Politics

An election is the ultimate celebration of democracy. However if you live in South Carolina or Kentucky, booze probably isn't going to be part of your November 6 revelry.

Given the proliferation of social media over the last four years, 2012 should be the social media election.

This won’t come as a surprise to many Americans, but the problem of illegal robocalls — recorded messages which are used to sell everything from mortgage relief to extended car warranties — is getting worse, according to the Federal Trade Commission. In fact, complaints have more than doubled in the past two years.

According to most estimates, the 2012 presidential election will be the most expensive ever held. Much of that money goes to TV ads, which will air increasingly as we get closer to November. Do they really make a difference?

When a celebrity expresses a political opinion it is often covered in the media. And a famous person is also a lot more likely to be invited to the White House — or gain similar access to an elected official — than an average citizen. But does that mean celebrities have too much political power?

The separation of church and state doesn’t mean religious leaders can’t express political opinions. And in the wake of President Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage there has been talk that some houses of worship may encourage their flock not to vote for the president in 2012 to protest his reversal on the issue.

As we get closer to the 2012 Presidential election, more and more people are using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to express their political views. According to a survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, these views are sometimes a little too surprising to the poster’s web friends.

Politics is definitely in the air, especially since 2012 is an election year. But a recent survey by Harris Interactive on behalf of Careerbuilder.com suggests most folks still shy away from talking about Democrats and Republicans in their workplace.

Garth Brooks is keeping his options open for when his youngest daughter graduates in 2014. While the singer has said he won’t hit the road or record new music until then, he could be considering a different sort of career during his later years.