By Louis Avallone
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It is estimated that 400,000 people annually are injured in motor vehicle accidents involving a distracted driver. In fact, distracted driving is estimated to kill over 3,000 people each year. And according to the federal government, distracted driving is “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving,” such as texting, grooming, reading, etc. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called distracted driving a “national epidemic”.
Well, there’s another growing national epidemic, and it’s estimated to have caused 23 million Americans to become unemployed and produce the lowest level of homeownership in United States’ history. It’s linked to declining household incomes, and the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, which has lost more than 83 percent of its value since 1970. It’s an epidemic that increases the national debt by $2 million every minute, and is associated with decreased national security. The epidemic? Distracted voting.
Distracted voting is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of being an informed voter, knowledgeable of the facts, and aware of the issues. I’ll share with you a couple of examples.
On the same day that demonstrators attacked the U.S. embassies in Yemen and Egypt, and killed the U.S. ambassador in Libya, and on the same day that demonstrators tore down the American flag at our embassy there, and replaced it with a black flag with Islamic text, our President still went ahead with his campaign appearances and fundraising in Las Vegas, all while a cheering, exuberant crowd welcomed him, almost as if nothing more significant had happened that day.
Instead of considering the significance of the terrorist attacks on our embassies, or the loss of life, or the continuing vigilance needed to protect Americans, both here at home, and abroad, Obama instead spoke that night in Las Vegas about how our nation is divided between the rich and the poor, even though the incomes of nearly all Americans have increased sevenfold (after adjusting for inflation), over the last century. He talked about how he needed to raise taxes and redistribute wealth to make this country great again, even though millions of Americans already made this country great – many coming to this country with little more than the clothes on their backs, and yet they still built the world’s largest economy (and without an $850 billion stimulus).
No, instead of that Las Vegas crowd wondering how the war on terrorism might be waged going forward, we instead are told of the Republicans “war” on women, because contraceptives might no longer be free. The Democrats portray Mitt Romney as a greater threat to women than the Taliban, meanwhile there are “real” wars on women being waged in the Middle East, where they are often and unjustly imprisoned, and tortured. In some countries, women can’t drive or vote, while in other countries, women are not allowed to work, or be educated after the age of 8.
The attentive voter will know, however, that there is no “war” on women in this country. In fact, for every two men who will receive a B.A. degree this year, three women will do the same.
Women now make-up a majority of the workforce and more than half of all are managers. In fact, a growing number of women are now out-earning their male counterparts and, as that trend continues, there will be a majority of working women who are out-earning their male counterparts.
But is there really any big surprise why we have so many distracted voters in our nation? After all, with so many diversions to captivate our attention and occupy our minds, often with nonsense, it’s difficult to come home – pause – and give thoughtful consideration to nuclear proliferation. Or to the national security threat from our nation’s open borders. Or to the terminal consequences of increasing the national debt.
It’s just not a priority when the children have their homework to finish, baths to take, and you have to balance the checkbook.
Democrats in Washington are hoping it’s easier to process it all into easy campaign rhetoric: Rich versus poor. Men versus women. Citizens versus immigrants. Tolerance or appeasement versus peace through strength. Mitt Romney’s tax returns versus how much his wife paid for her blouse.
Distracted voting is an epidemic in our nation. Did you know that only 2 in 10 Americans know that there are 100 Senators in the U.S. Senate? Or that only 4 in 10 of us know that there are 3 branches of government (and also can name each of them)? Or that 53% of Americans don’t know who is the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court or, for that matter; even name a single member of the highest court in the land? Or that a National Geographic poll revealed that 6 in 10 people, aged 18 to 24, could not find Iraq on a map?
There’s something we can all do about distracted voting, though. Get informed, and get the facts. After all, it’s like Obama told us all last year that, “We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers.” And he’s right. The problem is – it’s the Democrats in Washington doing the distracting – and they’re offering free admission to the circus, for everyone willing to listen.