Remember the misery index? Well, the Gallup polling organization is now teaming up with health researchers to try to provide a “happiness index†that measures Americans’ feelings of well-being, based on such factors as job satisfaction, stress levels and optimism.
Gallup thinks politicians should be evaluated in part on how happy their constituents are — the research data can show happiness-stress levels in the population broken down by state and congressional district.
Will politicians in the future be held accountable for making us happier?
26 Comments
“Making us happy” should not be part of the job description.
A congressman’s true job title is “Representative.”
I want someone to represent me — my opinions, my interests, AS THEY RELATE to the government.
Most of all, I want political leaders who can convince me they’re legislating in what they sincerely consider my best interest. Even if I disagree with them.
I’m sick of politicians pandering to factions.
“Most of all, I want political leaders who can convince me they’re legislating in what they sincerely consider my best interest. Even if I disagree with them.
I’m sick of politicians pandering to factions.”
But then they wouldn;t be politicians, they would be representatives and statesman. Something in short supply it seems.
I agree with your statements above.
Thats pretty absurd, you know if politicians become responsible for making the population happy and not the individual, they’ll just start passing out pills.
If we hold them accountable, quit sending them back to disappoint, it might take a few elections but we have the chance of putting excellence back into the job and a better chance “representatives and statesman” may seek that job.
We can’t ignore our responsibility and expect better than what we have.
Our elected officials should be utilitarian in their approach to getting things done. The politician’s job is to preserve Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness, not create it.
We don’t need no stinkin’ index of happiness.
“littlejohn” posts re: pandering to factions –
“But then they wouldn;t be politicians, they would be representatives and statesman.”
The writers of the Constitution imagined local farmers and land-owners to give a couple of years out of their lives to show up in Washington for a few months and try to settle things out. Obviously the nation and the world are more complicated these days.
How do they handle the bureaucracy of governance in the UK? There are a lot of career politicians, upper class twits who live in London and “represent” Landinghamshropshirester-on-Avon off in Scotland somewhere. And there are a lot of firebrand locals, who actually live in their version of Landinghamshropshirester-on-Avon (pronounced in England, by the way, “Landers.)
Think of when they selected 425 as the number of representatives for 13 new states and about three million residents. They really wanted a congressman to live down the lane nearby.
Ain’t gonna happen these days unless Congress convenes in the Super Dome.
As usual, I don’t have answers. Just questions.
In this age of technology why do they need to be together “in person” often? It’s time to look outside the box of Washington DC.
Living down the lane would help us keep track of them.
Might make lobbyists jobs more difficult. That wouldn’t be a bad thing!
lindainks55
Posted June 13, 2008 at 9:23 am | Permalink
Living down the lane would help us keep track of them.”
I don;t want the SOBS leaving down the lane. I LIKE my neighborhood.
I DO want my “Representative” living down the lane. Then he would see how the other half lives. Maybe he’d be inspired to do something.
This is a good move on the part of Gallup. But their qualification of “happy” should not include the last shred of wishing for happiness. That being “hope”. Limit the calculation to the concrete and exclude the fluff.
” DO want my “Representative” living down the lane. Then he would see how the other half lives. Maybe he’d be inspired to do something. ”
Yeah, I understand. My post was was more in jest, or sarcastic than anything else. I am not sure, after reading some of the early editorials in this country, that politicians are any worse than in years past, but they certainly haven;t gotten any better. Damn shame, too.
“In this age of technology why do they need to be together “in person” often? ”
Uh Linda? Because it makes it easier for the lobbyists to find them when it’s time to pass out the cash…
“If we hold them accountable, quit sending them back to disappoint, it might take a few elections but we have the chance of putting excellence back into the job and a better chance “representatives and statesman” may seek that job.”
Cool.
Let’s start with the do-nothing, all coal all the time ks legislature! Stop sending the assholes back!
On the topic of the thread, I do not depend on politicians for my state of happiness. Happiness, or more rightly peace, is obtained from within, not from without. COnstantly seeking it from without is what drives people to buy bigger and better, to remake themselves into one of the “gods or goddesses” they adore (as in public figures), etc. I know people constantly trying to change their habitat, in order to find happiness. Doesn;t work.
Now, to be fair, they are not in bad circumstances. They just need a little more and they will be happy. Sad
“Do politicians make you happy?”
If they do, please get help.
I’m pretty happy with my representative and he does live in my same Zip code. Not exactly ‘down the lane’, but most of my conversations with him have been either in the local grocery store or cafe.
Politicians don’t make me happy. I’m responsible for my own happiness. I’m very fortunate, I experience true joy almost every day. I have a great family, exceptional dogs and fast horses!
“Establish Justice” “Insure Domestic Tranquility”
“Promote the General Welfare”
“Secure the blessings of Liberty”
It sure seems to me the founders had a good idea that government was responsible for some measure of general happiness. If not, they would have chosen different words for the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States.
Well Hank, like I always say, the more I know about people, the more I love my dog.
I wish I had a couple of old horses who dont want to be ridden and just want to live out their time grazing at the Old Nag Nursing home here.
Since I’m getting to be a old gray mare myself, and I dont ride anymore… we could take care of each other!
Do politicians make me happy? Hell no, mostly they just piss me off. The vast majority of them make me very UNhappy.
Maybe if politicians could/would follow three simple rules they could make me happy.
Spend money like it was yours.
Treat the environment like it was your backyard.
Vote for war as if your kid was going to be on the front lines.
Oh, and don’t worry about what people are doing in their own homes.
Maybe if politicians could/would follow three simple rules they could make me happy.
Spend money like it was yours.
Treat the environment like it was your backyard.
Vote for war as if your kid was going to be on the front lines.
Oh, and don’t worry about what people are doing in their own homes.
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Not bad WS. Not bad at all.
Hey Farm Girl,
It seems the price of hay (brome, prairie and alfalfa) is going to double this year.
That means that at the draft horse auction in Kingman this fall there will be some bargains in horse flesh.
They have an auction every spring and fall. Horses on a Saturday and buggies and tack on Friday evening. I like to go for the tack but I’ve almost bought a few horses.
If you’re serious about a horse . . .
As anyone who’s dealt with major depression far longer than Randall Terry has dealt with mental priapism, I can say this much: wallowing (celebrating) in one’s own pain is highly overrated. Candidly, it reeks of old lady.
Politicians shouldn’t “make” us happy; they should help us achieve happiness by working toward a just society. That would include but not be limited to: 1) affordable, universal health care; 2) eradicating the stigma of depressive illnesses; 3) avoiding the interns and avoiding playing into the ultra-conservative cabal’s hands; and 4) avoiding a 20-year membership in a black supremacist’s church.
Other than that, I don’t look to politicians for “happiness.” I’m not even sure I know what happiness is. Then again, a fistful of opiate painkillers made me happy in days of yore. A new CD of incendiary music makes me blissful. Hearing a young man at the Quik Trip tell me “they enjoy seeing me” even when I had the Flu last winter – now that’s soul candy for a songbird’s ego. Being secure in the knowledge that Randall Terry lost of all his insipid bids for office – now that’s takin’ years off me age.
Politicians shouldn’t make us happy. But they shouldn’t preclude it either.
Hank, what happens to the horses that get no bids? Is there a “horse rescue” in Kansas?
I guess I could use the google myself. Just wondering…
I’m not really a horse person, but I know they have such individual personalities and they get very attached to their humans.
I think animals, like people, get lonely too.
Reminds me of John Prine’s “old people just get lonely, waiting for someone to say ‘hello in there’”
It’s worth a listen. Especially the chorus. They never waited for anyone to make them happy. They just want someone now to say “hello in there”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSufO2FlpAQ
Makes me want to take them all in and give ‘em a hug.
Hey Farm Girl,
Every horse is a different story. Most of the unsold ones go back home. It’s a draft horse auction, but there is usually a wide variety of horses offered.
There is a bunch of ‘horse rescues’ in Kansas but I’ve found them hard to work with. Some are harder than others.
Will politicians in the future be held accountable for making us happier?
There is no accountability now, so why do you expect it to change in the future? The have voted themselves a sweet income and benefits package the common working man will never have access to. I’d say they are making themselves very happy on a daily basis.
This blog should be rewritten to say; “Will the politicians of the future continue to make themselves happy with more salary increases and benefits?” Absolutely
Farm Gal,
If you’re serious about wanting better representation, when faced with having to choose the lesser evil, the civil rights movement tactic was to always campaign against the incumbent. It may take a few elections but they’ll eventually get the message.