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Every 10 Years or So...

Posted by C.S.Stone on 1/23/2010

Three random thoughts today...

  • The 2010 Census.  I still hear some of my less informed, pretending to have a clue people talking about how the census is just the government's way of getting all in our business.  Ok stupidos, if you need to beleive that, cool..
for the more aware among who don't get ALL their quasi intelligence from CNN, the U.S. Census isn't about the government getting all in our business.  Its about counting heads so that the resources that most of us claim we need and want can be distribulted fairly.  The Census count is also used to determine political boundary lines, which brings me to random thought # 2.


  • Political Naivete.  Ladies and gentlemen who didn't know where their polling place was before November 4, 2008, listen carefully.  I love you, seriously, but shut up.
Reading the Huffington Report and thinking Keith Olberman is "the man", does not make you political pundits.  Conveniently forgetting that the previous president was a puppet in the truest sense of the word is no excuse for complaining about the current president not being a damned genie, who snaps his finger and makes it all better and/or not showing up at your house to personally thanking you for pretending to give a damn (seriously, he knows you don't, get over yourself)


As intimated above, politics in this country requires participation in ALL aspects of the process, starting with getting counted.  In order to have your voice heard, you must be counted among the living.  That doesn't happen if you don't complete the census form people.  If you want to continue to get your food stamp card filled every month, it would help if someone knew that, so that the money and food is there for you to use. Random thought #3 segue...


  • The hidden rules of captialism. (poverty, middle class and wealth)
I respect the "loyalty" factor as it relates to survival on the lower rungs of society.  I also respect what it really means to be middle class cus I was raised there and continue to try to keep myself afloat there.  The concept of wealth is foreign to me and probably to most who read this... and I think I'm ok with that, but I need you to understand something: we aren't and probably won't be for a very very very very long time, part of the 5% of the economic wealth of this country.  With that in mind, again, being counted makes all the difference in the world.  The 5% has every intention of remaining where they are and keeping you where you and have wonderful, discreet ways of keeping things as they are.  We fall for the okie doke daily, trust me.


I have begun reading "A People's History of the United States", by Howard Zinn.  Fascinating book.  It tells the history of this country from the point of view of everyone except the wealthy and academia, who, in case you weren't aware, were/are the ones who decide what we should and shouldn't know about ourselves (all of us, not just the people with copious melanin in their skin).  After I got beyond my general disgust at the way the Spanish and Italians killed off the aborigines on the Americas,  I have been able to deal with colonial arrogance in the face of true economic and social wealth.  We as a people in this country need to consider the words put to us via the media and from our pulpits.  We really do.


so when pastor tells you not to complete the census form, or when the dudes on CNN only tell you the stuff someone upstairs told them to tell you, consider this:


This is still our country.  We still get to comment and make our voice heard.  We all have functioning brains and should begin to use them.  You don't get to complain when your political lines are redrawn, or your taxes raised, or school funding in your district slashed... if you choose to be silent.


the forms come out in March.  We shall revisit this topic at that time.


carry on.

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2 comments:

Mr Marcus said...

THANK YOU!

1/23/2010  
C.S.Stone said...

you're welcome sir!

2/06/2010  

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