Where Do You Get Your News?

  

Remember the good old days when the local daily showed up on your front porch in time to have it with your first cup of coffee? My Grandpa would glance at the front page then read the funny papers. My Daddy would look at the front page then turn to the want ads. My Momma just drank her coffee.

Then we got the evening news in black and white on television. The TV stations went to color in 1966, but the televisions we had didn't.

Known as "the most trusted man in America," Walter Cronkite gave us the news. He didn't comment on the stories. He just reported them. He covered much of the Cold War between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R with its Cuban Missile Crisis. He covered President Kennedy's assassination with its follow-on murder of a suspect in custody. The assassin was killed not by police, but by a nightclub owner on live TV amid the chaos of reporters and police and justice officials. 

Cronkite covered the Civil Rights Movement with film of its peaceful protesters being brutalized by their local and state law enforcement officers. We watched film of the Vietnam War and its world-wide anti-war demonstrations. We got the official daily body count -- ours and theirs. Theirs were always many times higher than ours. I began to wonder how there could be any North Vietnamese left, but we didn't question it. There was no way for the average person to research those figures. No internet. No Google.

    

Now the news is available anytime, anywhere on our smart TVs or our smart phones, from Siri and Alexa or the Amazon Echo Dot. Sometimes I have nightmares about getting it on my dental implants!

Twitter and TikTok and Facebook. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. PBS News Hour, BBC America, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle. The Onion, Saturday Night Live, Facebook.

Okay, the technology is here. And it is available to most of us whether we know how to use it or not. But there are some very old rules about how we should use all this information, be it true or be it false. And those old rules rightly should continue to inform our use of all this information. Just because something we read, hear, or see seems believable doesn't make it true. Like, for instance -- I don't have dental implants.

One of those old rules is as old as the Ten Commandments, the Ninth one, to be precise. Thou shalt not bear false witness. This includes repeating, retweeting, and/or sharing something that is not true. How can you tell if something is true or not? Do your own research. 

I like Snopes.com. Just type in your question. In fact you can just Google your question. Google will give you several options to check out. Got a question about an organization that is saying something you agree with or don't agree with, but you don't know anything about that organization. Google it. 

The Washington Post is a reputable newspaper. The New York Post is a tabloid. The Philidelphia Inquirer is a reputable newspaper. The National Enquirer is a tabloid. What's the difference between a reputable newspaper and a tabloid? Google it.

Want to know if a particular newspaper is generally considered "conservative" or "liberal"? Google it.

Want to know how many species of rabbit and hares are native to North America? This is what Google said, "North America is home to 15 species of rabbits and hares. All of these are rather abundant within their range."

Google's source:  https://science.jrank.org/pages/3785/Lagomorphs-Rabbits-hares-North-America.html
 

Voting in Colorado -- Chapter 27

2020 Ballot

This is Chapter 27. I haven't written the first 26 yet. And don't intend to. 

Yep, they started mailing our ballots out October 9.  Got mine on the 10th. In Colorado ballots are mailed to all registered voters. We don't have to request them. We are responsible for registering to vote which we can do up to and including Election Day. To receive a ballot in the mail, people must register  to vote or update their voter registration (including change of address) through the 8th day before Election Day, October 26. We can vote in person early beginning October 19 or on election day, November 3, at our local polling places. We can mail our ballot back using the U.S. Postal Service, but we have to put a 55 cent stamp on it and get it into the mail before October 26. 

Or we can put it into a Ballot Drop Box which is free. State-wide, Colorado has 368 such boxes, including the ones at each County's Courthouse. Mine of choice is the one outside the Rec Center where I attended exercise classes prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

There is an app we can use to track our ballot from the moment the state mails it to us, to when our Voter Registrar receives it back no matter how we send it. If there is some kind of problem with our ballot, they contact us and give us a chance to correct it.

Voting should be simple, pick a President. Pick a U. S. Senator, and a Congressman. Not really. We have 21 choices for President plus we can write in someone's name. (I personally don't expect to get any votes. Not even my husband would vote for me. We are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.) There are four choices plus a place for a write-in for U.S. Senator and the same number for Congressman. That takes care of the National part of our voting responsibility. Yes, it does.

However, there are all those State Offices. The District Attorney for our District. The County Offices. 

And the Judge Retentions for the State Supreme Court Justices, the Court of Appeals Judges, the District Court Judges, and right on down to County Court Judges. On the one hand I'm lucky not to have personal experience with any of these judges (knock wood) so I depend on the State Ballot Information Booklet. When I lived in Oklahoma we had no easy access to any information about the judges so I just skipped that part of the ballot. My husband voted to throw them all out.

A couple or three weeks before they mail our ballots they mail the Blue Book -- The  State Ballot Information Booklet. It is especially helpful with the judges and questions.

On the back of the ballot. What? Any sane person would feel successful to have completed one side, right? Right. But there's the backside yet to go and it's the complex ones. That's where we've got Amendments to the State Constitution, State-wide Statutory Propositions, and a City of Lakewood Ballot Question. Each identified by number or letter, the rhyme and/or reason for those numbers and/or letters are not as obvious as the names for tropical storms/hurricanes.

                  State Representative for our District                               Me
                             Chris Kennedy

                

Chris Kennedy, the State Representative for our District sent out the following missal. The text in brackets following each of his opinions is mine.

There are 11 statewide ballot measures and various local measures. For nonpartisan analysis of pros and cons, make sure to read your Blue Book (English Version | Spanish Version). There are also some great ballot guides out there from the Bell Policy Center and Progress Now Colorado, but I’m sure you’re unsurprised to learn that I have some strong opinions of my own:

Amdt B – Repeal Gallagher Amendment

I’m voting yes. This outdated property tax formula has led to a serious decline in local funding for our K-12 schools, which the state has tried but failed to adequately backfill. If we don’t pass Amdt B, our schools are going to take another big hit next year.

[I, too am voting yes. The Gallagher Amendment is an excellent example of not thinking far enough down the road. It is no longer useful and is, in fact detrimental.]

Amdt C – Bingo/Raffle Rules

While it’s silly that these rules are in the Constitution in the first place, Amdt C makes modest changes to help nonprofits fundraise using bingo and raffles. I’m voting yes.

[I'm voting no on this one. The current law requires charities using bingo and raffles as fund-raisers to use volunteers (usually members of the organization) to run the bingo or raffle. The change would allow the organization to pay people to run the bingo or raffle, making them (in my opinion) commercial projects.]

Amdt 76 – Requirements to Vote

I’m voting no. There are no jurisdictions in Colorado considering allowing non-citizens to vote, so this is largely symbolic. However, we do currently grant 17-year-olds the right to vote in caucuses and primaries as long as they’ll be 18 by the November election, and Amdt 76 would take that right away.

[I agree on this one. The wording change would not alter the meaning other than to bar soon-to-be eligible voters from participating in the primaries. It is unnecessary.]

Amdt 77 – Casino Bet Limits

Honestly, I’m a little torn on this one. Our community colleges certainly need more funding, and Amdt 77 could help. But I do worry the potential for higher betting limits to hurt people prone to gambling addiction.

[The way Chris explains his feelings on this one is a bit odd I think. It only applies to the three cities where there are casinos and would allow the people in those cities to approve additional games and set the maximum single bet allowed. It would allow the gaming tax revenue to be used for community colleges. Admittedly, I'm not much of a gambler and I don't live in any of these towns. So I don't have a dog in this fight. I will vote yes and let those who do, make their own decisions.]

Prop EE – Nicotine Tax

I’m voting yes. Increasing the price of nicotine products is the number one way to reduce teen use, which is very high in Colorado. While it’s true that nicotine taxes are regressive, I’d argue that the negative health impacts of nicotine use are even more regressive.

[I, too, will vote yes, not so much because of the morality involved, but just because vaping as a method of delivering a tobacco product came along after the tobacco tax happened doesn't mean it should be taxed differently than other tobacco products.]

Prop 113 – National Popular Vote

I’m voting yes. Once enough states join Colorado in this interstate compact, all will simultaneously switch from giving their electoral college votes to the winner of their own state’s popular vote and instead give them to the winner of the national popular vote. It’s unfortunate that Presidential candidates really only campaign in a dozen or so states. With a national popular vote system, these candidates will be incentivized to campaign in every state. It’s simple. One person, one vote.

[I will vote no on this one. It will not give us the result of "One person, one vote." In fact it could discount a State's majority of voters, if they did not agree with the popular vote in the so-called interstate compact. If we are going to have a direct one person, one vote method of electing our President, we need to amend the Constitution of the United States and do away with the Electoral College altogether.]

Prop 114 – Gray Wolf Reintroduction

While I’m hardly an expert on wildlife issues, I’m voting yes because I believe it’s important to protect endangered species. I believe we’ll be able to adequately address the concerns from ranchers.

[I will vote no. Decisions regarding wild life conservation and management should be left up to the scientists just as should dealing with pandemics.]

Prop 115 – Prohibit Abortions After 22 Weeks

I’m voting no. This is just another attempt to restrict access to women’s reproductive health, and I maintain that this is none of the government’s business.

[No. 'nough said.]

Prop 116 – Income Tax Rate Cut

I’m voting no. This cut disproportionately benefits the wealthy while only giving back $37 a year to the average Coloradan. The lost revenue could mean slashing more than 2000 teacher jobs. I think the average Colorado family needs good teachers more than they need $37.

[I agree. The reduction would not be enough to make a difference for most of us, but would cause a significant loss of needed state revenue.]

Prop 117 – Voter Approval of Enterprises

I’m voting no. TABOR already makes Colorado’s budget process the most convoluted in the country. Prop 117 would do even more to tie legislators’ hands behind our backs at a time when we need creative thinking to keep our state afloat.

[I agree with Chris for exactly the same reasons.]

Prop 118 – Paid Family Leave

I’m voting yes. Too many Colorado workers have to face the terrible choice between caring for a loved one and keeping their job. By establishing a social insurance program for family leave in Colorado, we can ensure everyone can take the time they need to take care of a new baby or an aging parent while also helping small businesses get by while their employee is on leave.

[Again I agree with Chris. It's an insurance policy just like Unemployment Insurance and equally useful.]

Lakewood Ballot Question 2B – Recreational Marijuana

I’m voting yes to allow Lakewood’s existing medical marijuana retailers to begin selling recreational marijuana. I continue to believe a regulated marijuana market does a better job preventing access for kids than the black market, and Lakewood will put the increased sales tax revenue to good use on parks, police, and transportation.

[And, finally, I agree with Chris, but for the simple reason that medical only is just weird.]

Whew! We got through all 11 statewide measures plus one local measure! If you’ve read this far, thanks for sticking with me! Just a couple more quick things before I let you go on with your day!

[And when it comes to the rest of Chris's letter, I agree.] 

Remember to vote all the way down the ticket! Yes, there will be names you don’t recognize, but you know how to use Google. The people we elect to offices like county commissioner and district attorney have huge impacts on our communities, too.

Take a simple step to triple your vote. We all have friends and family who could use a reminder to vote. If everyone reading this commits to contact three people in their own network, it will go a really long way.

Thank you for participating in our democracy! As always, you can email me at chris@kennedy4co.com with your thoughts and questions.

Chris