Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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Do Voters Choose Their Politicians OR Do the Politicians Choose Their Voters? The simple thought is that, of course, voters choose their candidates. In a perfect world, that is what ideally occurs. But there is a device, disparagingly named Gerrymandering*-- The politicians' manipulation of voting boundaries, Resulting in the reverse--the politicians' determining their voters. See what Texas Republicans are now doing To create five new Representatives in Congress; And realize the reaction of California--using the same opposing manipulation. And then multiply another Gerrymandered state, and then another. We are no longer governing for the good of the people, But spending all our energy to simply gain power, With little time to govern wisely for the people. A tragedy, indeed: A manifestation of insatiable human territorial greed. (* Gerrymandering was named after Elbridge Gerry (pronounced originally with a hard G), Massachusetts governor in 1812, who signed a bill, creating a partisan district in the Boston area, in the shape of a portmanteau or mythical salamander, thus Gerry-mander.) Frank Maurer 9 August 2025 1420 Hours.