Polling Numbers in Question

One of the things that I honestly believe that is skewing the polling numbers is the growth of cell phones in households across America. Sitting around the house tonight I watched as the wife had a couple of calls on her cell phone, a few of the kids had calls on their cell phones, and yet the house phone that is hard wired never rang all night long. Then I was thinking that many of our friends no longer have home phones and just use their cell phone for everything. Could this be the reason why millions of voters are not included in the polling numbers? Could this explain why the race in the media is supposedly so close? Obama has huge events with tens of thousands of supporters showing up. McCain has a convention room with a thousand people showing up in the same cities?

Cell phones seem to be the main use for phone service in this country for people and voters 18 to 35 and older but I’m just guessing that that fact just might be why the polls are not picking up even higher percentages in favor of Obama in this election across the country. If all of the organizations working to register new voters and many of those new voters are cell phone junkies then they are not part of the polling process by any political polling numbers.

The Obama campaign has energized the younger generation to participate in their government here in America and frankly it is kind of hard to find “Likely Voters” if there is not a cell phone directory like the Yellow Pages to ask them how they are going to vote. New registered voters from Democrat led political organizations is into the millions and Obama and Hillary led that movement in the primaries.

Just a thought…

Papamoka

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Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania Swing to Obama

School Buses and Motorists

*****UPDATE: City Councilor Clancy contacted me and forwarded my concerns to the Chief of Police in Worcester. The Mayors office contacted me and forwarded my concerns to the City Manager. The Worcester Police Department contacted me and I talked at length with the Lieutenant in charge of traffic and he will be taking action over a prolonged period of time to make this school bus stop a safer place for all of the kids.

My personal thanks to everyone involved and I thank you all for your emails and phone calls.



I’ve been blessed with five very beautiful daughters and I hope and pray to see each and every one of them grow up to be a strong woman. Some people would call me an over protective Dad because I walk my five, seven and ten year old to the bus stop every morning before I embark on my days adventures. Walking away from the bus stop I know that my girls are safe but if I were not there to witness the traffic blowing the flashing red lights of the girls school bus almost daily I could not write this piece.

Worcester is a fairly large city in New England and the traffic patterns at most intersections offer multiple lanes on both sides of the road. Our section of the road where my kids are picked up on is no different other than a double solid yellow line down the middle of the street. Today scared this dad to death only after I heard what happened.

My twelve year old was late for the bus today and rushed out of the house without most of her school supplies and the raisin toast she just popped out of the toaster. Leaving her books, jacket and homework she boogied out the door with a rush to meet her bus in the hopes that she would not miss it. When a twelve year old has one thought in mind then all other objects in the world are blinded to them when they have to get to where they have to be.

While I was getting her younger sisters from ten to five ready for school I heard the blaring of the school bus horn just down the street. Three houses away my child stopped at the curb to cross a main avenue into the city at the last minute as yet another driver blew through the flashing red lights of her school bus. Had she not stopped she would have been killed by somebody busy on their cell phone or sipping a coffee or paying any kind of attention other than what was going on in front of them. All school kids that have to pass a major road should be taught even as a kindergartener right up to senior year that they need to wait for the school bus drivers instruction when it is safe to cross. Thank God that the blaring horn from the bus stopped my child in her tracks. Something she learned from repeated incidents at the same stop to wait for her bus drivers cue when it was safe to cross this busy intersection. How important could anything be if your car slams into a twelve year old crossing the street for their bus? Could you live with yourself if you did just that? Could you look into the face of a parent of that child and truly be sorry simply because you were texting someone when it happened?

Is our rush to be in control or get where we have to be so ignorant that we would blindly get there at the sake of a child crossing the street to get on a school bus. Is any phone call worth the life of a child running for the bus with red flashing lights? Is anything that important to kill a child because all of the distractions of operating a two or three ton vehicle involve more than watching the road and what is going on during the operation of that vehicle?

As a parent I have contacted my Mayor first, my City Councilor second and the local police third. When it comes to the safety and life of my child I will choose going over everyone’s head each and every single time. At the time that this post was written, my local City Councilor replied and forwarded my email to the Police Chief.

I’ll be watching our local school bus stop for any activity and local enforcement. I’ll also be begging my friend’s in the local area like WormTown Taxi and I’m from Worcester to pick up this post. If this kind of ignorance on traffic rules are happening in my neck of the woods in the third largest city in New England then I’m pretty sure it is happening everywhere.

Who wants a double latte mocha-chino espresso for the road with a by pass school bus flashing reds to go? All jokes aside, this is no joking matter. My children are my world as much as I’m sure that yours are. If you see this happening in your world then speak up and be heard. Be the very angry squeaky wheel and let the oil flow from the folks with the oil can in hand.

If you are reading this post then please email it and pass it on to a friend or family member to protect your kids in your city! One near miss is to many.

Papamoka

*****Daily Worcesteria has linked back to this post... Thank you!
*****The Beacon News has picked up this post... Thank you!
*****The Courier News has picked up this post... Thank you!

Thoughts on Cell Phones and Driving

Is it just me or does it seem that more and more people are talking on the phone while driving lately? I’m one of those people that is not a huge fan of cell phones to begin with but I am guilty of having one. I’m also guilty of chatting on the phone while driving but I tend to try and keep the conversations short and to the point.

Just a few examples of driver behavior with the cell phone planted to their ear that I have witnessed; there was the woman doing ten miles per hour below the speed limit that put her directional on to turn left but turned right instead. There was the gentleman having a very graphic arm flailing conversation at the stop light that waited till the eventual green light turned yellow to punch the gas leaving the rest of us in line with yet another red light. Then there was the gentleman turning into a clearly marked “DO NOT ENTER” exit jacking on his brakes at the last possible second blocking vehicles coming out and traffic passing by.

All of the above examples I was lucky enough to be of witness to just yesterday. For the record it could be heard in my car someone shouting at the offenders “Get off the damn phone”.

So today I decided to look for some information on driving and cell phones and I think I hit the jackpot to make my point. My point being, if you have to use your cell phone while driving then please pull over and stop your car. Have your conversation and continue driving the two ton bullet when you are done talking.

Forbes has a great piece on the comparison of drunk driving and cell phone use while driving…

Maneuvering through traffic while talking on the phone increases the likelihood of an accident five-fold and is actually more dangerous than driving drunk, U.S. researchers report.

That finding held true whether the driver was holding a cell phone or using a hands-free device, the researchers noted.

"As a society, we have agreed on not tolerating the risk associated with drunk driving," said researcher Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah. "This study shows us that somebody who is conversing on a cell phone is exposing him or herself and others to a similar risk -- cell phones actually are a higher risk," he said.

“Snip”

The reason that there aren't more accidents linked to cell phone use is probably due to the reactions of other -- more alert -- drivers, Drews said. "Currently, our system seems to be able to handle 8 percent of cell-phone drivers, because other drivers are paying attention," he said. "They are compensating for the errors these drivers are causing," he speculated.

This is a growing public health problem, Drews said. As more people are talking and driving, the accident rate will go up, he said. - Forbes.com

One other thought on cell phone use and driving has me wondering how much road rage is directly linked to this issue?

Papamoka

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