Steven Wallace

Steven Wallace

The philosopher Plato once quipped, “Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” Oh Plato, stop being mean.

Then again, maybe

Plato was on to something?

According to two Cornell University professors, the democratic process relies on the assumption that citizens (the majority of them, at least) can recognize the best political candidate, or best policy idea, when they see it. Their research, however, has revealed an unfortunate aspect of the human psyche that would seem to disprove this notion, and imply instead that democratic elections produce mediocre leadership and policies.

 

 

The research, led by David Dunning, shows that incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people’s ideas. For example, if people lack expertise on tax reform, it is very difficult for them to identify the candidates who are actual experts.

The research continues by stating, “No amount of information or facts about political candidates can override the inherent inability of many voters to accurately evaluate them. On top of that, “very smart ideas are going to be hard for people to adopt, because most people don’t have the sophistication to recognize how good an idea is.”

Dunning’s colleague, Justin Kruger, throws in another zinger by stating, “People are self-delusional when it comes to their own intellectual skills. Whether the researchers are testing people’s ability to rate the funniness of jokes, the correctness of grammar, or even their own performance in a game of chess, the duo has found that people always assess their own performance as “above average” — even people who, when tested, actually perform at the very bottom of the pile.”

The bottom line: The best and brightest leaders are rarely elected.

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How crazy is that study, huh? There can’t be any merit, can there? Nobody in Maine would vote for somebody just because they liked them, or because they were a certain color, gender, ethnic group or political party, would they? We always look for the best candidate by researching issues and knowing their record or stance, right? We never fall for the title of a legislative document just because they have words in them like fairness, equality, or prosperity? Not us, right? Right?

Sadly, in my short nine years in Maine, I have witnessed otherwise. Whether it is because of apathy, disgust for the political process, or something entirely different, I do not know. But the thing I do have a very strong opinion about is Mainers need to get more engaged in what local and state politicians are doing.

Did you know when an elected official speaks about raising “revenues” they are really talking about raising fees, taxes, or taking money from other places within the budget (i.e. robbing Peter to pay Paul)?

Did you know that “fairness” is a very relative term (depending on who you are talking to) and that if a certain piece of legislation passes, more money will be taken from legal, tax-paying citizens?

Did you know that caucus issues mean that voting a certain way on a piece of legislation is dictated by party leadership, not individual legislators? (To ensure no misrepresentation here, individuals can vote differently, but they get punished for it.)

Do you know what a legislative document is or where you find one?

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Do you know who your state legislators are?

If you can’t answer these basic questions, I humbly submit to you that you might want to become more engaged. Don’t get me wrong, I have not met a single elected official who wasn’t trying to do the right thing. The question is: Can they grasp what the right thing is for a large, rural state like Maine?

Who we put into elected office is so very important. If we allow elections to become a popularity contest or party line vote, we are doing ourselves and everyone else in Maine a disservice. Negative campaigning is never acceptable at any level — too bad some folks are already starting the 2014 election rhetoric.

I challenge you to become a more informed voter; know what the issues are and why you believe the way you do! While I don’t fully subscribe to Plato’s comment or the research done by Dunning and Kruger, I do view their observations as a warning of what can happen.

Maine’s future is too precious not to take heed.

The way I see it, we can get involved and pave the way for opportunity, or we can just live with the results. I for one plan on being involved. I hope you do, too.

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Other SMMC Events and News

“The Basics of Valuing Your Small Business” is the topic for the May 22 Business Success Seminar. The seminar is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Topsham Public Library, 25 Foreside Road, Topsham. Reg Perry, founder of PFBF CPA’s is the presenter.

“Strategies for Entrepreneurial Success” is the theme of the next Midcoast Women’s Networking Forum, May 22, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Captain Daniel Stone Inn, 10 Water St., Brunswick. Michelle Neujahr, director of Southern Midcoast Maine Community College’s Entrepreneurial Center, is the presenter. In addition there is lots of time for networking and enjoying heavy hors d’oeurvres. Costs $20/person and reservations are required.

“Event Marketing From Soup to Nuts: A Hands-on Workshop” is May 23, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Priority Business Center, 2 Main St., Topsham. We’ll work on a real project in real time using social media. Free, but seating is limited and you must reserve.

Midcoast Edge, the Chamber’s Young Professional Group, invites those from 20 to 40 years of age to a Wii Game Tournament at The Frontier Café, Fort Andross, Brunswick. The event is May 23, 5 to 8 p.m. The event is free to attend.

The May 29 Chamber After Hours is hosted by the Bath Holiday Inn, 139 Richardson St., Bath from 5 to 7 p.m. Enjoy refreshments, vie for door prizes, meet new members and catch up on what’s happening in our 16-town region. Chamber members, their employees and guests are invited and it is free. In addition, come meet the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) students who will have business displays on view. Learn more about YEA. Bring your student. Preregister for this event.

The Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber’s Hacker’s Ball Golf Tournament is June 13. This 18-hole scramble will support scholarships for youth going to college from our region’s five high schools. It will also support young people who want to start their own business through the chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy.

Please go to the chamber’s website (www.midcoastmaine.com) scrolling calendar to register for all of these events.

THE CHAMBER proudly serves 760 businesses and organizations in the following communities: Arrowsic, Bath, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Brunswick, Dresden, Edgecomb, Georgetown, Harpswell, Phippsburg, Richmond, Topsham, West Bath, Westport Island, Wiscasset and Woolwich.


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