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 This has been a far more vocal
          close election than any I have been through, which fairly well
          reflects the strength with which people feel their convictions as well
          as the litigious nature of our social order now. 
          Note: because of the closeness of the election, I will use the
          term "half" to represent each side. I am not quite sure that the Gore half really understands what they voted for. I am fairly certain they voted in approximately this order of priority: * Continued prosperity * More social programs * 
          Greater medical coverage If that is indeed what they
          thought they were voting for, I would like to enumerate what they
          really voted for: * Higher taxes * More pork-barrel programs disguised as social programs * Gun control rather than gun responsibility * Environmental controls far beyond what is needed * Socialized medicine that no one wants * Government control of education * More government intervention into our basic freedoms * 
          A threat to the stability of the Constitution itself Just how could American
          citizens want this type of control? 
          Actually, most of them do not want it. 
          This close race showed the nation that half the people are
          willing to assume more personal responsibility, and the other half
          voted for "more for me" but not the same "more"
          they will get.  Somehow the notion of personal
          effort and personal responsibility, the qualities that built this
          nation, simply is not there for the half who voted for the Democratic
          ticket.  What is utterly
          amazing is that the UAW and Teamsters unions are strong enough and
          curious enough to endorse a self-declared radical environmentalist who
          is against the very internal combustion engines that make the living
          for their unions' members. This is strange indeed. But it is not the election itself that divided America. The nation had to be divided already, and the election outcome has only served to publicize these divisions. It seems to boil down to those
          who want an America in which they have the intended voice in
          government, and those who want not only to be told what to do by the
          government, but to be rewarded for it. Those who want to be told what
          to do by the government will get a lot more than they wished for. 
          As for being rewarded for it, well, that depends on how one
          defines the word "reward." I thoroughly expect that
          redefinition will now become a way of life rather than a curious
          element of one president's thought (or dodge) mechanism. Accepting the
          "victim" mentality produces victim behavior. 
          We have seen that half our nation believes they are in some way
          victims rather than challengers.  Now, we should really stop and
          consider what makes a person a "victim" if it isn't their
          attitude toward their circumstances? What if they get all those "mores" enumerated above? Will they be winners... or victims? The time to think about these things is before the election, but the election being over, it is also time to reflect on just what this election produced. Join the conversation about the election... © Dorothy Anne Seese, 2025 
          See our latest columns: View expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Political USA. 
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