Last year in California, an initiative was put on the ballot to put a tax on oil that was produced in the state. This tax was going to be used for research on alternative fuels. Alternative fuels has been a more popular topic with the rise in gasoline prices.

Of course the oil companies spent a lot of money for ads to defeat the proposition. But another thing that happened a few weeks before the election was a sudden drop in gasoline prices. The ballot measure was defeated and a few weeks later the gasoline prices went back up to where they were before the sudden price drops.

Now that spring is approaching the price for gasoline is going back to where it was last year when a barrel of oil was selling for $75.00. Funny thing though, the price of oil is around $63.00. So why are the prices going up? Because oil companies have programmed us to accept higher gas prices.

My point is that companies and politicians have learned how to manipulate the American public. Slick multi-million dollar ads bombard voters until they are swayed to vote a certain way. A person that I knew who was heavily involved with state politics once told me that the person/side that raised the most money always won the election.

A popular saying among Political Scientist is that people get the kind of government they deserve. The voters in this country need to become more savvy. We need to pay attention to what is going on before, during, and after an election cycle. An intelligent electorate may be able to take control of the government away from the special interest groups. A disconnected, uninformed electorate will be led around like so many sheep.

- Thomas Paine 2

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