It's election time, and with it comes a few thoughts and certainties.
1. TV and radio commercials, and how much I hate them. It makes me very thankful for my DVR and my satellite radio.
2. Want my vote? Here are some tips: No name-calling. No vague labels--say what you mean and mean what you say. Don't call me on the phone. Don't bad-mouth your opponent, and don't run ads that have an ominous voice-over about horrible things you allege your opponent said or did.
3. The printers must love this time of year, but I hate all the ugly signs. Maybe they should all paint flying donut murals instead.
And then, there's the hypocrisy of it all. Case in point: I live in Red Bank, and we have a hotly-contested Republican primary for state representative. An article in the Chattanoogan quoted Tommy Crangle (speaking to the Pachyderm Club) thusly:
Tommy Crangle, in a debate with fellow candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives District 27 seat Patsy Hazlewood, said that "illegal immigration," "Common Core," and "the rising cost of energy" are three issues he would like to address if elected. Mr. Crangle, a Signal Mountain resident, also told the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club he wanted to work against "increasing federal regulations." Mr. Crangle is a licensed professional engineer and a former senior executive with the Tennessee Valley Authority.
He told the club, "Democrats spend too much money and raise taxes in order to pay for it. I think that we should be working toward smaller government."
And there's the hypocrisy to which I referred. I checked the Right To Know website, the one that publishes government salaries (including my own). Mr. Crangle apparently retired long enough ago that his TVA salary was not listed. So I just did a quick statistical count:
TVA CEO: for 2011, salary above $3 million.
Six senior executives made between one and two million dollars.
6 senior executives made 3/4 to one million dollars.
12 made half to 3/4 of a million dollars.
12 made $400,000-$500,000
18 made $300,000-$400,000
50 made $200,000-$300,000
That's 117 "senior executives", making millions and millions in taxpayer-funded salaries. You'll note I stopped at the $200,000 mark, there are more. Mr. Crangle apparently had no issues with large government and tax raises to pay for it when it was to his benefit.
I'm also concerned that Mr. Crangle might not understand what the State Legislature does, since one of his three main issues is "illegal immigration." That is not under the jurisdiction of the State Legislature, and neither is "the rising cost of energy," something you would think a former "senior executive with TVA" would know.
I am also disturbed by how many candidates are finger-pointing at candidates who have switched parties. I can think of several current (high-ranking) office holders who have switched parties in the past, but apparently that is now a disqualifier for some people's vote. Again, I don't care about labels. Shakespeare said, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." And to paraphrase Dr. King, I judge a candidate by the content of his/her character. The quality I prize above all is honesty.
Sorry, Mr. Crangle--my vote goes elsewhere.
Kim Kinsey
Red Bank
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Double ditto and amen. I agree with Kim totally and completely and if they just have to run T.V. ads it would be nice to know if they are running in Tennessee or Georgia. Sometimes us old folks get mixed up.
Melvin Gillilan