Something affecting all of us lately has led me to believe that the signs of the times are among us. Make that the times of the signs.
Once again it’s that time of year-time for attack ads, phony promises and politicians to use any means necessary to sway as many voters as they can. Is it me, or is our valley being polluted with political yard signs that seem to be posted on everything from traffic lights to downtown Salt Lake’s famous “This is the place” statue of Brigham Young?
Maybe you’re one who pays little or no attention to the propaganda. Or perhaps you’re like me and have noticed that Huntsman signs come in four different sizes: small, medium, large and acre. The other day on my way home from school, I decided to count every political sign in sight. I tallied 403 from the LDS Institute of Religion to 4500 S. and Highland Drive. This activity is not recommended. Being forced to actually obey the speed limit, I counted each sign individually as I drove. This activity had my head snapping back and forth more than that of the UNLV defensive backs who tried to cover the deep balls thrown by Alex Smith on Saturday.
Upon arriving home, I hurried to my room, knelt down beside my bed and gave thanks in prayer that I didn’t die. Four hundred three is a lot, considering three-fourths of my journey was on the freeway. Don’t be fooled into believing that each sign you see is a supporter of the person running for office. The truth is, those who are working on campaigns will go out in the middle of the night and post signs on empty lots and interstate on-ramps. How do I know this, you ask? Because I put up three last night for my dad.
The main reason I chose to write about this topic is because I’ve got beef with the way elections are run, and won. It always seems to be the candidate with the most money that wins. Utah’s governor race has become costly with both Scott Matheson and John Huntsman spending roughly $2 million each in campaign funds.
The way political elections should be decided is on merit and the candidate’s views on certain issues. So many people vote for or against because they think a candidate’s sign is pretty or a Kerry’s, I mean a candidate’s, squirrelly grin freaks them out. Heck, to win an ASUU election, you had better make sure your hot chocolate has a favorable taste among voters.
The best people for public office are out there. It’s just too bad that they don’t have enough money to win, or even run for that matter. Politics has become a giant marketing scheme and what I believe to be “show business for ugly people.”
Speaking about the amount of money involved in political campaigns, Amy Redd, a senior studying public relations said, ” I think it’s ridiculous. They talk about more money needed for education, but they spend it all on campaigns.”
It’s true. I figure that if every candidate in the entire state were to take the amount they would have spent on this year’s election and then put it all in a big basket, there would be enough money for the Utes to keep Urban Meyer around for a few more years. Let’s be honest, that would do more for Utah than those lame orange flags people never use (except to go boating with) to cross the street. Is it really necessary that one candidate be placed in office over another? Come to think of it, after months of following Nancy Workman’s meltdown….eeeeehh, NO!