Joelle Steele's Blog - POLITICS

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02/21/2023: Speaking My Mind

Thinking is an important part of my life. I spend a significant amount of time in contemplation, whether I'm meditating or simply day-dreaming. I'm an emotional person, but I'm also very logical, and this shapes my thinking to the extent that I make feeling and informed opinions and decisions.

I'm neither an optimist nor a pessimist. I'm a realist and most often an idealist. These would seem to put my thoughts into constant conflict, but instead they allow me to see what could be and how to make it so. The frustration arises when I'm faced with people who are so locked into their antiquated beliefs that they fail to see beyond those beliefs, and that means that they ultimately lack sufficient flexibility of thought to effect positive change and progress.

I'm not afraid to speak my mind when given the opportunity. I talk and I write letters to the editor. I live in a country with free speech. I don't try to make other people agree with me or think like I do, and if they think differently, I defend their right to voice their beliefs and thoughts. It is their right, and I respect that right, even if I think they are wrong or downright ridiculous.

I consider voting to be a form of speaking my mind, of making my opinion count. But I struggle when it comes time to vote. I'm a pretty sharp cookie, but the issues that arise in political elections are often incredibly complex and I spend an awful lot of time trying to get a handle on the situation.

I have long noticed that most people don't look at the big picture when it comes to voting. They're preoccupied with their own personal agendas and don't look at what is best for their country. When I vote, I know I'm not the only person who is going to be affected by what my candidate does if elected. So I look at what things are the most important issues impacting the lives of the greatest number of people, and cast my vote accordingly – I never vote a straight ticket. Nobody should.

12/30/2020: Should the U.S. Constitution Be Rewritten?

Most countries in the world have reviewed and rewritten their constitutions multiple times. If you doubt this, visit https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/chronology/ to see which countries are so far ahead of the United States in updating their constitutions in order to adapt to the current needs of their countries and their citizens. Meanwhile, by comparison, the United States has amended its Constitution but has failed to ever rewrite it completely to make it more fluent, comprehensive, and applicable to our 21st century world. Frankly, I think it should be rewritten just to eliminate the multiple interpretations that make it so easy for citizens to misuse it entirely.

But there are many other reasons for rewriting the constitution. The Constitution was written when the population of the United States was not at all what it is today in terms of both size and diversity. Today, the needs of individual states and of individual groups of people within the United States make it necessary, even mandatory, that our most important government document address them completely. Some will argue that it does that by way of the Amendments, but the Amendments themselves need to be amended, which would just add more confusion to an already outdated document.

Let's look at Amendment II of the Bill of Rights (which is part of the Constitution), originally ratified in 1791 – that's 230 years ago. It reads:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

This Amendment was proposed by James Madison and was written to provide power to the state militias, now known as the National Guard. These organized militias were composed of citizens capable of fighting back against a tyrannical government, as they did in fighting the British. The right of the people to keep and bear arms was not meant to be interpreted in a way that non-militia (non-National Guard) could be allowed to stockpile guns, shoot people at random, or use weapons to rebel against their own country.

Should people have the right to bear arms at all? Yes, but only under certain conditions. This is an example of an Amendment that should be rewritten in its entirety to reflect a longer-lasting effect. It should detail the number of weapons, the kinds of weapons, the storage of weapons, carrying a weapon, and qualification for gun licensing for anyone who needs a gun. Military and law enforcement personnel should not be allowed to retain their weapons after their service is completed. Automatic weapons should not be sold at all. They have no use at all except for mass killings, and we have certainly had enough of those.

Another change that is long overdue in our Constitution is that relating to the terms and salaries of politicians. Right now, in 2021, Congress is filled with a bunch of useless, overpaid slackers. Tighter limits should be put on all political positions, two terms maximum for all. Why? Because our current politicians are far more interested in maintaining their seats and salaries than in doing their jobs. And some keep their seats for 10, 20, 30, or more years without fulfilling their duties. Watch CSPAN sometime and look at all the empty seats and all the members napping through proceedings. Of course, some of this negligence on the part of our elected officials could be eliminated if more people voted.

And voting, well, that's another thing. Congratulations Americans for turning out to vote in record numbers last November 2020. Keep it up. But the Constitution still needs major improvement regarding the way in which voters are qualified, registered, and allowed to vote – especially the latter. I lived in California where I voted at a polling place that was three blocks from where I lived. Here, in Washington state where I now live, we vote by mail, which for me is even more convenient. But that's not the way it is for many people in America who can't get to the polls to vote and don't have the option of voting by mail. If a state offers only the polls to vote, then they should be required to have far more polling places to support their voter population. And those polls need to be open far longer – maybe for two or three days – so that everyone has the opportunity to exercise their RIGHT to vote.

I could go on and on about all the things that should be clearly refined and re-written in our Constitution. But for now, this gets a few things on my chest!

11/30/2019: Where Do Conspiracy Theories Come From?

Conspiracy theories have been around since the dawn of time. But now we live in a time when the Internet and Social Media combine to perpetuate more urban myths and legends than at any other time in history. A "conspiracy" is basically defined as a secret scheme, plot, or plan, often meant to do something harmful or unlawful. A "theory" is an idea that is presented as being true but that has not or cannot be proven. So, a conspiracy theory is an idea about a secret plot that some people believe is true but for which no proof exists.

There are more of these conspiracy theories than you can possibly imagine, usually about famous people or events. There are numerous conspiracy theories surrounding JFK, Elvis, global warming, Marilyn Monroe, the Clintons, Sandy Hook, Roswell, NASA moon landings, Obama, 9/11, Illuminati, Mayan calendar, FEMA, Deep State, Michael Jackson, Planet Nibiru, October Surprise, Jesse James, alternative medications, crop circles, cloud seeding, artificial diseases, anti-vaccines, HAARP, Philadelphia Experiment, phantom time hypothesis, new chronology, and flat earth – just to name a very, very few.

Conspiracy theories don't just come out of nowhere. They are started and spread by people who some psychologists say have illusory pattern perception. We are all hard-wired to perceive patterns, but people with this mental disorder see patterns and correlations in things that are illogical, irrational, unproven, random, or simply non-existent.

Conspiracy theorists generally want attention. They want to be famous and make money by writing and speaking about their favorite conspiracy. This becomes very obvious when you look at the number of books written by conspiracy theorists. For example, more than 20 books alone have been written by "anti-vaxers," the people who believe vaccines cause autism and a host of other disorders and diseases. None of these books contain even the tiniest morsel of fact. Pick any conspiracy theory and you'll find a plethora of books and articles to back it up.

Today, in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more than 1,000 different conspiracy theories about the disease itself and its often dangerous cures. All of these COVID conspiracies are dangerous because they lead people all over the world to believe that COVID-19 is just a very bad cold, that most people are immune to it, that your flu shot protects you from it, that it doesn't mutate, that it was engineered in a lab, that masks don't work, etc. Thousands of people have died as a result of ingesting poisonous substances recommended by conspiracy theorists. And, many people who listen to these conspiracy theorists believe that COVID-19 doesn't exist at all, and is itself a conspiracy being perpetrated on the world by secret political cabals.

To even a novice critical thinker, conspiracy theories can be very easily dismissed, usually because they are so obviously the products of paranoid narcissists who want to get attention for their utterly ridiculous theories by spreading them among the ignorant or the gullible. Every conspiracy theory out there has been debunked multiple times by real hard evidence and legitimate expert investigations. But you won't hear about them being debunked because that's not as controversial – and therefore not as exciting – as the conspiracy theory itself. Most debunking is pretty simple to do because the vast majority of conspiracy theories consist of little more than opinions, such as with TV shows like Ancient Aliens that seeks to link the building of ancient cities with alien technology, among other things. That's not to say they weren't, but there is no hard evidence of any kind to prove it.

Use your critical thinking skills to research anything that you even remotely suspect might be nothing more than a conspiracy. A healthy dose of skepticism will do wonders in helping you get to the truth. One place to go that is helpful in seeing what's been debunked is SNOPES.com, a fact-checking site. They are rated as a top-notch reference source by Newsguard. Another is joenickell.com. Joe Nickell has been debunking a wide variety of conspiracy theories for close to 40 years.

01/27/2019: Fact, Opinion, or Lie?

Distinguishing facts from opinions or lies can be very difficult at times. Your own personal biases can easily lead you to believe an opinion or lie over the facts. That's because most people believe what they hear from sources they consider to be highly credible, such as friends, employers, church leaders, and politicians. But a fact is a fact, and everything else is not. How do you get to the truth, to the real facts?

Facts can be proven with hard evidence such as multiple scientific studies, courtroom documents, a politician's voting records, etc. Experts are qualified to express opinions based on facts. Non-experts can express opinions too, but they will not be as credible. As for lies, it is easy for anyone to fabricate a story and make it sound like a fact. And many people who should know better can spin some real whoppers that lead people to believe things that are completely untrue, often ridiculous, and sometimes downright dangerous.

How can you tell the difference? It's difficult. But, if you use your critical thinking skills, you should be able to do sufficient research into a subject to find out whether or not it's true. And always remember that it's not just the possible lie or opinion that you want to investigate. You also have to research the person who is telling the story you want to verify. Many people in the world today are highly skilled liars. They can tell you a lie without batting an eye. And they can seem highly credible. But the only thing they are often really good at is telling you what you want to hear, right or wrong, real or pure fiction. Find out what their track record is for bending the truth before you buy into their rhetoric.

Today, the media is often blamed for spreading lies, but this in itself is pretty much untrue. Yes, there are some yellow journalists out there who present little legitimate news and instead emphasize sensationalist headlines. They are found at the checkout stand in the grocery store and they are all over the Internet. But, when it comes to the majority of newspapers, magazines, and evening news shows, honest, investigative journalism is of the utmost importance. Journalists are taught from Day One to seek out the truth, no matter how hard it is to uncover or to hear, and to present it in its most concrete and unbiased way. That's what investigative journalism is all about.

One of the best ways to get legitimate news stories is to read or listen to well-respected reporters on news shows at major networks such as ABC, NBC, or CBS, and also NPR (National Public Radio). In print, rely on newspapers and magazines such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, San Francisco Chronicle, Time, and Newsweek. What to avoid? News commentary shows such as those found on CNN and Fox News. Commentary is not news. It's a bit of news followed by nothing more than opinions, and while many people on these kinds of shows are experts, some are just expert liars pushing their own agendas. If you listen to them at all, listen critically and question everything they say.

If you can't distinguish a fact from an opinion or lie, never spread the word. Sharing via social media is one of the surest ways to be complicit in the spread of lies and other misinformation (false or inaccurate information) or disinformation (deliberate and often malicious misinformation). Seek out the truth. Tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It's the right thing to do.

09/01/2018: Can You Believe Polls and Surveys?

Statistics are often gathered from polls (that ask a single multiple choice question) or surveys (that ask a variety of questions). These statistics are used to support an issue or cause. They can be very compelling and convincing. But critical thinkers know that statistics can be gathered to prove almost any point. In other words, any poll or survey can be biased if it is designed to slant the results, which means it is not a legitimate poll or survey. The people being polled are the "sample," and random sampling, as in random-digit-dialing, has been consistently shown to deliver the most accurate results, as do bigger samples. 

How the questions are asked and the way they are phrased is important in polls and surveys. Usually, a good polling company will ask the same question in two formats to eliminate possible bias. That question must not be a leading question such as, "It has been found that soft drinks are linked to cancer. Knowing that, will you continue to drink Coca-Cola?" That type of question is likely to result in a bias towards not drinking Coca-Cola even if the person being asked drinks Pepsi or doesn't drink soft drinks at all.

Once a poll or survey is taken, the data must be carefully analyzed. Today, that is commonly done using a bootstrapping computer program to accurately estimate the sampling distribution. In the end, this will result in a margin of error percentage. For example, a 2.5 percent margin of error means that if the poll were to be run 100 times asking a different sample of people each time, the percentage of error would remain within 2.5 percent in at least 95 of those 100 polls.

The following are just a few of the most reliable pollsters and survey takers: Elway Research, Gallup, NORC, Pew, Nielsen Ratings, Public Policy Polling, and SUPRC. If you see a polling or survey source that you don't recognize, research it and find out who's behind it before you believe its results or share it on social media.