Monday, January 31, 2011

Programmatic Voting (Just a thought)

Its something that I don't think many people tend to think about. We like to think we are independent in our decisions and we came to those conclusions all by ourselves. Truth is, we are influenced by family friends, experiences, stereotypes and the like and voting is very obvious.

For those that are unaware, in the city of Chicago there is quite a paramount race for Mayor. The long time incumbent, Richard Daley is stepping down and its a mad grab for power within the city.

Within one particular demographic, there was this big to-do about "THE" candidate. As in the candidate the people all agree on. In this case it was within the Black community after a thinning process reduced the pool  from more than 5 to one. However, there are those running that in theory are "splitting the vote".  But what does that mean?

Do a particular group of people have to completely agree on one candidate? Why? We believe in naivety that all will agree? It assumes a homogeneous mentality that is far from truth within such a volatile subject as politics. Only thing more derisive and divisive is religion.

All in all, we can say one thing but when we are within the booth casting our votes, all of that flies out the window.

Group-think though prominent, usually gets eschewed for individuality in the end. We all look at potential candidates the way we look at jobs; what can you do for me, why should I choose you.

So as we go forth and make our decisions, find the candidate that moves YOU. Not your mother grandmother, pastor, etc. Because ultimately your choice is what will affect you.

N

Thursday, January 27, 2011

I'm Back!!!

And he's back, for good this time! Staying true to the circus that is known as Chicago Politics, this upcoming election will not disappoint. For those of you out of the loop, here's a little recap of what is going on in the Chicago Mayoral election.

October 1st: Then White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel steps down from his position.

December 23rd: The Chicago Board of Elections allows former White House chief of staff to appear on the ballot in February's mayoral election  despite the fact that he served President Obama in Washington for the past 2 years. Keep in mind that he owns a house in Chicago and still pays property taxes.  The law states an individual running for the mayoral position must reside in Chicago 1 year prior to the elections.

Jan. 24th: The Illinois Appellet court declares Rahm Emanuel does not meet the criteria in terms of residency and is therefore ineligible to run for mayor.  This decision was made 1 day prior to the names being printed on the ballot.  Coincidence? I think not.  He appealed the next day and scored a partial victory in that, his name would still be on the ballots that were being immediately printed.  He also filed an appeal to the supreme court, to allow him to stay on the ballot and run for mayor.

Jan 27th: The return of the mack!! The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Rahm Emanuel met residency requirements and that his name will stay on the ballot in Chicago.
  
He's back and he's leading in the polls right now, last figures I checked showed he has 43% of the vote, close but not quite good enough for the 50 needed to avoid a run off election.  Here's a little something about the other 2 contenders in the running.

Gery Chico:
GERY CHICO X390 (WIKI) | ADVOCATE.COM
Former Mayor's Chief of Staff
Gery served as Mayor Richard M. Daley's Chief of Staff from 1992 through 1995, where he initiated the Neighborhoods Alive program that brought new streets, alleys, police stations, fire stations and libraries to all Chicago neighborhoods. He was instrumental in adding 1,000 new police officers to the Chicago Police Department in 1993, and he helped reduce the Head Tax, a tax Chico believes penalizes Chicago employers for providing jobs.
Gery wants to eliminate the Head Tax. 

Learn more about Gery at http://www.gerychico.com/homepage.aspx

Carol Moseley Braun:
Remember Carol? In 1978 Carol was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives.  During her first election for State Representative, Carol made education her top priority. She was the chief sponsor of the 1985 Urban School Improvement Act which created parents councils at every school in Chicago. As early as 1984, Carol proposed a moratorium on the death penalty.  In what became a landmark reapportionment case, Carol successfully sued her own party and the state of Illinois on behalf of African-American, Hispanic, and female citizens.  Carol was also the chief sponsor of bills to reform education and ban discrimination in housing and private clubs

To learn more about Carol Moseley Braun please refer to her website:  http://carolforchicago.com/about/about-carol/


So this is my first post Guys. Hope you guys enjoy the reads. If anyone has any suggestions, or wants to post please let me know.