Gallup is a Person?

I don't know where I got the idea that Gallup was a town in New Mexico. Sometimes my mind soaks up things like a sponge. Then, when somebody squeezes it, everything comes running out in no particular order. Maybe the stuff that's in there combines with other stuff and makes whole new compounds that I don't even know are there. If I waited till I knew what I was talking about, I probably would talk a lot less than I do which, I have been told, would be an improvement. People!What do they know?

I always thought that polls were intended to persuade us to go along with the majority, but they often have the opposite effect on me. Now Ken tells me that the primary value of polls is that they tell the politicians what kind of lies will best fool more people into voting for them. Ken seems to think that's a good thing, but I think it's a bad thing. The way it should work is that each politician tells us the truth about what he wants to accomplish. If we agree with his agenda, we vote for him and, if we don't agree with his agenda, we vote for the other guy. If we don't agree with the other guy either, there should be more than two choices, enough choices that everybody can find a candidate with whom he agrees. If nobody gets a majority, they could have a run-off contest between the top two. Another alternative would be to allow us to vote for "none of the above" and, if that gets a majority, then don't fill the office. After the office has been vacant for one term, they could try again and, if "none of the above" still wins, they should permanently abolish the position. The position could be reinstated later by an act of Congress, if we still have a congress by then.

I know that you guys, especially Ken think of politics as entertainment like sports. What I don't like about politics is the same thing I don't like about real life, it's all about personalities instead of substance. In a way, it's kind of like a beauty pageant. In addition to their good looks, the contestants are judged on how well they present themselves to the public. You know, poise, charm, and stuff like that. They get to make speeches about things like ending war and hunger in the world, but the content of their speech is not so important as the skill of their presentation. It's like a dog and pony show, except that dogs and ponies are good for something. I don't like sports either, but not for the same reasons that I don't like politics. I find sports to be just plain boring.