I almost cried

[philagothon]

Carolyn Hamre won a seat on the Portage (WI) City Council by one vote.  She received two votes, her own and her husband's.  Like 11 other people she wrote in her own name.  She thought it was funny and asked her husband to vote for her as well.  She won a landslide election with twice as many votes as any of her opponents.  In a town of 10,000 people a city council seat was won when 0.02% of the people voted for her.  I know nothing of her and I pray she is a positive leader for her community, but it is truly sad to me that almost 10,000 people sat on the couch when it came to their city council.

Our job is not over.  We have a lot of work ahead of us.  We MUST awaken Americans to their civil responsibilities.

Here's the links:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/two-votes-was-all-she-needed-to-get-on-portage-city-council-qr4upjb-146924285.html
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/146597475.html
http://www.npr.org/2012/04/12/150516921/with-two-votes-wis-woman-lands-on-city-council

Edit To Add:
Ms. Hamre is truly in my prayers and I hope she is in yours as well.  I sincerely hope that she is a positive influence for her community.  I am also deeply troubled that a KKK leader, Communist, anti-American, or any other anti-freedom person could have won this election by simply asking two friends to vote for them.  Indeed, my concern is much less with the character of Ms. Hamre and much more with a city that would allow themselves to be governed by the votes of 0.02% of the people.

[Foppish Dandy]

  Wow... just... wow...

[SSG Platz]

I remember in DC when all those college kids went and voted there stoner friend in as the Mayor of some district over there. That made me so angry, mostly because you never heard a word about it on the news, it was like nobody but me gave a crap. I mean really you should have seen the flyers they made for this guy. Every picture was either him drunk at a party or smoking a bong. It makes me....I don't even known what the right word is...sad, angry, ashamed....

~PlatzOut~

[Sly223]

We must make couches,potato chips,Beer and T.V. ill eagle (SICK Bird)!
then Maybe we can break the rest of the country out of their living rooms.

[SSG Platz]

Honestly I don't Know, but what I do know is that we need to break the chains of apathy in this country.  I know I have been guilty of it in my time as well.  Many say what is one vote, but as you can see for local government one vote is all it takes.  I can tell you another story about a guy in DC that wrote himself in on the ballet, this again is a few years back when I use to spend a bit of time in that area. But anyway back to the story this guy wrote his name in on the ballet, and to his suprise was elected to a position that no one was running for and apparently no one knew even existed.  this seat had been empty for close to ten years and, was likely made by someone in DC for a friend.  Kinda makes you wonder where are your tax dollars going?

For the longest time I liked to think of myself as a purly non political creature, but over the past few years, I have watched this country and it only seems like its getting wores not better, and I have been debating doing something.  I guess in a way I already have, thats the core reason that I got involved with this organization  I am a proud american that is ashamed of the direction that this country is going in, and if people like you and me, and everyone else who heard the Riflemans call don't stand up and try to make a difference, doing anything at all no matter how big or small who will. I think its like foot ball, its its one inch, one foot, one yard at a time to the inzone.

~PlatzOut~

[Uncle Davey]

AMEN! 

[philagothon]

I edited my original post to include:
Ms. Hamre is truly in my prayers and I hope she is in yours as well.  I sincerely hope that she is a positive influence for her community.  I am also deeply troubled that a KKK leader, Communist, anti-American, or any other anti-freedom person could have won this election by simply asking two friends to vote for them.  Indeed, my concern is much less with the character of Ms. Hamre and much more with a city that would allow themselves to be governed by the votes of 0.02% of the people.

[K98Al]

The people get the government they deserve. Unfortunately, when anyone [i]can vote, the collective mentality of the herd will influence us all. The Founders had it right,  they knew a republic depended on "an educated and moral citizenry". We're way past that now, I believe.

Perhaps what we do (AS) will allow those moral and educated folks that are left here in the USA to wrest the helm from those that would steer us farther off course. [/i]

[Two Wolves]

The people get the government they deserve. Unfortunately, when anyone [i]can vote, the collective mentality of the herd will influence us all. The Founders had it right,  they knew a republic depended on "an educated and moral citizenry". We're way past that now, I believe.

Perhaps what we do (AS) will allow those moral and educated folks that are left here in the USA to wrest the helm from those that would steer us farther off course. [/i]

Well said.   

[aragornelessar86]

What I don't get is that you don't even have to leave your couch to vote. With the internet and mail-in ballots, you can do all the necessary research and the voting itself while watching the Simpsons.

[SSG Platz]

Absentee ballots only count if there is a tie, or if it's really close. During the last presidential election the ballots from the troops over seas never even got counted. And I'm not going to say no one voted for our current president, but I will say not a single person I knew at the time did.

~PlatzOut~

[Foppish Dandy]

That's really unfortunate... I never knew that. Of all the people who's votes should be counted. 

Absentee ballots only count if there is a tie, or if it's really close. During the last presidential election the ballots from the troops over seas never even got counted. And I'm not going to say no one voted for our current president, but I will say not a single person I knew at the time did.

~PlatzOut~

[aragornelessar86]

Absentee ballots only count if there is a tie, or if it's really close. During the last presidential election the ballots from the troops over seas never even got counted. And I'm not going to say no one voted for our current president, but I will say not a single person I knew at the time did.

~PlatzOut~

Absentee ballots are not the same as "permanent mail-in" ballots. I was discussing "permanent mail-in" ballots.

[SSG Platz]

All they give you is Absentee Ballots when your in Iraq.

[aragornelessar86]

Oh, no doubt, and that's disgusting if you ask me. But the folks in the OP are not in Iraq, they're in their living rooms watching TV. Thus my comment about mail-in voting.

[jrturbo]

You assume that everyone is sitting on their couch.  I PM'd the OP earlier this week with my concern that the negative spin on the article (or the reference to the article) would propagate.... and it did. 

We Wisconsonites are not all sitting on the couch!  As a matter of fact, even though the woman who won the election inferred that it was a joke, she is WELL qualified to sit on the council. She is educated, experienced in business practices, and has a family history of holding political office.

I cheered that someone stepped up. 

I didn't cry.

We have a bit of political turmoil up here right now, if you haven't noticed. What some perceived as apathy is really just a bit of a waiting game.  Not everything is as it seems.

Spin this event as positive.  Someone stepped up! 

Just because these folks are not doing Appleseed doesn't mean that they are doing nothing.

Turbo.

[grunt soldier]

wow is all I can really say. that is pathetic.

[jrturbo]

Cease fire, cease fire, cease fire...... unload and clear.

How do you know it is pathetic?

Do you understand the political climate up here in WI?

Turbo.

[Two Wolves]

The whole country is full of apathy. Whilst we are having some success at opening peoples eyes, what we must do is to get them to open their minds.

If you want to cry about something then how about the fact that nobody but us Appleseeders are talking about today being April 19Th! Men and women gave their lives TODAY for our liberty.  ~Two Wolves

[AuntieBellum]

I think the point we should be considering when reading these articles is not if the woman is qualified or not.  It's not about the particular political climate of Wisconsin.  It's not about the fact that she won by one vote when only two voted for her.  The point is that only 13 people voted at all for that position.  Now, that said, there likely weren't a huge number eligible to vote for that particular position.  If we round the population for this small city up to 10,000, guess that 75% are of voting age, divide that into 9 equal city districts (likely not even, but let's guess), then that's only 833 people eligible to vote for that city council position.  So only 820 people sat on their couches that day.  Is it okay that 820 Americans didn't vote an opinion for what happens in their local community? 

I am happy that this woman is stepping up and doing something - that is a positive.  I hope her story encourages the other 820 people to at least show up and vote next time.  What is Appleseed about?  Encouraging all Americans to take advantage of our liberties and rights that were so costly for our forefathers to secure.  I can only hope that Appleseed does it's part to help motivate everyone in our communities to participate.  It starts with us and our own neighbors, folks.  I've talked directly with my city council rep and invited him to a Libraryseed tonight - have you?

[jrturbo]

No.  I didn't invite anyone to a libraryseed.  I invite them to an Appleseed or to a Highpower match that I offer to train them up to be able to function during the match, or I invite to go to Camp Perry with me.