate running for office: who are your corporate sponsors?"
When I looked at the item 1,076 people liked the item and 113 commented. One of the comments was where do you find this as public information. Open Secrets is one web site that tracks this information from the Federal Elections Commission.
For example, Pres. Obama's campaign has raised over $89 million and 71% is from individual contributors. His one associated outside group is the Super PAC Priorities USA Action. The biggest contributor to that is Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dreamworks Animation, at two million, the next two are at $500,000 each, and then the others' contributions diminish quickly to $500, one of these being an executive of Solyndra.
On the other hand, Ron Paul has raised less than $13 million with 96% from individual contributors. He has two outside groups associated with his campaign: The Super PAC Revolution PAC and Nevadans for Liberty. The latter has spent $1,553 campaigning against Democrats. According to the former's website, it has raised over $125,000 and boldly states "No contribution limits!"
I think I may look a bit more into Americans Elect. I do have to check on their financing:) And if that doesn't work, I can always vote for Wright In. But who should his running mate be?
When I looked at the item 1,076 people liked the item and 113 commented. One of the comments was where do you find this as public information. Open Secrets is one web site that tracks this information from the Federal Elections Commission.
For example, Pres. Obama's campaign has raised over $89 million and 71% is from individual contributors. His one associated outside group is the Super PAC Priorities USA Action. The biggest contributor to that is Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dreamworks Animation, at two million, the next two are at $500,000 each, and then the others' contributions diminish quickly to $500, one of these being an executive of Solyndra.
On the other hand, Ron Paul has raised less than $13 million with 96% from individual contributors. He has two outside groups associated with his campaign: The Super PAC Revolution PAC and Nevadans for Liberty. The latter has spent $1,553 campaigning against Democrats. According to the former's website, it has raised over $125,000 and boldly states "No contribution limits!"
I think I may look a bit more into Americans Elect. I do have to check on their financing:) And if that doesn't work, I can always vote for Wright In. But who should his running mate be?
Monday, October 31, 2011
Speaking of hypocrites…
I'm one!
I remember going out trick or treating when I was between nine and fourteen. In fact, in Cleveland in the 'forties and early 'fifties, kids went out two nights in a row.
Now I avoid being in town on Hallowe'en and I put on a smiley face if I am in town. I just don't want to keep answering the door and saying something nice.
Is there a name for Hallowe'en Scrooges?
I remember going out trick or treating when I was between nine and fourteen. In fact, in Cleveland in the 'forties and early 'fifties, kids went out two nights in a row.
Now I avoid being in town on Hallowe'en and I put on a smiley face if I am in town. I just don't want to keep answering the door and saying something nice.
Is there a name for Hallowe'en Scrooges?
Is it time for new mascots for the political parties?
While reading some book or newspaper, I wrote this note: "Appropriateness of party symbols. Elephants lumber over everything to follow old paths (think of the movie "Elephant Walk"). Donkeys are docile and will follow whoever is jerking their chain, er, pulling their leash.
Maybe the Democrats should adopt a fawn as their symbol. When threatened they seem to roll up and hide in plain sight. See "Fawn hiding in plain sight".
Maybe the Republicans should adopt a hippo as their symbol, as in hippo-crite. They want to cut spending in other districts, but not their own, even when the projects are similar. See "Tea Party Pork Binge: Conservatives Brought Nation to Default & Ask for Govt. Handouts", Daniel Stone, The Daily Beast and Newsweek, 2011-10-30. They even use some of the same arguments they derided when others used them. Hm! Both elephants and hippos wallow in mud.
Maybe the Democrats should adopt a fawn as their symbol. When threatened they seem to roll up and hide in plain sight. See "Fawn hiding in plain sight".
Maybe the Republicans should adopt a hippo as their symbol, as in hippo-crite. They want to cut spending in other districts, but not their own, even when the projects are similar. See "Tea Party Pork Binge: Conservatives Brought Nation to Default & Ask for Govt. Handouts", Daniel Stone, The Daily Beast and Newsweek, 2011-10-30. They even use some of the same arguments they derided when others used them. Hm! Both elephants and hippos wallow in mud.
Some nuggets found while cleaning my desktop
"The Future Depends On What The Meaning of 'Was' Was", Dr. Naif A. Al-Mutawa, Huffington Post, 2011-05-17
Al-Matawa considers how Arabic culture has been held back because the Arabic of the Koran is used as the teaching language. This language is effectively a second language to many students who speak modern Arabic. He compares today situation to when Rome kept all the liturgy and detailed knowledge in Latin, which few people in Europe spoke.
"The 'Cheney Brigades': A Second Chance for War Advocates to Fight", Doug Bandow, Huffington post, 2011-06-04
Bandow said these brigades would be available for advocates of war, who like Cheney missed their chances to serve in other wars ("I would have obviously been happy to serve if I had been called.")
War hawks who aren't the first to volunteer are often the first to accuse others of being "slackers". Consider the tarring, feathering, and lynching of Olli Kinkonnen in Duluth, Minnesota in September, 1918. The "Knights of Liberty" took credit this. Shouldn't "Knights" be on the battlefield instead of in the safety of an anonymous mob?
Al-Matawa considers how Arabic culture has been held back because the Arabic of the Koran is used as the teaching language. This language is effectively a second language to many students who speak modern Arabic. He compares today situation to when Rome kept all the liturgy and detailed knowledge in Latin, which few people in Europe spoke.
"The 'Cheney Brigades': A Second Chance for War Advocates to Fight", Doug Bandow, Huffington post, 2011-06-04
Bandow said these brigades would be available for advocates of war, who like Cheney missed their chances to serve in other wars ("I would have obviously been happy to serve if I had been called.")
War hawks who aren't the first to volunteer are often the first to accuse others of being "slackers". Consider the tarring, feathering, and lynching of Olli Kinkonnen in Duluth, Minnesota in September, 1918. The "Knights of Liberty" took credit this. Shouldn't "Knights" be on the battlefield instead of in the safety of an anonymous mob?
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Better computer translations
Since I wrote "Computer Translations", a friend clued me in on an even better on-line translation, translate.google.
Google Translate has about two dozen languages and even will give the spoken version in the target language. I tried this for "Good morning" and "Thank you" in Arabic. I thought I was able to mimic the computer speaker quite well, but did I remember the Arabic phrases?
We thought our Russian guest's baggage might be over the weight limit; I put in the English, asked for the Russian translation, and then pushed the speak button. She didn't even have to come in the room to get the message. BTW, her baggage was within limits.
Google translate could be a good basis for a self-directed language course. Instead of following prescribed texts that seem to have little relevance for one's interests, one could just enter the phrases of interest and have them spoken back.
Google Translate has about two dozen languages and even will give the spoken version in the target language. I tried this for "Good morning" and "Thank you" in Arabic. I thought I was able to mimic the computer speaker quite well, but did I remember the Arabic phrases?
We thought our Russian guest's baggage might be over the weight limit; I put in the English, asked for the Russian translation, and then pushed the speak button. She didn't even have to come in the room to get the message. BTW, her baggage was within limits.
Google translate could be a good basis for a self-directed language course. Instead of following prescribed texts that seem to have little relevance for one's interests, one could just enter the phrases of interest and have them spoken back.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Are you an optimist? Maybe you shouldn't be!
I read about two-thirds of the way through "This used to be us by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum and felt a bit pessimistic about our future. We have too many jingoistic, short-sighted politicians and citizens.
Then I read the little blurb to accompany the interview with Slavoj Zizek, "Now the field is open" in which he thinks that "the marriage between capitalism and democracy is over".
Consider that China, an autocratic regime, is growing faster than most other countries in the world, and that the United States, a supposedly democratic government, is all tied up in petty squabbles how to unstick a somewhat anemic economy.
China has a government rife with corruption that is trying to define the common good, and the U.S. has a government rife with corruption that is trying to maximize the profits of a few, claiming that it will promote the common good.
Until each of these two countries has a sound understanding of the "civic virtue" called for by the writers of the Federalist Papers, our planet is doomed to be "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" as described by Thomas Friedman in the book of the same title.
Then I read the little blurb to accompany the interview with Slavoj Zizek, "Now the field is open" in which he thinks that "the marriage between capitalism and democracy is over".
Consider that China, an autocratic regime, is growing faster than most other countries in the world, and that the United States, a supposedly democratic government, is all tied up in petty squabbles how to unstick a somewhat anemic economy.
China has a government rife with corruption that is trying to define the common good, and the U.S. has a government rife with corruption that is trying to maximize the profits of a few, claiming that it will promote the common good.
Until each of these two countries has a sound understanding of the "civic virtue" called for by the writers of the Federalist Papers, our planet is doomed to be "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" as described by Thomas Friedman in the book of the same title.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Republicans may make Obama one-term president, but…
Many commentators have written that the Republicans are more interested in making President Obama look bad and far less interested in solving real problems.
Many Democrats feel that they didn't get the change that they voted for, and as we've seen in New York's Ninth Congressional District, many are inclined not to vote at all.
Many "independents" are dissatisfied with both parties. What happens if a third party candidate appears who has enough appeal to gain wide support among independents? What happens if this candidate manages to get a plurality in some key winner-take-all states? Given our Electoral College system, that third party candidate could gain sufficient electors to "win in a landslide" with way less than half the general election votes.
One always has to be careful what one asks for.
Many Democrats feel that they didn't get the change that they voted for, and as we've seen in New York's Ninth Congressional District, many are inclined not to vote at all.
Many "independents" are dissatisfied with both parties. What happens if a third party candidate appears who has enough appeal to gain wide support among independents? What happens if this candidate manages to get a plurality in some key winner-take-all states? Given our Electoral College system, that third party candidate could gain sufficient electors to "win in a landslide" with way less than half the general election votes.
One always has to be careful what one asks for.
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