QUICK THROTTLE® MAGAZINE - CALIFORNIA EDITION
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As the Publisher for several QT editions around the country, I’ve always asked the Editors who run them to stay away from politics, and I’ve edited my staff (politely) when they stray into those dangerous waters. While we all support Bikers Rights and will freely join the fray where it relates to that, I’ve always known that people want a motorcycle magazine that covers, well, motorcycles and motorcycling. Yet at this crucial time in history, I feel honor bound to break my own rule and discuss the upcoming presidential elections. Why? Because something a very wise man once said continues to haunt me – we all get the government we deserve.

If that doesn’t scare the crap out of you, it should. When the media spends an entire news cycle on the hidden meanings behind “lipstick on a pig,” and worse yet, we’re actually listening and calling and writing letters about it, then we’ve taken our eye off the proverbial ball. Phony issues like that mask the real issues, the ones that are a little harder to put into a 10-second sound bite.

Now I wouldn’t presume to tell you who to vote for. Chances are half of you would agree with me, and half of you would attempt to have me killed. No, what’s important here is that we all do the homework. If all we do is listen to those deceptive soundbites, or get the news from Leno or Lettermen (though they are geniuses), or worst of all, from the e-mails our friends forward us, then we do indeed deserve the government we get. So let’s consider a few things.

Back in the days of Edward R. Murrow, the TV news was never meant to be a profitable entity, by itself. It was considered almost noble to lose money on your news division, and make it up elsewhere. Why? Because advertisers didn’t buy time unless you agreed with their philosophies, or at least wouldn’t upset their customer base. But, the news is supposed to be devoid of slant and opinion, right? Sure, it is. Just try watching Fox News Network and CNN in the same night, and see how you feel then.

And therein lies the problem – we’re all being marketed to, even by our news. They have figured out the demographics and psychographics of their audience, and are going to “sell” you more of what you want. Or what you believe. What further justifies this approach is that with so many networks and news sources to choose from, we tend to choose those that agree with us, who support our point of view, to further reinforce our belief that we are right.

Well if you want to be not just right, but informed, it takes a little more work than that. Here are a few things I’ve had to force myself to do, in order to see the bigger picture:

Watch a news channel that makes you wonder if they are even living in the same country as you. If you can stomach more than 5 minutes, you may just hear an actual “fact,” or what they claim is one, that you can then research.

Then go online to www.factcheck.org . This is a completely unbiased source for calling both candidates on their, umm, “facts,” and it will usually include the real, unabashed information. This is THE place to go after the upcoming debates, and it’s usually updated within minutes of each debate, if not during.

Review BOTH candidate’s websites, top to bottom. Yes, if a co-worker catches you you’ll have to point, laugh, and claim it was spam, or you could be a grown up and tell them that you like to make up your OWN mind about the issues. Chances are, you’ll find something that stands in stark contrast to what the other side claimed they stood for.

Another excellent source for debunking the MANY e-mails we all receive is www.snopes.com . I’ve made more than a few enemies by replying to group emails, with the real facts behind something they’ve been dumb enough to send along. “I didn’t really read it, I just forwarded it to my friends,” is one I’ve heard too many times. Think about how often you’ve been forwarded the news about Bill Gates sharing his fortune with you, and the earlier quote about “the government we deserve” really starts to come into focus…

Another one I’ve learned the hard way is, don’t believe the candidate’s commercialsrepresent the whole truth, no matter how compelling it seems. They are counting on you not doing your own research. In fairness, they may not always be trying to deceive you. But they will only show you their perspective. It’s up to you to see theirs, the other guy’s, and oh yes, the possible truth in the middle.

Don’t forget to look up their voting record – true, they may say consistently they’re going to do one thing, but have they possibly voted differently in the past? A lot? That being said, there is a difference between “flip-flopping,” and simply changing their mind. One comes from learning new facts. The other is sometimes a media creation.

I want to leave you with one more thought to consider – the Founding Fathers left us with a pretty darn good system. It was the greatest expression of personal freedom and self-government the world had yet seen. But if you’ve thought about the Electoral College, and why it was created, you quickly see a flaw in the system. They didn’t trust the average voter to know how to vote. When you are offended by this, when you realize that “one man, one vote” is not the full extent of our American story, NOW we’re really getting somewhere. Because you’ve exceeded the Founding Father’s expectations of you, and in fact they’d be proud as hell. Maybe then we’ll truly get the government we deserve.

One last thought, and not related to politics, is that I was happy to see some folks still honoring 9/11 and the heroes who perished that day. My local church set up 343 crosses in their courtyard, all with the faces of the Firemen and Port Authority cops who so bravely gave all that day, so that others could live. After a beautiful service, my family and I placed a rose on one of the crosses, and I watched as several children went and got more roses for the crosses, for the men who didn’t have one. A local ride that has a similar ceremony is the “Remember September 11th Ride” which started at Cook’s Corner on 9/11 and rode to the home of a local Fireman, his front yard packed with the 343 crosses. We salute all who took part in this ride, all who helped organize it, and all those who, in the solitude of their own hearts, kept the promise to never forget.

See ya out there,
CD

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