A Divided Ballot for a Divided Citizen of a Divided Nation

For the past several weeks I have written and rewritten this --- over, and over, and over again.  It will cause me to lose "friends" on both sides of the political divide.  If one is to be honest, I dare say one would find some good on both sides.

First, a little housekeeping:  1)  When writing for this public space, I tend to try to avoid writing in first person.  After awhile, "I" gets to be so well-worn.  The reader will probably find more references to "I" here than I (see, there's one already) would normally use.  2)  When referring to the "sides" I generally mean the Republic and Democratic parties.  That is not to say there are only two parties; any marginally informed person knows there are others, but for purposes of this piece, the elephants and donkeys are my primary focus.

Now, moving right along.  Second, a little background:  One can see from my picture that I am of the darker nation (if you're not acquainted with this term, I commend you to Stephen Carter's The Emperor of Ocean Park).  I am an American who happens to be a diverse mix, and the DNA of the darker nation prevailed in my skin color.  Still, I am an American.  I do not believe in or subscribe to hyphenated terms; they are more divisive than anything else.  (By the way, this is my writing, so hopefully it is understood that these are my thoughts and opinions unless quoted and properly cited.)

Although I am black, I was taught by a white woman, specifically how to vote.  What do I mean?  Oh, I'm so glad you asked!  Back in the early 70s, Judge Geraldine Tennant (God rest her soul), invaded the worship hour at Wesley Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church one Sunday morning during the political season.  In the way of explaining to the congregation of hundreds of worshipers as if they were children, how to vote, she said that all we had to do was turn that one little lever and vote for all of the candidates in the Democratic party.  Can you imagine my indignation???  Who are these people?  Shouldn't they be given individual consideration?  And so, in telling me how to vote, Geraldine Tennant taught me how not to vote.  I vowed never to vote a straight ticket for the sake of expediency, or, God forbid, for the sake of the party; and I never have.

Why I dislike political parties:  Well you didn't ask this question; I want to tell you anyway.  One of my Republican acquaintances with whom I spent hours on the road, literally back and forth from Houston to Victoria countless times during a Medicare Annual Election period, told me of his conflicts and woes with the Republican Party, and despite his experiences, remained a faithful party member because that's the only way anything can get done.  Well, that may be true, to a certain extent, but everything that gets done because of party alignments isn't necessarily the thing that should be done.  And parties are just divisive.  We have become a nation of us vs. them.  The sad part about it is that there are people who are loyal to one party because it's the party of their ancestors -- on both sides!  And what if your party's candidate for XYZ office supports a position that is totally antithetical to yours?  Do you still vote for that candidate?  Really?  Or what if the person holding XYZ office has been totally ineffective for years???  Do you still vote the straight party ticket and risk the possibility of helping to elect that dud?   Really?  Okay. I'm moving on; this is supposed to be about my divided ballot.

My divided ballot:  The ballot was long, and I won't speak of every selection, but know that none of my votes were cast based on race, color, party, gender, religion, or sexual orientation; rather character (from what I can determine), effectiveness, experience and position on critical issues were important factors determining my choices.  Sometimes it was the lesser of two (or three) evils. :(

For Judge of the 333rd Judicial District Court, I voted for Tracy D. Good.  Admittedly my vote was more against the current judge, Joseph "Tad" Halbach, who I believe was not fairly re-elected in the last election.  I would love to speak with any person who can explain to me the numerical possibility of his prevailing with the Democratic party prevailing in Harris County.  Mr. Goodwill Pierre should be sitting on that bench now.

For Representative of Congressional District 18, I voted for Sean Seibert.   I believe that elected officials are  not holders of public offices for life; and it is our duty to limit their terms when they are no longer effective.  Mrs. Lee has long been ineffective.  Far too often Mrs. Lee goes to extreme measures to keep herself in the public eye, even for circumstances that have no bearing on her constituency.  Do you remember her outrageous behavior after the death of Michael Jackson?  The tragic murder of Robert Byrd?  Mrs. Lee is always in the spotlight, until one needs her help.  I speak from personal experience.  Besides, who wants to be represented by The Terror of the National Airport as she is known?  And . . . who wants to be represented by someone whose staff, when one calls her office with a concern, makes a cursory check of the rolls and announces to the caller I don't see your name on the voter rolls and then we have "X" number of people in this district! rather than how may I help you?  Indeed, it is time for a change.

For President of the United States of America, I voted for Barack Obama.  Not because he is black, but because he is

• the most intelligent; 
• the most compassionate; 
• the most thoughtful; 
• the most trustworthy; 
• the most critically thinking; 
• concerned about the entire country, not just particular demographic segments; and 
• the most mature and grounded of the two candidates.  

My vote for Mr. Obama was every bit as much a vote against Mr. Romney, who

• has a history of gutting companies and outsourcing jobs (you know, those things that people blame Mr. Obama for not creating?);
• attacks with lies and innuendo (isn't that what they say:  the best defense is a good offense).  This is my logical deduction after reading and fact-checking; 
• opens his mouth and says really inappropriate stuff, trying to make points for himself by trying to make Mr. Obama look bad.    
• cannot be trusted to be concerned about the welfare of the entire country, rather than just the 53% (remember, he has already discounted 47%).
• painfully unstable.  Who knows which Mr. Romney, if elected, will be sworn in?  Even members of his party have agonized over his vacillations.

What I do not understand is that there are people, among the 47%, who access federal and state aid like food stamps (or whatever the new label is) and health care, and want college scholarships for their kids who barely graduated from high school and haven't even thought about college tuition, yet, they despise the current POTUS who supports helping families and promoting access to education for all.  And, even though there are aspects of the Health Care Reform Act that I do not like, who can not want 1) an annual physical; 2) coverage for the child who is not quite independently employed; or 3) coverage for preexisting conditions?  Yes, people say ObamaCare with disdain.  I tell them that ObamaCare is because Obama cares.

And finally, I can identify with Mr. Obama.  In my early adult years, as an employee I tended to replace some incompetent dimwit (okay, the gloves are off!) who did not do her job, and left a mess for the next person to clean up.  My supervisors were always impatient about getting everything in order and asking why is it taking so long?  My question in reply was how long has it been like this? 

My bottom line:  When you have people in office who --

• will say YES to corporations that export jobs
• are more concerned about personal gain or enriching their friends 
• refuse to work together in a spirit of cooperation for the good of the country
• will say NO to anything in hopes someone will fail

you have a divided country.  Fingers are pointed at both sides.  Some on both sides need to go, some need to stay, and some should never have tried to come.

Now, tell the truth:  

• Many of you will vote for Mr. Obama because he is black (you will probably admit this publicly).
• Many of you will vote for Mr. Romney because he is white (you probably won't admit this publicly).
• Many of you will vote for Mr. Obama because of his position on same-sex marriage.
• Many of you will vote for Mr. Romney because of his position on same-sex marriage.
• Many of you will vote for Mr. Obama because he is a Democrat.
• Many of you will vote for Mr. Romney because he is a Republican.
• Many of you will vote for Mr. Obama because of his position on immigration reform.
• Many of you will vote for Mr. Romney because of his position on immigration reform.
• Many of you will vote for Mr. Obama because he is concerned about 100% of Americans.
• Many of you who vote for Mr. Romney may be hurt by his policies and attitude regarding the 47%.

Finally, I respect your right to vote however you choose; you should respect mine as well.  In that regard, it is okay if you do not agree with me; just write your own blog.

Now, the tarring and feathering can only be done by appointment.  Call my office number to get on the list, but not before 9:00 a.m.

The Plague of Complacency: Why I Support Jarvis Johnson for Congress

Normally when I sit to write a blog, the sitting to do so is preceded by much thought, sometimes over a period of days or weeks.  Today's blog is not the case.  (I am well aware that I started a series about 4-word sentences and have published nothing other than the introduction, but this is indeed an emergency.)


So, what's the emergency?  As usual, I'm glad you asked.   One of my Facebook friends actually invited me to become a fan of person I have many years considered unfit for duty!


And, what's the big deal about that?  Again, I'm glad you asked.  Complacency is the big deal.  Complacency is what has  had a stranglehold on the 18th Congressional District ("the 18th") since 1995.  Complacency, and its first cousin, apathy have allowed the 18th Congressional District to be inhabited by a person, who like one of her, probably, most well-known predecessors, Barbara Jordan, is an American woman of African descent.  I dare say that is where the comparison stops.  Anything beyond that would have to be considered contrast. 


Unlike Barbara Jordan, who left the office too soon, according to most folks who remember her, the current 18th Congressional Representative has far outlived her usefulness in that capacity.  It appears that she needs to be reminded that the boundaries of her district do not extend to Jasper, Texas or the sunny state of California.  While the murder of Mr. Byrd via dragging was a most horrific event, and the demise of pop star Michael Jackson touched the hearts of many, these are just two of untold escapades of Mrs. Lee that have nothing to do with her work for the folks of the 18th.  If these extracurricular activities were not so commonplace, the common folks of the 18th might hear something other than lame excuses when they call their Representative for assistance.   This is not what I heard; this is what I know.   Of course, it is understandable that a Representative who does 99% of the talking and only 1% of the listening, would not have a clue.


While our current Representative may be a fine person, a good wife, mother, or whatever, she has far outlived her usefulness in the 18th.    It is time for the 18th to give Mrs. Lee a performance evaluation.   Other than making quickie appearances at church, community and sorority banquets, picking up plaques to commemorate God only knows what kind of award, honing in on press conferences that have absolutely nothing to do with the business of the 18th, and maintaining a staff who first checks to see if a caller is on the voter registration rolls before announcing that they have so many hundreds of thousands of constituents (which means they don't have time for the caller), one can only wonder what tasks regarding, relating or pertaining to the concerns of 18th ever get accomplished.


For years I have dutifully showed up at the polls to cast my vote against Mrs. Lee, all the while wondering why my fellow 18th'ers cannot see the big picture.  Unfortunately, there had been no candidate that even she considered viable competition -- until now.   I have known of Jarvis Johnson for years.  He has worked in the 18th before being elected to City Council.  He is a well respected man whose values are reflected in the way he lives.  People don't just know of him; they know him because he is visible and involved in the community where he has helped to bring viable improvements to its infrastructure and quality of life.  Leading by example is his mantra, and leading by example is what he does.


Now is the time for the 18th Congressional District to fire its representative.  They can only do that by going to the polls and VOTING!   There is NO TIME for COMPLACENCY, nor for its cousin, APATHY.  Believe and know that your vote is important enough to matter.  Make sure your vote is counted!  


For these reasons and more, I SUPPORT JARVIS JOHNSON FOR CONGRESS.