Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories App Finder: Best vintage shopping apps The sweet smell of soap-selling success Ashland: Food vendor tax tabled to next meeting Acting without a net Ashland: Police department hires from within to fill slot left vacant by soon-to-be new county sheriff Falls Education In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school Student beats the odds AHS students form ribbon for AIDS awareness Kiwanis, Lions team up to help Nature Center Teacher's Tips: College not the end-all for every student Environment ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Salmon: A force of nature can be restored Students nurturing nature SOU eyes burning biomass instead of gas Business The sweet smell of soap-selling success Ashland: Food vendor tax tabled to next meeting The Haven Ride & Drive: Ford Transit Ride & Drive: Canyon 2015 GMC Politics and elections Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls State News In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school GMO label measure, losing by 809 votes, headed for recount Resent ballots, late results likely to trigger GMO recount Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Marie B. (Aiken) Stella Demo Death Notices Cynthia �Cyna� Ann Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Ashland: Police department hires from within to fill slot left vacant by soon-to-be new county sheriff Falls Oregon State's Mike Riley leaves for Huskers SOU volleyball team's season ends with loss to Vanguard at nationals Raiders brace for dangerous Saint Xavier pass rush It all comes down to this for Ducks and rest of Pac-12 High school SOU volleyball team's season ends with loss to Vanguard at nationals Southern Oregon roughed up by defending champs Six Grizzlies voted MWL first-teamers Grizzlies roughed up at Silverton Upset-minded Grizzlies brace for undefeated Foxes Southern Oregon University Oregon State's Mike Riley leaves for Huskers SOU volleyball team's season ends with loss to Vanguard at nationals Raiders brace for dangerous Saint Xavier pass rush It all comes down to this for Ducks and rest of Pac-12 Southern Oregon roughed up by defending champs Opinion Latest Stories Our View: Celebrating more students Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Granlund cartoon: Justice and Eric Garner Kent Bush: Do you want fries with that sermon? Editorial Our View: Celebrating more students Our View: A morning well spent Other Views: Tax reform won't be easy Our View: Give market vendors a break Our View: Gray, Black and Cyber Letters Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 4 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 3 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 28 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them Guest Opinion: It's time to put a price on carbon Guest Opinion: The Keystone XL pipeline — a quixotic objection Herb Rothschild Jr.: Congress won't stand up Herb Rothschild Jr.: Greed, love and the Shmoo Revels Latest Stories 4 Things to do this Weekend At the movies SOU presents all-percussion concert Best Bets: Dec. 4-11 Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Theater Meet the real Jacob Marley New design for Bricks takes shape Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos 'The Drunken City': Bachelorettes meet bar-crawlers Music Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love The Farr Side: Different artists, common songs Longtime area musician Steve Read, 64, dies The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Movies At the movies Interview: Benedict Cumberbatch on playing ‘The Imitation Game’ Interview: Reese Witherspoon experiences life in 'The Wild' Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Citizenfour' is a matter-of-fact bore Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Chef count up at feast for the senses Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Looking Up: The Man in the Moon looks your way Acting without a net Kent Bush: Do you want fries with that sermon? In Good Faith: Advent explosion Dr. Murray Feingold: Say it like you mean it Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Our View: Celebrating more students ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them ... Our View: Celebrating more students ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them ... Maddocks: Voters' approval of voters falls to record low By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local DailyTidings.com By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local Posted Nov. 21, 2014 @ 8:57 am By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local Posted Nov. 21, 2014 @ 8:57 am » Social News Barely two weeks after the midterm elections, voters are already expressing frustration – this time with themselves. According to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, just 12 percent of Americans now approve of the way they are exercising their hard-earned right to vote. And nearly four of five voters surveyed believe they have the country headed in the wrong direction. Like many, Amy Simpson, a real estate broker in Kansas, says she is exasperated by a do-nothing electorate, of which she has played an important part over the years. “I’ve had it up to here with us,” she said, holding a ballot-marking pen to level of her chin. “It’s time to throw us bums out. Who elected us kingmaker?” Simpson said she is convinced that she and others like her, who exercise their precious right at the ballot box, are too out of touch with the concerns of ordinary citizens. She points out that Americans have sent a clear message that they want the $7.25 hourly minimum wage raised. They don't think it's fair that fast-food workers are paid an average of $8.90 an hour and can't afford to take care of their families while fast-food workers in other countries get as much as $20 an hour. And then those who vote go out and elect a raft of representatives and senators who are adamantly opposed to raising the minimum wage. Other voters seemed equally perplexed by the their choices, admitting that they don’t reflect the concerns of the majority of the country, which believes that the wave of gun violence, particularly in and around schools, calls out for more controls on gun registration; that climate change demands immediate action; and that immigration reform is long overdue. “Did we really just do what we did?” wondered Derek Chalmers, as he ticked off the phalanx of newly elected office holders who oppose gun controls, deny climate science and have vowed not to work with President Obama on immigration. “I guess we just did,” Chalmers said. “Those of us who vote aren’t just part of the problem. We are the problem.” That level of self-loathing is highlighted in the recent poll, which shows that a majority of voters are disgusted with most of the choices they made at the ballot box. In the general breakdown of the broad repugnance felt, the electorate is slightly more disapproving of the Republican voters than they are of the Democrats, with just 19 percent approving of Republicans, compared with 28 percent that approve of Democrats. And Republican voters, too, say they are more dissatisfied with their votes than are Democrats. Half of Republican voters say they disapprove of Republican voters in their neighborhood, while 43 percent of Democratic voters say they disapprove of their Democratic neighbors. Independents are slightly less approving of Republicans voters than Democrats. Only 6 percent of registered voters say they would like to see most voters take part in the next election, while 84 percent say it’s time to give someone new a chance, a historic low for the New York Times/CBS poll. Voter dissatisfaction with voters runs deep across both parties, with more than eight in 10 of Republicans and Democrats saying Congress isn’t doing enough to make it more difficult for them to vote. Grace Peters, a retiree living in San Clemente, California, said she has seen a slow degradation of the political system from when she grew up during the era of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. “While there were vigorous debates and some filibusters, generally, 40-some years ago there was more cooperation,” she said. “Voters used to be able to compromise and come together to make rational decisions even if those in office couldn’t.” A Democrat who grew up in conservative Orange County in a family where politics were discussed often, Peters says she and her friends are dismayed by what is happening at voting stations across the country. “Now I think that many voters are in it for the individual glory, they’re in it for themselves, and not for the citizens of the United States,” she said. The voters’ current dissatisfaction with their voting record may or may not point to another “change” election in 2016. But for some, like Peters, another election may not change anything in the nation’s capital. “I used to worry that those in power might try to take away my vote,” she said. “But now I am starting to worry they aren’t doing enough to stifle it.” Philip Maddocks writes a weekly satirical column. He can be reached at [email protected]. By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local DailyTidings.com By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local Posted Nov. 21, 2014 @ 8:57 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501