Liz Ciancone said the other day, in her column that appears Tuesdays in the Tribune-Star, she is getting very weary of the political scene — commercial after commercial after commercial.
At a gathering recently, a mother introduced her son to the president of the United States and asked the boy, “Do you know who this is?” The little boy said “Yes, that’s the man who says, I approve this message.” Politics has gone the way of manufacturing, that is, don’t worry about the quality, drown the airways in commercials and your product will be sold.
I am amused that during the Republican primary and into the general election, the utterances were about European socialism, as if it were a naughty word. The people uttering this phrase have no idea, not even a germ of an idea, what European socialism really is — because it differs in every country. The Danish idea of government assistance differs greatly from English governmental assistance, and so on. There is a belief by those of the right wing that government assistance is somehow wrong and money-grabbing greed of American capitalism is absolutely perfect. Be careful what you believe. Neither system is perfect.
During the Civil War, the government instituted the personal income tax to help pay for the war. The thought was after the war it wouldn’t be needed. Are you still paying income tax? Perhaps we wouldn’t be paying as much if we stopped telling the rest of the world how they should live, thinking the rest of the world needs to grow up and be nice little Republicans or Democrats … no matter what the given reality.
A neighbor of mine got an e-mail that was willing to show him a picture of the ambassador to Libya being killed and dragged through the streets of Benghazi. Of course, it isn’t true. But you can put anything on the Internet.
Even this effort appears on the Internet, but we write it as opinion even though we try to be as truthful as we can be while developing the facts of the story.
Politicians of all stripes, hues, and varied opinion, are trying to get elected. It’s one of the few places left in the world where you can buy the power that you seek. And it’s quite legal. Someone wrote, “Power corrupts, total power corrupts totally.” I don’t believe that quote to be exact, but America is the only voting nation in the world where the Supreme Court of the land has said a corporation is just like a person and it, the corporation, deserves the same rights as a person.
It’s amazing to me that the founders of the major religions in the world — Jesus of Nazareth, the Prophet Mohammed, Prince Buddha, and Moses of Egypt — most all rejected great wealth and worked and preached against it. And, here in this election year, we find ourselves striving to allow great wealth to rule us.
It’s no damn wonder the average human being is sick and tired of this farce we call electioneering.
Ronn Mott, a longtime radio personality in Terre Haute, writes commentaries for the Tribune-Star. His pieces are published online Tuesday and Thursday on Tribstar.com, and in the print and online editions on Saturday.
Opinion
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RONN MOTT: Politics 101
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RONN MOTT: Ernie Pyle
I stepped back in time last week when I visited the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana.
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RONN MOTT: Pyle museum in Dana good way to study WWII
I stepped back in time last week when I visited the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana.
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FLASHPOINT: Legislative session reflected Hoosier priorities
The 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly came to an end just a few weeks ago with the final passage of our state’s next two-year budget.
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The celebration season
Spring has been a bit elusive at times in 2013, which is its nature.
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RONN MOTT: Frustration
For those who know me well, they can say without contradiction I am not a patient man. But in this hustle and bustle world I’ve been a part of all my adult life, I’ve had to learn a little patience. On occasion, however, I find some experiences extremely frustrating.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: MVC tourney an event worth having
It’s been a long time since the Missouri Valley Conference chose Indiana State University to host its post-season baseball tournament, but Terre Haute had never been more prepared for an event such as this.
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EDITORIAL: Cleaning up voter rolls
It’s not a lot of money in the big scheme of things, but the $2 million designated in the recent session of the General Assembly will begin the messy but necessary process of cleaning up Indiana’s voter registration rolls.
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READERS' FORUM: May 22, 2013
Rich history all along the river
Great work by Duke employees
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RONN MOTT: Rabid Republicans
The so-called news people at Fox News can hardly sit still long enough to report on the latest gossip or untruth about our sitting President. They can hardly contain themselves.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 21, 2013
• Great response to annual golf outing
• Doing your part on climate change
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LIZ CIANCONE: Smell of fresh air gave way to dryers
Remember when clean clothes smelled like fresh air and sunshine rather than fabric softener and dryer sheets?
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READERS' FORUM: May 20, 2013
The dangers of a little knowledge
Students enjoyed Rose study trip
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Mark Bennett: High-profile mural connects historical dots from city to river
At 96 feet wide and 2 stories tall, the power, impact and value of the Wabash will be evident.
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EDITORIAL: Waging the ‘readiness’ campaign
Almost every Hoosier who starts college intends to finish. Unfortunately, those who arrive on campus unprepared in key academic areas are far less likely to fulfill that aspiration.
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READERS' FORUM: May 19, 2013
• Flawed reasoning on gun checks
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FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
Given the nature of politicians, grand claims of accomplishments and overblown rhetoric about “historic” efforts are to be expected at the close of any legislative session.
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RONN MOTT: Mushrooms = Hoosier happiness
Someone wrote or said a few years ago a statement that would define the word “Hoosier.” According to this urban legend, a Hoosier is somebody dribbling a basketball around the Indy 500 while eating a fried, morel mushroom. It did not define me, at the time.
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EDITORIAL: Insult to an independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
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READERS' FORUM: May 17, 2013
Hinduism doesn’t deserve ridicule — Shefali Purohit, Terre Haute
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RONN MOTT: Israel’s Air Force
Recently the Israeli Air Force bombed and rocketed a convoy leaving Syria going to Lebanon with rockets that were going to be used to attack Israel. It did not get there. It was destroyed.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: Dashing finish for the Sycamores
It’s always thrilling to see Indiana State University’s athletic teams do well in high-level competition, and two specific teams rose to impressive heights last weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor track and field championships.
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Readers' Forum: May 16, 2013
Moving Deming folks sounds ‘nuts’
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Readers' Forum: May 15, 2013
Participants rise to the challenge: I would like to write a letter congratulating all the Wabash Valley Roadrunners that competed in the One America Indianapolis Mini Marathon.
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RONN MOTT: Media merry-go-round
Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows. That isn’t a unique phrase to this writer or to this era in time. But, when it comes to the musical chairs of broadcasting, it certainly applies.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Courts see a different appearance than cops
Have you ever noticed the transformation between the arrest of an accused lawbreaker and the first appearance in court?
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READERS' FORUM: May 14, 2013
ISTEP failure exposes flaws
Community hasn’t changed its spirit
Egregious threat to nation’s defense
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READERS' FORUM: May 13, 2013
• Women’s group criticizes Bucshon
• Let’s hope this doesn’t come true
• Many get thanks for fest success
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MARK BENNETT: Life at face value: Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable daily challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research.
(Unless, of course, your mother is a scientific researcher. If so, carry a No. 2 pencil and take good notes.) -
EDITORIAL: Better monitoring needed to prevent local environmental messes
The nasty, hazardous messes lurking in the community raise a bottom-line, red-flag question. Could these environmental problems have been monitored and, thus, prevented?
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RONN MOTT: Ernie Pyle
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