The Way I See It

Here you will find a collection of my columns which originally appeared in The Berkeley Independent (www.berkeleyind.com). I write about family, cutlure, politics, society and gernerally anything else that I find amsuing.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

The Way I See It - 300 million and counting

300 Million and counting
By Doug Dickerson
Staff Writer
November 1, 2006

History never looks like history when you are living through it.
-John W. Gardner

America reached the 300-million population milestone last month. The increases from 200 million to 300 million took just 39 years to attain. Projections from the U.S. Census Bureau suggest that we will reach 400 million sometime between 2040 and 2050.

The cover story of the current edition of Time magazine, “America at 300 million,” contains a revealing look at who we are from the perspective of where we live, how we vote, how much we earn and what we believe. The findings are very interesting.

First, for every 1,000 Americans: 568 live in the state in which they were born; 455 are employed; 420 voted in the last presidential election; 405 are married; 341 drive to work alone; 173 speak a language other than English at home; 159 have no health insurance; 126 live in poverty; 122 are 65 and older; 115 claim Irish ancestry; 23 are in prison, jail, on parole or on probation; 8 are grandparents caring for grandchildren; 5 are in the active-duty military; and 1 is in kindergarten. The U.S. is the third most populous country on earth, but has fewer than 5 percent of the world’s people. Today, 53 percent of foreign-born come from Latin America, most from Mexico.

Second, while much is made of the red state/blue state coloring of the electoral map, we are really purple. Only 3 million votes separated Bush and Kerry in the last election, but the winner-take-all approach of the electoral outcome can be misleading as to how evenly divided the voting populace is; 35 percent of American adults are regular voters; 20 percent are intermittent voters; 23 percent are rare voters; and 22 percent are not registered to vote.

Third, the U.S. is overwhelmingly a nation of believers. We just don’t believe the same things. More than 85 percent follow a Christian faith, but that strong majority is built on dozens of denominations that diverge on the most basic questions; 66 percent believe that God exists; 14 percent believe in a higher power or cosmic force; 11 percent believe in God but with some doubts; and 5 percent don’t believe in anything beyond the physical world.

Finally, Americans daily buy: 34 Porsche 911s; 88,163 ipods; 20,826 Dell notebook computers; 125,000 Barbie dolls; 123,287 Trojan Ultra Thin condoms; 14,100 First Response pregnancy tests; 1,900,000 Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts; and 500,000 Hostess Twinkies.

I was one of the half-million who bought the Twinkies.

©Summerville Journal-Scene 2006

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

The Way I See It - Take politics seriously

Take Politics Seriously
By Doug Dickerson
Staff Writer
October 25, 2006

I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
- Charles De Gaulle

Fellow citizens:
As you read this, Election Day is slightly under two weeks away. As I wrote in this column last week, the 109th Congress has been a dismal failure on many fronts. This Congress has failed to deliver on some of the most important legislation facing our time. From border security, to port security, to a comprehensive energy policy, this Congress has worked less, been paid more and has placed its highest priority on protecting their jobs they rightfully should lose.

I would like to interject a few ideas for the public debate and consideration before the new Congress begins in January.
First, accurate and truthful accountability must be a priority. Just as schools issue students report cards on a quarterly basis, I think Congress should be scored quarterly as well. Congress should be scored on a variety of merits including, but not limited to: number of days in session; legislation introduced and legislation passed; votes cast; votes missed; all travels and campaign contributions received; number of days in their districts including the number of constituency meetings and services provided.We the people must demand accountability from those we elect to represent us. It’s time to send a message to Congress and remind them that they work for us, that their power is derived from us, and that their power can be taken away by us. If Congress fails to deliver for us, why should we promote them by re-electing them? A quarterly Congressional report card will allow the people to see their successes and the failures.

Second, its time to re-think term limits. Some of the best and brightest America has to offer will never walk the halls in Congress so long as the incumbents are entrenched in power. The noble idea of serving the people has been replaced with the arrogance of power, which too often leads to corruption and scandal.
Former President Ronald Reagan once said, “Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.” And that’s the problem. What starts out as noble intent and purpose leads to doing whatever it takes to retain that power. In 1994, one of the tenets of the Contract with America, which ushered in the Republican majority, was term limits. Our own Governor Sanford was a member of that Congressional class, and to his credit, he campaigned and delivered on that promise. I think its time to re-visit term limits for the good of the people, not the empowerment and protection of the elected.

Finally, it is time to re-claim and become more involved in the political process. Voter turnout regardless of party affiliation is critical. According to statistics found at SCvotes.org, a website sponsored by the South Carolina Election Commission, Berkeley County has 75,795 registered voters.

In the 2006 primary, the Republican Party turned out 14,567 voters or 19.21 percent of registered voters. The highest turnout by precinct was Pinopolis, which has 1,454 registered voters of whom 646 voted, or 44.42 percent. The lowest turnout for the Republicans came in the Goose Creek 3 precinct. Goose Creek 3 has 538 registered voters of whom only 11 bothered to vote in the primary, or 2.04 percent.

Before you knock the Republicans too hard, the Democrats were worse. In the 2006 primary, only 2,685 Democrats showed up to vote, or 3.54 percent. The highest turnout by precinct for the Democrats was in the Eadytown community where 22.60 percent of the 637 registered voters, 144 in total, voted. The lowest percentage by precinct to turn out to vote was the Bethera precinct, where out of the 158 registered voters, none voted.

If the primary turnout is any indication, where the turnout by Republicans was 19.21 percent compared to 3.54 percent for Democrats, one does not need a crystal ball to predict outcomes.
There are just too many important issues facing us on the national and local levels to sit this one out. If you are not registered to vote, it is now too late. However, for those of us who are, I urge you – go vote!

©Summerville Journal-Scene 2006

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

The Way I See It - Observations of a political junkie

The Way I See It
by Doug Dickerson
Staff Writer
October 18, 2006

Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.
-Will Rogers

The mid-term Congressional, State and local elections are now less than a month away. By most accounts of what I have read and listened to, most of us are fed up and rightfully so. As a self-diagnosed political junkie, I have a few observations as to what is going on.

First, let’s take a look at the Congressional elections. The 109th Congress has been compared to the Congress of 1948 which Truman described as the “do nothing Congress.” By comparison, the 109th Congress may have actually accomplished less. There is good reason for this. They are simply not there much. In the 1960s and 70s, Congress spent an average of about 162 days in session. In the 1980s and 90s, the average was at around 139 days. The 109th Congress will come in at around 71 days. The average salary for your Congressman is $165,200 a year. They work less, are paid more, and accomplish less than at any time in history. Now, let me ask you, who are the blockheads, Congress, or us, the voters, who keep sending them back?

I don’t care whether you are a Democrat or Republican, a liberal or a conservative, or like me, somewhere in between, what we have witnessed in Washington this session is enough for me to want to see them all thrown out of office. The lack of accomplishment and scandals only shows that far too many are only in it for themselves and maintaining their power.
This Congress, both the Democrats and Republicans, have failed to deliver for us. Some new faces in Washington sure would be nice.

Secondly, three weeks out, I will go on record with my prediction that Governor Sanford will narrowly win re-election. That’s not to say Tommy Moore does not stand a very good chance of upsetting Sanford, but I will stick with my prediction. In victory, Sanford will serve out his second term handicapped by his family feud with fellow Republicans. His mild-mannered, soft-spoken appeal, coupled with his maverick political stripes, will make for a bumpy ride in the second term. Sanford’s window of opportunity for meaningful legislation comes in the next two years. In that time, unlike the last four years, he must reach out to fellow Republicans in ways that he didn’t his first term. As we have seen, having a majority in the House to work with means nothing unless you include the players who help make it happen. The good ole boy system is very much alive and well in 2006, and the good ole boys have huge egos that must be stroked, whether we like it or not. After the November elections in 2008, all bets are off as the candidates line up to be his successor and Sanford breaks out for the national political spotlight.

And, the races in Berkeley County are heating up. Come January, Berkeley County will have a new Supervisor, be it Dan Davis or Ben Coker. On a personal note, I like both men. I came to know them through the election forum this paper did. I genuinely believe both men have the best interests of Berkeley County citizens at heart.

Unlike the Governor’s race, I will not make any predictions. Whoever emerges victorious faces many challenges with growth, infrastructure concerns, taxes and so forth. The pledges made, concerns expressed and priorities emphasized by the candidates, is what the citizens of Berkeley County expect the next Supervisor to deliver. I, along with you, will be watching.
The most interesting races in Berkeley County will likely be for School Board. I am not sure enough time has passed since reassessment and the pain in the pocketbook to salvage the seats of the incumbents. Yet, the newly constructed schools and remodeled ones have at least given a visual for where the money has gone and the improvements are impressive.

Great strides have been made, yet much remains to be done. On Election Day, the voters will go to the polls and grade the incumbents. Whether they pass or fail, we will just have to wait and see.

©Summerville Journal-Scene 2006

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The Way I See It - English Language Bloopers

The Way I See It
By Doug Dickerson
Staff Writer
October 11, 2006

Words- so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become, in the hands of one who knows how to combine them
– Nathaniel Hawthorne

The way in which people use words is truly amazing. Allow me to share a few examples. I was kicking back watching the local news on television the other night when the weatherman said something that really made me perk up. “There is really no weather to speak of,“ he said. My first reaction was, what the heck! I must have missed something. I looked outside, and things appeared to be fine. My interpretation of his comment is: Since we are not having a thunderstorm, hurricane or a tornado, all is well. However, the last time I checked, a nice sunny day outside is still weather.

I called a friend’s cell phone the other day. His voicemail message said that I had reached his cell phone number. While it is true I did connect to his cell phone number, I had in fact reached his voicemail. Is that so complicated?
I don’t mean to parse words here, but how we parse them is… well, important. The way we use our words can have unintended consequences we never thought possible. Bryant Oden, in his book, Never Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth, compiled over 400 misquotes. Consider these bloopers made by new English Language students:

* China is slowly becoming a flea market economy.
* I am so tired of police violins.
* The Clinton menstruation was a difficult period in American politics.
* The police were attacked by a large group of angry mops.
* In my opinion, police officers and their weapons should always be fully loaded and ready for action.
* The American President is very powerful. For one thing, he chooses the supreme coat justices.
* It is a very exciting erection! But I think Al Gore will lose it soon.
* There are plenty of fossil fools.
* The article said there are only maybe five thousand beers left in B.C. This is a very serious problem…I think maybe we
should only let very small people go beer hunting every year.
* Our society is mostly based on Confusionism.
* I think Clinton never lost an erection.

See what I mean?

Politicians and other such notables provide for us a wealth of material for the stupid things that they say. Here are some examples:

* “We are not without accomplishment. We have managed to distribute poverty equally.” Nguyen Co Thatch, Vietnamese foreign minister
* “I have opinions of my own—strong opinions—but I don’t always agree with them.” George Bush
* “Fiction writing is great, you can make up almost anything.” Brooke Shields
* “It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago.” Dan Quayle
* “Those who survived the San Francisco earthquake said, ‘Thank God, I’m still alive.’ But of course, those who died, their lives will never be the same again.” Sen. Barbara Boxer
* “If you take out killings, Washington actually has a very low crime rate.” Marion Barry, former Mayor of Washington, D.C.
* “We are sorry to announce that Mr. Albert Brown has been quite unwell, owing to his death, and is taking a short holiday to recover.” Parish Magazine

So, the next time you hear normal looking people saying stupid things, don’t be surprised. There seems to be plenty of it going around. The only thing worse than saying stupid things is looking stupid saying it.

©Summerville Journal-Scene 2006

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

The Way I See It - We must take a stand with bold action

The Way I See It
By Doug Dickerson
Staff Writer
October 4, 2006

The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession. -Mark Twain

The news coming out of the Lowcountry the past few weeks has not placed South Carolina in the best light. From the armed robberies by the students from Wando High School, and three teens arrested for robbing convenvience stores in Summerville, to the robbery of the video store by the young teens, including a nine-year-old too young to be charged, in downtown Charleston.

All of these things point to a more pressing crisis in the fabric of the community that must be addressed. I think it’s important to make the observation that what we see happening transcends race and economics. The culprits of the above mentioned examples are white, they are black, and they are of economic means and economic want.

Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to identify the problems around us. The examples I cited are but a small sampling of what we see taking place around us on a regular basis. Solutions that are presented, while worthy of the merits of consideration, need to be enacted sooner rather than later. The struggle, however, centers on what the most viable, working solutions are. I don’t profess to have all the answers to these complex issues, but I will, in the arena of public discourse, offer a few solutions.

First, parents must be held accountable for the actions of their children. As a former educator, I know first hand the attitude of many parents that it is the school’s responsibility to raise their children. I know first hand the dark, sad truth that too many parents are totally detached from the lives of their children and are basically clueless to their activities. Yet, when the children of these parents, end up on the wrong side of the law, they are the first ones to point fingers of blame. And sadly, they are pointing in the wrong direction. Children cannot practice good citizenship and social responsibility if they do not have role models in the home to hold them to account. While I don’t want to unfairly stereotype here, we all know that good parents can have children do bad things. Also, bad parents can have children do good, despite the bad example they may set. Without parental accountability, the headlines you read in the paper will not change.

Second, we must take bold, aggressive action that clearly spells out consequences that we are not afraid to enact, and highlight the positives that are truly making a difference. The feeling of entrapment that many young people have, that there is no alternative to the life they are leading, is one we have the power to change. Our approach with regard to law enforcement must be bold and unafraid. We must be tough and the punishment must fit the crime. The reality is, we don’t enforce the laws we have on the books often enough. Until we take a zero-tolerance approach to the type of criminal behaviors we see going on, can we be optimistic. We must offer constructive alternatives that show young people a better way. Laws alone will not change hearts. Yet, there are many activities and programs available that will help. It’s time for leaders and workers on the front lines to stop asking, “What can we do?” and start announcing, “Here’s what we are doing.”
Dialogue is fine and well, but while we are talking and twiddling our thumbs about everything that is wrong, another youth falls through the cracks.

Finally, from after-school programs, community center programs, youth recreation leagues, to church youth groups, there are workable solutions available.
While it’s true there is a lot that has gone awry in society, we must spotlight what is good, what is working, and point the light in that direction. It is time to reclaim the future that lies in the hearts of our children.

©Summerville Journal-Scene 2006