An e-mail that arrived Friday serves to prove exactly what Ive been thinking: Politics is becoming a little too much like an entertainment event. Heres the text from an e-mail sent by the League of Young Voters and Education Fund:
Hey friend. On Tuesday, January 25th, we invite you to join us for an all-star online preshow and response panel celebrating President Obamas 2nd State of the Union Address! Titled Roadmap to Progress, weve handpicked a group of progressive leaders, hip hop bloggers and artists to discuss Obama's speech and engage with participants from around the country.
Preshow? Isnt a preshow the hype you watch before the Super Bowl, or the Oscars? Is the State of the Union speech really a show? Doesnt packaging the State of the Union as a show demean its importance and relegate national policy to little more than a tennis match?
The e-mail goes on to encourage people to engage with some of the smartest minds in politics and pop culture via Facebook and Twitter.
I think its imperative to engage young people in the political process, and while Im personally not likely to engage in political discussions via Facebook or Twitter, social media have a tremendous reach, particularly with younger people. But given the anything-goes nature of the Internet, Im not quite ready to take political discussions held in these arenas too seriously.
Maybe Im just old-fashioned?
Something else Im not quite ready for: the IRS new apps for iPhone and Android.
The Internal Revenue Service today unveiled IRS2Go, its first smart phone application that lets taxpayers check on their status of their tax refund and obtain helpful tax information, the IRS announced Monday.
You can even sign up to receive a daily tax tip via
e-mail. Tax Tips are simple, straightforward tips and reminders to help with tax planning and preparation ... The plain English updates cover topics such as free tax help, child tax credits, the Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits and other topics, the agency said in its news release.
Plain English and IRS? Isnt that an oxymoron?
I love my smart phone and the plethora of useful and not-at-all-useful apps available. But I love having someone else do my taxes even more.
Another e-mail in my inbox Monday morning touted Wisconsin-themed snacks for the Super Bowl. Brats and fried cheese curds for the big game, the marketing piece advised.
Well, thats lame. Of course, well be eating brats and cheese during the Super Bowl. But what about other tasty game-friendly snacks and nibbles? If anyone has any fan-favorite recipes that are good for a Super Bowl get-together, please e-mail them to me. Include your name and hometown so we can publish them on our Food page on Monday, Jan. 31.
Mary Jane Grenzow is the editor of The Monroe Times. She can be reached at editor@themonroetimes.com.
Hey friend. On Tuesday, January 25th, we invite you to join us for an all-star online preshow and response panel celebrating President Obamas 2nd State of the Union Address! Titled Roadmap to Progress, weve handpicked a group of progressive leaders, hip hop bloggers and artists to discuss Obama's speech and engage with participants from around the country.
Preshow? Isnt a preshow the hype you watch before the Super Bowl, or the Oscars? Is the State of the Union speech really a show? Doesnt packaging the State of the Union as a show demean its importance and relegate national policy to little more than a tennis match?
The e-mail goes on to encourage people to engage with some of the smartest minds in politics and pop culture via Facebook and Twitter.
I think its imperative to engage young people in the political process, and while Im personally not likely to engage in political discussions via Facebook or Twitter, social media have a tremendous reach, particularly with younger people. But given the anything-goes nature of the Internet, Im not quite ready to take political discussions held in these arenas too seriously.
Maybe Im just old-fashioned?
Something else Im not quite ready for: the IRS new apps for iPhone and Android.
The Internal Revenue Service today unveiled IRS2Go, its first smart phone application that lets taxpayers check on their status of their tax refund and obtain helpful tax information, the IRS announced Monday.
You can even sign up to receive a daily tax tip via
e-mail. Tax Tips are simple, straightforward tips and reminders to help with tax planning and preparation ... The plain English updates cover topics such as free tax help, child tax credits, the Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits and other topics, the agency said in its news release.
Plain English and IRS? Isnt that an oxymoron?
I love my smart phone and the plethora of useful and not-at-all-useful apps available. But I love having someone else do my taxes even more.
Another e-mail in my inbox Monday morning touted Wisconsin-themed snacks for the Super Bowl. Brats and fried cheese curds for the big game, the marketing piece advised.
Well, thats lame. Of course, well be eating brats and cheese during the Super Bowl. But what about other tasty game-friendly snacks and nibbles? If anyone has any fan-favorite recipes that are good for a Super Bowl get-together, please e-mail them to me. Include your name and hometown so we can publish them on our Food page on Monday, Jan. 31.
Mary Jane Grenzow is the editor of The Monroe Times. She can be reached at editor@themonroetimes.com.
