COLUMN: "Rumors and Whatnot"

From Mike Ingenthron's "Cheesecake Truck," Fall '92 -- John Simon · Tomorrow, many Americans will go out and vote in the 1992 Presidential Election. Who will the voters pick? And more importantly, why? This year's campaign process, as in past elections, has been extremely cosmetic. Issues have been sidestepped in place of rumors and whatnot. Bill Clinton faced charges of adultery and drug use--- staples of American culture, some may argue -- long before his economic plan was questioned, in terms of acquisitions of funds. George Bush, for one, has unsuccessfully tried to ride the wave of popularity that crested after the Gulf War. At that time, he ranked as perhaps the most popular president ever in the polls. This is reminiscent of many years ago, when leaders such as General Washington, General Jackson and General Grant were elected President because they were war heroes. Or, in other words, they were able to shoot more guys than their opponents were. Are these really criteria upon which we should judge a candidate's credentials? War records and bong hits? Look at the debates. The Vice-Presidential debate was as relevant to the issues at question as a random fight between Pee-Wee League baseball managers. And in the first Presidential debate, Perot explained rather clearly how the national debt was affecting the economy. He received silence and stares. Meanwhile, Clinton wished his wife a happy anniversary. He received cheers and applause. As a disclaimer, this debate took place in St. Louis. As a resident, I can assure you that this is far from either a cultural or intellectual mecca, and its inhabitants may not fairly represent the entire country. In the second debate, a woman asked Bush how the national debt affected him personally. What? One really has to question the culpability of the American voter in today's democracy. Due to the influence of special interest groups on the political process, many voters base their decision on one issue alone. For instance, a pro-choice activist would not vote for Bush. A person worried solely about tax increases would shy away from Clinton. But while some people only consider self-interests, even more seem sure that their personal plans for the country are the best available. Are these people qualified either? Take a look at the economy in terms of the job market. A large number of Americans make the basic "jobs = good, high unemployment rate = bad" connection. In fact, since 1975, the rate of growth of American labor productivity and the real wage, a wage indicator which does not include inflation, have slowed dramatically. Believe it or not, our standard of living stopped improving at the same time. How many Americans are aware of this? In general, a large discrepancy exists between what the American people want to hear, and what they need to hear. But there is an even larger gap between what they think should be done, and what should be done. So, I'm questioning democracy. Perhaps I am a closet Socialist, or even worse, a Socialist closet. But the point is, the democratic system was implemented 200 years ago as a statement against the tired old British, kind of like when rich college kids put flowers in their hair 20-plus years ago as a statement against the tired old Vietnam war. And did democracy make this country what it is? Hell no. Greed, selfishness and capitalism made this country what it is. Not only did we get rich, but we developed an outrageously selfish "We're the best" manifest destiny attitude and we got bigger. As a result of these "glory days", everyone assumes that we'll always be the best country and everything will get better. That's heartwarming, but this idea is little more than patriotic propagandist crap. Because I fail to see how the country can move forward when millions of Americans want it to go in their direction, I am not going to vote in this election. Nor the next one, unless Congress passes legislation to make every registered voter eligible for a trip to Disney World. For those who are going to vote, you must realize that when you elect a President, you elect his Cabinet and his Supreme Court nominations, if applicable -- never forget that in this country, the Supreme Court is always right. But most importantly, you elect the candidate's rich and powerful campaign contributors who have political agendas of their own. As a white, upper-middle class college student, I have no idea what the most effective plan for the country is. I have not seen the country. I'll wager that over 95 percent of American voters are in the same boat as I am. Therefore, I refuse to bet the lives of over 250 million people on people who have to spend an entire year working for the American people's votes instead of working for the American people. Instead, I'm going to sit back and watch elections get more and more superficial -- soon they'll be based entirely on looks -- and watch this country slide. Happy voting! Mike Ingenthron is a junior Accounting major from St. Louis, Missouri. "Cheesecake Truck" appears alternate Mondays.

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