Covering All Bets, Why American Politics Is Split Down The Middle

Many reasons are cited for the division in modern American politics. Reasons why almost every presidential election, where neither candidate was an incumbent, since Ronald Reagan has been won by a less than 8% difference in the popular vote. In fact however the divisiveness goes back much further with over 90% of the presidential elections, where neither candidate was an incumbent, since 1840 having been won by a 10% or less difference in the popular vote with the exception being during the Great Depression and when candidates had taken over due to an assassination.

The main reason for this even split is that the slate of candidates to be chosen FROM during any given election is not chosen BY the majority of the American electorate, not even BY a decent minority of say 10 to 10%. The choice of candidates presented to the American electorate is made by the very small number of wealthy individuals, corporations, and other organizations that contribute over 90% of all of the funds used by candidates and parties to run campaigns. This money is given with the intent of influencing a candidate's future behavior if they win office. And since these wealthy individuals, corporations, and other organizations are not in the business of gambling, they cover all bets by planning for all eventualities by giving funds and support to both sides in an election such that both sides are influenced in the same directions no matter what the candidates public discourse may indicate. Hence the American electorate is presented with candidates that represent a difference without distinction.

The choice then is between two substantively identical options which then really are not "options" and do not constitute a true "choice". A campaign finance overhaul must be implemented that changes the legal max contributions from political donors such that candidates are forced to get donations from a much larger number of individuals distributed across the population.

Stimulate Creativity in Yourself and Others

A few exercises and thoughts on being more creative:


1. Think of and write down as many uses as possible for an everyday object or define the function of something and then find other things that do or could perform a similar function.


2. Given a stack of similar shapes like squares or triangles, make as many things out of them as possible


3. Given an unfinished shape like an incomplete triangle or circle or stick house etc. complete the image.


4. Given three unrelated words try to discover a fourth that would connect all three.


5. Choose a random object word and connect it with a problem. Can this be used to solve or elaborate on the problem?


6. Six Thinking Hats - view a problem from different perspectives:

a. Managing - what is the subject? what are we thinking about? what is the goal?

b. Information - considering purely what information is available, what are the facts?

c. Emotions - intuitive or instinctive gut reactions or statements of emotional feeling (but not any justification)

d. Discernment - logic applied to identifying reasons to be cautious and conservative

e. Optimistic response - logic applied to identifying benefits, seeking harmony

f. Creativity - statements of provocation and investigation, seeing where a thought goes


7. Don't judge things right away, let them stew before making a conclusion


8. If you can't follow what makes you curious when it happens, take note of your own questions to be investigated later


9. Make mistakes and learn from failures, both yours and others, sound out crazy or absurd ideas


10. Make sure to define problems correctly, dissect the problem.


11. What can be modified, rearranged, and/or removed to fix something or find a solution?


12. Re-frame ideas within another context or situation.


13. Ask why something is done the way it’s done.


14. Challenge traditional views and constantly ask "What if" or "Why not"


15. Create new mindsets by being open to new experiences like new foods, tastes, music, arts, languages, crafts, fields of study, exercises, sports, locations.





Some material gathered from:

Todd Anderson, http://99u.com/articles/7160/test-your-creativity-5-classic-creative-challenges

Saga Briggs, From: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/divergent-thinking/#ixzz3HgRpFnKW

Edward de Bon and Wikipedia "Six Thinking Hats"

Science Channel - "Hack My Brain"

Software/Solutions, Fabrication or Assembly, What Are We Doing?

Is your company or organization fabricating solutions and/or software systems or are you simply assembling pieces and parts of pre-built components into some sort of "system" that performs some set of functions or capabilities? What constitutes true creation, development, or fabrication. One source defines fabrication as "Manufacturing process in which an item is made (fabricated) from raw or semi-finished materials instead of being assembled from ready-made components or parts."