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None of the Above!

We have all taken tests or have surveys sent to us on our smart phones where one of the choices is "none of the above".

Regrettably our two-party political system has no choice such as "none of the above". Blog detractors will say you can write in a candidate. But writing in a name is but a tepid response and does not have the clout of saying neither one is qualified.

A "none of the above" election was a central theme to a 1985 Movie starring Richard Pryor entitled Brewster's Millions. Thus, this is not a new idea but one that worked as a premise in a movie and could work for real.

Given today that candidates typically come from the Owning Class, we need to think of some different form of just placing wealthy candidates on a slate which essentially is a forced choice selection. The ranked choice approach is gaining traction.

It would be fun to rerun the 2024 election in 2026 with the ranked choice approach and maybe the tariffs and mayhem would go away sooner than 2028.

Now something hinting of ham radio. I have been thinking about all of boat anchor radios I have in my collection and there is a stark realization they are just plain old and certainly not as capable as what can be built or bought today. 

New technology such as single board computer embeds (RPi5) opens up a whole array of technology that outpaces any hardware only radio.


Triton II

I dug out my Ten Tec Triton II radio, vintage 1970's and crude is a great word to describe its string driven slide rule dial mechanism. Boasting a 2 kHz dial accuracy, it is no match for my homebrew SDR that I can read to 1 Hz. The other bonus pieces of a 2025 rig are no drift on the SDR and the Digital Signal Processing of a RPI5 makes the difference of hearing or not hearing a signal.

Yet in 1975 the Triton II was leading edge for a store-bought radio. This is a great analogy to our electoral college system that we see can be rigged to favor one Owning Class candidate. 

The one man one vote theory doesn't hold water when an Owning Class candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election. A great idea on June 21, 1788*, but not 2025 where jerrymandering assures a win for an unqualified Owning Class candidate. Think Triton II and IC7300 MKII.

Two weeks from today is Christmas and once again I ask that you dig into your pockets and come up with some cash to support Americans who otherwise will be hungry on Christmas Day. It is amazing what even a small donation will do. So, contact a local food bank or social service organization and spread a bit of Christmas cheer with a cash donation.

Them that know can make things go.

73's
Pete N6QW

* The date the US Constitution was ratified by a ninth vote from the State of New Hampshire.

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