Special Report:
HOW POLITICS WORKS: THE 6 PERCENT RULE
Part 1 of a series
by Dennis Pavlik, FOAC Chairman
Every natural activity has a set of rules that guide its function and direction. Man's involvement makes the system dynamic and complex, but nonetheless there are a set of rules that can be uncovered and utilized. Having a technical mind, the rules governing political behavior have always intrigued me, so I set out on this Crusade to explore our political structures workings and a government where everyone seems to be saying they picked the “lesser of two evils.”
In this first installment of what I hope will be a series of articles I want to describe our voting pattern. I call this the 6% RULE, as elections are decided by at most 6% of the voters. Consider that a really good voter turnout is one where 30% of the eligible voters vote.
The 70% that don't vote really don't care about the government we get. Their reasons vary from down right ambivalence to a feeling of hopelessness. This is not lost on the politicians as this silent majority’s opinions don’t count and are not necessarily represented in the actions of our leaders.
The 30% of those that vote breakdown as follows: 12% have a vested interest in electing a candidate that will continue to open the spigot of government largesse and they are at the top of the food chain for one reason or another so government spending benefits them more than the taxes they pay. Another 12% want to stop all government spending as they get less benefit than the added tax burden will supply to them. The 6% that are left decide the election because the two 12% categories cancel each other out. These two camps tend to vote against one another, so their votes cancel out.
The remaining 6% decide the election, generally based on obscure factors like ethnic heritage, gender, they like or don't like where the candidate comes from, the candidate offended them in some way, or there is a "hot button" issue (abortion, gun control, gay rights, etc).
Politicians by definition will go out of their way to minimize there chances of offending someone less they don't get elected. Candidates can't control their gender, heritage, or where they're from, but they can control how and when they take a side on "hot button" issues and try to compromise when one of these issues comes up. These compromises satisfy neither of the 12% groups and only a majority of the 6% group but its enough to keep the politicians out of trouble and re-elected. A politician that does not pander by compromise and takes a strong position is likely to not get re-elected.
I think this explains why most people are dissatisfied with elected officials in general, even though they may like a particular representative.
The dictionary lists a number of definitions for rule: A noun, meaning an established guide or regulation for a course of conduct; and A verb, meaning what the person or group in charge does, ie a king rules his people. The 6% RULE is true whether used as a noun or verb.
Unrelated, but perhaps interesting, respecting the London Bombing. How long do readers think it will be before The Brady Campaign, the VPC and or other anti gun mobs well be screaming about how this bombing absolutely shows the need for bans on one type of firearm or another, or in general, for more gun control?
HOW POLITICS WORKS: THE 6 PERCENT RULE
Part 1 of a series
by Dennis Pavlik, FOAC Chairman
Every natural activity has a set of rules that guide its function and direction. Man's involvement makes the system dynamic and complex, but nonetheless there are a set of rules that can be uncovered and utilized. Having a technical mind, the rules governing political behavior have always intrigued me, so I set out on this Crusade to explore our political structures workings and a government where everyone seems to be saying they picked the “lesser of two evils.”
In this first installment of what I hope will be a series of articles I want to describe our voting pattern. I call this the 6% RULE, as elections are decided by at most 6% of the voters. Consider that a really good voter turnout is one where 30% of the eligible voters vote.
The 70% that don't vote really don't care about the government we get. Their reasons vary from down right ambivalence to a feeling of hopelessness. This is not lost on the politicians as this silent majority’s opinions don’t count and are not necessarily represented in the actions of our leaders.
The 30% of those that vote breakdown as follows: 12% have a vested interest in electing a candidate that will continue to open the spigot of government largesse and they are at the top of the food chain for one reason or another so government spending benefits them more than the taxes they pay. Another 12% want to stop all government spending as they get less benefit than the added tax burden will supply to them. The 6% that are left decide the election because the two 12% categories cancel each other out. These two camps tend to vote against one another, so their votes cancel out.
The remaining 6% decide the election, generally based on obscure factors like ethnic heritage, gender, they like or don't like where the candidate comes from, the candidate offended them in some way, or there is a "hot button" issue (abortion, gun control, gay rights, etc).
Politicians by definition will go out of their way to minimize there chances of offending someone less they don't get elected. Candidates can't control their gender, heritage, or where they're from, but they can control how and when they take a side on "hot button" issues and try to compromise when one of these issues comes up. These compromises satisfy neither of the 12% groups and only a majority of the 6% group but its enough to keep the politicians out of trouble and re-elected. A politician that does not pander by compromise and takes a strong position is likely to not get re-elected.
I think this explains why most people are dissatisfied with elected officials in general, even though they may like a particular representative.
The dictionary lists a number of definitions for rule: A noun, meaning an established guide or regulation for a course of conduct; and A verb, meaning what the person or group in charge does, ie a king rules his people. The 6% RULE is true whether used as a noun or verb.
Unrelated, but perhaps interesting, respecting the London Bombing. How long do readers think it will be before The Brady Campaign, the VPC and or other anti gun mobs well be screaming about how this bombing absolutely shows the need for bans on one type of firearm or another, or in general, for more gun control?