Vote Your Interest

The election is not too far off now. Thank goodness. There will be less emails I am sure, or hope. Candidates will stop vying for attention, so we will see less gaffes. And our country will finally be done with political theatre -- at least until January, when the 2016 presidential campaigns will start.

Midterms, as I previously wrote about, are more of a headache than chance to voice our opinions about the best way forward for the country. Yes, it sounds apathetic. Indifference may be the only defense mechanism left for dealing with the political realities of today.

Take a look at the facts. Policies are not shaped by the will of the people. They are shaped by those affluent companies who can spend and lobby. Princeton and Harvard professors Gilens and Page stated in their study that: "[t]he estimated impact of average citizens’ preferences drops precipitously, to a non-significant, near-zero level..." Near zero? So you're saying that we (average citizens) have a chance!

Well, who cares about policy anyway. As long as we have the ability to earn and live our lives in peace.

As it turns out though, incomes are stagnant and even dropping. Economic growth is not widely shared as it once was. In fact, the numbers are bleak. Goldman Sachs' CEO even opined that income inequality is "destabilizing."

Americans should be aware of this phenomenon but it does not appear that they understand the depth of the problem. A recent survey showed that Americans think that the pay ratio between worker and CEO in the United States is 30:1. In reality, the ratio is 354:1 -- the highest of any country. Denmark's ratio: 48:1; and Japan's pay ratio is 67:1.

The CEO has much responsibility, and should be fairly compensated, but it is difficult to find a rational argument that 354:1 bears any resemblance of true marginal utility.

There has been a recent campaign to raise the minimum wage, but those pesky firms with deep pockets have lobbied against it. Share buybacks and dividend increases to shareholders are much more important than a wage increase.

But, Chris... you are not focusing on the aspect of opportunity some will counter. Instead of playing the politics of envy, should you not focus on making sure every person has a chance. Stop attacking those that have done well for themselves.

I am happy that you brought that up hypothetical devil's advocate, so I can engage in a dialectic. The truth of the matter is that average citizens are also losing opportunity. One has a better chance of moving up the income ladder in a monarchy (United Kingdom) than they do in the United States. Now more than ever, if you are born low-income, you will stay low-income.

All the gloom mentioned above is for a point. Despite these economic truths, we should fight apathy and indifference. The midterms do mean something, because it is our constitution coming alive. We, average citizens, can try to change the country with our vote.

One request though. Before you vote, ask yourself the question: who shares my true interests? Is it the candidate who is backed by one or two wealthy donors.

If we truly want the American Dream to be available for those in the future, we need to put aside our feelings of languor. Make your vote count and let your voice be heard.