VOTER EDUCATION RECOMMENDATION: WHAT ALL  VOTERS  SHOULD   DO . . .  

• STEP 1:   FIND  YOUR  CONGRESS  PERSONS
• STEP 2:   FIND  YOUR  CONGRESS  PERSONS'  PORK-BARREL,  GRAFT, &  CORPORATE  WELFARE
• STEP 3:   FIND  YOUR  CONGRESS  PERSONS'  CORRUPTION
• STEP 4:   SHARE YOUR  RESEARCH  and  EDUCATE  OTHERS
• STEP 5:   VOTING GUIDELINES
• STEP 6:   IMPORTANT  NOTES AND WARNINGS

STEP 1:   FIND  YOUR  CONGRESS  PERSONs:

Check  your  Senators'  and  Representative's  voting  records:

• If you don't know your candidates, to go here to find them.  Enter your full ZIP-CODE (e.g. 12345-6789)
• Then go here:  On The Issues.org  or here:  ProjectVoteSmart.org
• Click on the picture of your state
• Click on each your Senator's name
• Look at their voting record
• search for key words; click somewhere on the page, and press Ctrl F , and enter the key word(s) to search for
• search for:  soft money
• search for:  gifts
• search for:  campaign donations
• search for:  campaign finance
• search for:  prioritizing national debt
• search for:  ban
• Now do the same for your Representative

STEP 2:   FIND  YOUR  CONGRESS  PERSONS'  PORK-BARREL,  GRAFT, & CORPORATE  WELFARE:

• Second, go to: Citizens Against Government Waste
• Click on Reports (on menu bar).
• Click on Pork Book (on drop down menu).
• Press Ctrl  F , and enter the name of your Representative or Senator: e.g. "Kay  Bailey  Hutchison".
  
She is one of my senators in Texas (who will not get my vote when the time comes).
Here is some of the pork-barrel she voted for:

$107,433,000 for projects added in the state of Senate TTHUD Appropriations Subcommittee member Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), and the districts of House TTHUD Appropriations Subcommittee member John Culberson (R-Texas), and House appropriators Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), John Carter (R-Texas), Kay Granger (R-Texas), and Chet Edwards (D-Texas), including: $1,000,000 for compressed natural gas buses; $1,000,000 for the University of Texas Flywheel Bus and Truck Program; $500,000 for the Midland County Board of Commissioners Connection; $250,000 for Odessa for the renovation of the Historical Globe Theater ( this is really important, eh ? ); and $200,000 for Nacogdoches for renovations to the Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center ( these are your tax dollars too ! ).

• Also, check their attendance records. 
  Many, such as Representative John Conyers (D-MI), do not even show up much of the time to vote.  Now, that is representation!

STEP 3:   FIND  YOUR  CONGRESS  PERSONS'  CORRUPTION:

• Open your internet browser.
• Click on the Search button
• Enter (capitalize the AND and  OR  boolean operators):   kay  AND  bailey  AND  hutchison  AND  scandal   OR   indictment
• Or:   ted   AND   stevens   AND   illegal
• See what turns up . . . something almost always does.
 
For example, for one of my senators in Texas:

Kay Bailey Hutchison, went from stardom to scandal in four months. She was indicted for misconduct in her former job as Texas state treasurer; an indictment she called a "political witch hunt" by Democrats against a Republican. The issue is not whether her staffers performed political chores while she ran for the Senate; she admits they did; but whether the abuses were flagrant enough and whether she tried hard to hide them.   In 1994 the Dallas Observer's Miriam Rozen gained access to grand jury documents for the Kay Bailey Hutchison's case. A Texas Monthly article stated that the testimony started with employees, former coworkers and others noting her abusive behavior around the office. She literally threw a book at a subordinate and kept her office in a state of fear while she was Treasurer. These employees testify that when she [Kay Bailey Hutchison] told them to start destroying documents that showed her using state-paid staff for non-state activities, and using offices and other taxpayer-funded resources for her own political activities, they made copies behind her back.  But, guess what? Kay Bailey Hutchison got away with it unscathed, on a technicality, despite having admitted to the abuses. 

• Look at their voting records and deeds. 
  Does the incumbent politician:
  • vote irresponsibly for pork-barrel, graft, and corporate welfare (while our troops risk life and limb, go without body armor, armor for vehicles, and adequate medical and health care) ?
  • vote themselves cu$hy perk$ and rai$e$ ?
  • ignore problems for fear of risking re-election or defying their big-money-donors ?  83% of all federal donations ($200 or more) come from a mere 0.15% of the 200 million eligible U.S. voters.   How can the remaining 99.85% of the voters compete with that?    No wonder government is FOR-SALE.   No wonder bought-and-paid-for politicians carry the water for their big-money-donors.
  • protect the status quo, and prevent newcomers from passing badly-needed, common-sense, no-brainer, responsible reforms ?
  • tempt, pressure, and threaten newcomers with the loss of party support if the newcomers don't accept the status quo ?
  • pander,  lie,  or  break campaign promises (e.g. "read my lips", "I did not have sex with that woman", "your president is not a crook", "We found the weapons of mass destruction; We found biological laboratories", "it depends on what the meaning of "is" is", etc.)?
  • peddle influence and spend a great deal of time and tax-payers' money (via allowances) trolling for big-money for their campaign war-chests ?
  • abuse their allowances (provided by tax-payers) to retain their cu$hy, coveted seats of power ?
  • fuel the petty partisan warfare that distracts the voters from our many pressing problems ?
  • grow government ever larger, to nightmare proportions ?
  • want to spend more, borrow more, and want the Federal Reserve to print even more money (on average, over $135 billion per year between 1950 and 2000; that's over $370 million per day, and $15.4 million per minute, and $257K per second)!?
  • reject campaign finance reform, election reform, tax reform, or any reform that will create more transparent, accountable, and responsible government, even if it diminishes their opportunities for personal gain ?
  • vote for fiscal responsibility?
  • look the other way (even Senator John McCain (R-AZ), on NPR (2005), admitted to looking the other way; the bar is set so, so very low) ? 
  • deserve to retain their cu$hy, coveted, and prized seats of abused power (many have been in Congress for decades and enjoy a re-election incumbency rate of over 90%)?

STEP 4:   SHARE  YOUR  RESEARCH  and  EDUCATE  OTHERs:

• Now, share what you found.  Start posting things like that (above) on all the blogs you can find. Believe me, politicians and their hacks are monitoring the blogs.
• You can still write letters to your Senators and Representatives, but displaying the corruption, the way they vote, and the scandals of those Senators and Representatives all over the internet will get their attention faster than your letter (which probably never even got read, was probably immediately tossed in the garbage, or resulted in a return form letter asking for donations).
• Get the word out about your crooked politicians. Help educate your fellow voters. Education is the first step. You can reach others too.

RECOMMENDATION: 

• Stop  Repeat  Offenders.
• Don't  Re-Elect  Irresponsible  Incumbent  Politicians !

STEP 5:   VOTING GUIDELINEs:
[1]	Research the candidates.  Look at their voting records (not merely what they say).  Avoid pulling the party-lever. Avoid being seduced into the circular, divisive, distracting, petty, partisan-warfare that pits voters against each other, and allows irresponsible incumbent politicians to enjoy their cu$hy, coveted incumbencies while ignoring the nation's pressing problems (problems that are growing in number and severity).  The party-lever and the partisan-warfare is how irresponsible incumbent politicians cleverly tap-into the voters' laziness.  The party-lever makes voting easy and fast. The partisan-warfare distracts the voters from more substantive issues, and distracts from the politicians' failure to do their job to adequately address those issues.
[2]	Presidential elections usually have many candidates, so the likelihood of all candidates being equally unacceptable is low.  (a) However, what can still easily happen (and often does) is that the front-runners are equally bad, and other better candidates have low probabilities of winning. The media is notorious for exacerbating and influencing the situation (giving no attention to candidates that aren't affiliated with the two-party duopoly).  If there is a good candidate, but that candidate is unlikely to win, and the front-runners are equally worse, then why not vote for the candidate that you feel is most qualified?  If the front-runners are equally worse, what does it matter?  Also, who knows?  Your favorite candidate may do much better than expected, and while your favorite candidate may not win, it may help keep the other candidates and the two-party duopoly more focused on the most important issues? (b) For an  election of any office in which there are no good candidates, and no incumbent (i.e. all candidates are equally unacceptable), then why give any of the candidates your valuable vote?  If a write-in is allowed, do that instead.  It is perfectly acceptable to refuse to give your vote to any candidate if you believe none are acceptable.  (c) Don't forget about Congress.  What can the next president accomplish if saddled with the same do-nothing Congress? (d) Don't vote merely for the sake of voting, or blindly pull the party-lever, because an uninformed vote is worse than not voting.
[3]	Step [3] is very important.  If there are no good candidates (i.e. all candidates are about equally unacceptable), it is best to vote for a non-incumbent (i.e. challenger) rather than reward the irresponsible incumbent by allowing them to be re-elected, and allowing them to grow more powerful, corrupt, and irresponsible.  We were never supposed to re-elect irresponsible incumbents.  Unfortunately, that happens too often, merely because of blind party loyalty.  There's nothing wrong with party loyalty, but blind party loyalty merely empowers both main parties to keep taking turns being irresponsible, and keeps their incumbency rates high (e.g. 85% to 90%);  essentially rewarding Congress and telling Congress to continue being irresponsible, FOR-SALE, and corrupt.  Parties encourage straight-ticket voting, but that is the lazy way.  That is how parties tap-into your laziness to trick you into pulling the party-lever, instead of doing your own thinking for yourself.  Therefore, don't stay home if you don't like any of the candidates; vote against the incumbent.
[4]	If there is a good candidate, vote for that candidate.  If all of the candidates are bad, then vote for a non-incumbent instead of rewarding the incumbent (or if there is no incumbent, then don't give your vote to any of them).  And, do not rely on party alone.   Don't blindly pull the party-lever (i.e. straight-ticket).   Study each candidates' voting records, philosophies, and/or platform.  While you may be tempted to merely vote for a candidate merely because they belong to a particular party,  they may not even remotely represent your beliefs.  An uninformed vote is worse than no vote.
STEP 6:   IMPORTANT  NOTES  AND  WARNNIGSs:
[01]	Beware of those (usually main-party loyalists) that try to tell you that your vote for a third party or independent candidate is a wasted vote.  Always vote for the best candidate, regardless of party.  Try to ignore party as much as possible. Don't blindly/lazily pull the party lever (i.e. vote straight-ticket) and vote for candidates you know nothing about.   Blind voting is worse than not voting at all.
[02]	Beware of those (usually main-party loyalists) that try to tell you that your vote for a third party or independent candidate is a vote for the other party.  Whoever you vote for is never a vote for someone else.   That is a clever argument, but it serves to empower and fuel the strangle-hold of the main-party duopoly.  Don't fall for it, because what those main-party loyalists fear and what irks them most is that you are disrupting their strategy.  That's a good thing.   Especially if you do not like the candidates of either main party.
[03]	Beware of those (usually main-party loyalists) that try to tell you that your vote is nothing but a protest vote.  Your vote is your vote.  Use it wisely.
[04]	Beware of those (usually main-party loyalists) that try to tell you that third parties can't win.  While third party candidates may not win, third parties can and do decide elections.  So, do not despair.  Your vote counts, regardless of those that try to tell you otherwise.
[05]	Beware of those (usually main-party loyalists) that try to tell you that THEIR party is different.  The fact is, despite what politicians say, what the politicians of all parties do is actually very similar.   Especially the two main parties.  They want to maintain the strangle-hold of the two-party duopoly, which merely take turns being irresponsible, as evidenced by their handi-work and the nation's problems that continue to grow in number and severity.
[06]	Beware of negative campaigning.  Much of the time, it is nothing but lies or twisted facts, or a mixture of some truths and some lies.  Do your own research.  Try to keep an open mind.
[07]	Beware of those that try to convince you to abandon your common sense, or pick the lesser of two evils.  It's usually another ploy to maintain the strangle-hold of the two-party duopoly.  It should be noted that the two main parties are working hard to limit your choices.  Some states block access of third parties and independents to the ballots.  They do not want you to have other choices.
[08]	Beware of those that refute the indisputable logic of the guidelines (and flow chart) above.  Always vote for the most qualified candidate, regardless of party.   Don't pull the party-lever.  That's the lazy way.  Don't let parties do your thinking for you.   That is how we arrive at what we now have today, where the two main parties have a strangle-hold on the system, and work hard to limit your choices and block access to the ballots for third party and independent candidates.
		Pressing Problems Facing the U.S. (growing quickly in number and severity)
		10+ Abuses of the past 30+ years  (these did not all come about by mere coincidence)
		Economic Conditions Never Worse Ever and/or Since 1930s and 1940s.
		CONGRESS' To-Do List (see what Congress has done since the NOV-2006 election)
		Irresponsible Incumbents (what irresponsible Congress does while troops risk life and limb)
		Constitutional Violations (increasing lawlessness)
		PROs and CONs (why to stop re-electing irresponsible incumbent politicians)
		National Debt (and growing fast)
		Interest on the National Debt
		Consider the Following Scenario (must we always learn the hard way?)
		Plunder of the Environment (population, arable land, global warming)
		Solutions (peacefully force government to be responsible and accountable too!)
		Help  Educate  Others (peacefully force government to be responsible and accountable too!)
		Badly-Needed, Common-Sense Reforms
		The Cheater's Philosophy (learn to recognize their manipulative techniques)
		Frequently Asked Questions

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