Ballots on Issues, Rather Than Personalities, Would Draw In Voters

In response to Dale Braiman's May 7 op-ed column, "Resist Superficial Influences on Nation," he made a point to differentiate between the pornographic appeal of corporate-celebrity-product fetishism and real political issues. But what difference does the division make if we allow advertising firms to engineer both our reflexive choices at the markets and our reflexive voting?

The divisive exhibition we need to make this year is a refusal to play along with high-profile voting. How can a leader command authority, knowing that some measly percent of the population turned out to vote at all.

It's not voting I am condemning, because voting is truly our salvation. I am here addressing the advertising-induced hysteria surrounding high-profile, national, personality-brand elections.

Braiman asks us to resist superficial influences. I say oh no, we are entitled to our superficialities. Superficialities are our rightful playthings. Don't take those away from us.

Instead, I say resist voting this year. Resist a tax-money-guzzling, ever-inflating bureaucracy full of needless branches, committees, bureaus, corporate contracts, magnetic personalities and control mechanisms. There is a better way to finance a free state - take the tax money out of the hands of intermediary politicians.

Imagine ballots that consisted of expenditure checklists: a national budget composed by the citizens. All of a sudden, lobbyists leave Capital Hill and begin to cater to us. Now we feel the need to become better informed about where our money goes.

The final destination of our money is so far removed from our influence, it is no wonder that we are unmotivated to inform ourselves. American states also take power back from the centralized government if the states' residents can direct state money into state specific pursuits. Let Texas and Michigan fight infinite terrorism with their own money.

Now, how else can we peacefully undermine and grind this persisting bureaucratic complex to a halt, than by striking the ballot?

STEVEN MICHAEL BEHR

Lakeland