In the 2012 presidential election only about 17.7% of the population of Louisiana voted Obama, but then only 25.2% voted Romney. In fact, less than half of the Louisiana populace (the Louisiana governed) voted in the 2012 presidential election, which means that less than half of the governed gave any consent to anybody. Louisiana is the home of “WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO: Peacefully grant the State of Louisiana to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government” – the first secession petition on the White House web site, dated 7 November 2012. Quoting from the US Declaration of Independence, the petition says government should derive its “just powers from the consent of the governed”. The petition was started by “Michael E” about whom little is known. Who gave consent to the Louisiana petition by signing-up? – the Louisiana governed? Looking at the last twenty electronic signatures at this moment (36,825-36,844) five are from the Louisiana governed and the rest are from outside the state.
One of the signatories (36,841 on 2012-11-23) to the Louisiana petition was “James d” – who claims to be from Aurora, OR – and I noticed that the same day eager beaver “James d” also signed the Alabama petition (30,140 on 2012-11-23).
More is known about the instigator of the Alabama petition (Derrick B) than is known about “Michael E”. For a start, Derrick Belcher really is from Alabama. The Alabama petition is modelled on the Louisiana petition, and as we have interviews with Derrick Belcher we will look at Alabama. About 26% of Alabama’s total population voted for Romney/Ryan in the 2012 US presidential elections, so about 3 in 4 did not support the Republican ticket. Only 43% of the total population of Alabama voted for any candidate – so less than half of the governed voted in that election. Of the 57% of non-voters, some people did not want to vote, though eligible, and others were not eligible to vote though governed (children, etc). The 100% still live in Alabama, and so only a minority of the governed (about 1 in 4) registered disapproval of Obama/Biden by voting for Romney/Ryan. Only about 20% of all people in the USA voted for for Obama/Biden and about 19% voted for Romney/Ryan, so 3 out 5 of the governed in the USA did not vote in the elections.
Sounding something like Mitt Romney, Belcher is quoted as saying “President Barack Obama won re-election last week because of voters who are dependent on the federal government”. Not trusting other Americans, and he hopes that once entitlement programs are stopped then “people who want those handouts, it’ll force them to move to a different state. … It will consolidate working people and that’s how we turn things around.” Really?
His cockeyed view of the world is highly unrealistic and displays distaste for other Americans not of his persuasion: “If you look at a map of the red [Republican] states, we have all of the oil and we produce all of the food. We’re the ones that are carrying the rest of the nation.” In 2007 only 19 states contributed more in federal revenue than they received in federal spending for their state, and in the 2012 election a majority of contributing states went for Obama (only 6 of those states went for Romney). Of the 31 receiving states a majority went for Romney in 2012 (19 states) – Alabama residents received $5,130 per head more for federal spending in their state than was contributed. One head was Belcher, though he might not have thought he was $5,130 better off , “I’ve never taken a dime from the government”.
If one’s venom is directed at the federal government then one needs to be clear about how local government is different from the federal government:
Belcher blamed the government for shutting down his former business. Belcher said his Euro Details car wash, which featured topless women, was successful for a decade on Halls Mill Road in Mobile. But he said he was arrested and charged with obscenity by city officials in 2001.
— George Talbot, “Alabama secessionist says working people must unite to save America”, AL.com blog, 13 November 2012 [My emphasis]
Offending local moralities can produce local consequences.
No comments:
Post a Comment