Political Pizza has got to be stopped.

I am so tired. I'm tired of defending myself when all I am really doing is sharing the truth, as others attempt to challenge me, citing lies or misinformation. I'm tired of validating myself when I should never need to do so. I'm tired of knowing that so many people lack moral fiber, character, self-dignity, compassion, and/or empathy...while still being able to look at themselves in the mirror at night or their family members in their eyes. To me, the fact that we live in a society filled with so many people like this is simply...surreal.

We watch as our elected leaders, not limited to local government, stare at us and unapologetically, lie. Behind the scenes, they seek to destroy the towns and countries they claim to love, solely for their personal gain. Elected official or no, if someone said I could make $2MM if I help them destroy the neighborhoods in which my family, friends, and neighbors live, I would reply with an emphatic, "NO!" Sure, someone might say that I wouldn't know how I'd react until I was in the situation- but I do. The same way I wouldn't poison or hurt someone is the same way I wouldn't want to knowingly destroy a person's home.

In this world, there is truth and lies, cause and effect. If 30% of an electorate turns out to vote and a candidate wins by 60%...that is not a landslide victory. That 60% is OF the 30% who voted. Yet, we, as Americans, seem to question these kinds of assertions less and less, every year. I like to call this, Political Pizza, when someone tells you they have a pepperoni pizza pie, despite the fact, only one slice has pepperoni on it.

Please consider Walmart- a company that destroys local businesses and in turn, local economies (as does Amazon and several other brands), leading to increases in unemployment and/or populations of people that are forced to work for approximately, $10 per hour. Taxpayers cover the costs of welfare and by paying their employees so little, Walmart directly influences the amounts Americans must contribute to ensure those on the program receive the financial support they need.

But companies, like Walmart, as well as those in the media, will tell you that they bring thousands of jobs to communities and that they do not influence expenses related to welfare. From a seriously skewed and misleading perspective, they're right. Yes, Walmart brings thousands of jobs to communities...but not before destroying existing companies and the jobs they were already providing. It is the net difference between the number of jobs added and the net tax revenue, and net dollars paid to employees that matters. And no, while as a company, Walmart does not directly influence expenses related to welfare...their actions and unwillingness to pay their employees a fair wage, does. The real kicker is that if you look on Walmart's website, you will find that the company does not even accept Food Stamps as a valid form of payment!

The lack of humanity in this world is mind-blowing. Take the Walton's, themselves...no, not those Waltons, but rather, the family that owns Walmart. This family has a net worth of $130B. In 2016, the company spent $6.8MM just on lobbying the federal government(1). The media likes to defend that Walmart can't afford to pay its employees more because despite having high revenues, the company's profit margin is only around 3%(2). But in addition to their net worth, the amount they spend in lobbying, alone, as well as the fact that the company spends over $658 Million on advertising(3), with much of those dollars going to the very same media outlets that defend the company, it begs the question- exactly why can't they afford to pay their employees more? "Wal-Mart Stores Inc would have to spend an additional $4.95 billion if it were to raise the minimum wage for its hourly employees in the United States to $15 per hour from the current $10 per hour, according to an estimate by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research(4)." While yes, based on profit margin alone, it would be difficult to increase salaries to $15 per hour, what about lowering expenses? Are we to believe that the Walton's couldn't survive off of $125B? This is a perfect example of Political Pizza.

On a local level, what is also surreal to me is how foolish and naive folks like our Mayor and members of town Boards think we are. I see the same in the towns around us. As I contemplate what I would like to ask at the Town Council meeting tonight, I find myself questioning what the point is of even asking the Mayor anything. Someone who is so willing to so unapologetically lie, who is all-too eager to look at his voters in the eyes and tell them untrue, nonsense, is insulting, aggravating, and useless. But by not going...by not asking questions...then he wins. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let that happen.

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Side note of the week

Working in government is quite literally the only career a person can have where their performance, honesty, punctuality, success, traction, impact, and more, have absolutely no bearing on whether or not they keep their jobs. They want you to think they are held accountable through voting...but they aren't. Seriously...name one other industry where you can lie, miss deadlines, be outright deceptive, show up unprepared, mislead others, change agendas, taking credit for achievements that either had nothing to do with you or which are not (actually) achievements- it's honestly, sick! Where else on earth can a company run out of money and (just) get more of it? It's insanity! Politicians need performance standards and must be graded by third-party organizations. They must then be penalized when they fail to perform their duties effectively.

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1. https://www.opensecrets.org/lo...
2. https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/2...
3. http://www.adweek.com/brand-ma...

4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...