My incomplete Jesse Ventura paper
Hey, you remember that time that I said I'd do all my homework online for that class? The one that I had to take an incomplete on? The one that the paper was due next Monday, and then tomorrow, and now she has to put the grades in tomorrow, so now it's due... now?
So, I never actually finished it (shh, don't tell), but I sent it in anyway. I have at least a "C" in the class, which may be more than I deserve. And, as I promised (somewhere else, I'm not sure), I'm posting this incomplete thought, here...
You Can’t Legislate Against Stupidity
James George Janos was born the 15th of July 1951 in Minneapolis. German on his mother’s side and Slovakian on his father’s, James was anything but the average kid. That was a trend he continued well into his adult life.
James Janos joined the United States Navy in 1969, and underwent Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, following in the footsteps of his older brother Jan. He served in the Navy on Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) 12. While never serving with the SEALS, he has consistently referred to himself as a SEAL. This is mostly a non-controversy for, with the exception of some Viet Nam war-era SEALs, most people agree that he has the right to the title of SEAL because he successfully completed the training. After serving on Active Duty until 1973, he remained on the rolls of the Reserves for two years.
He attended North Hennepin Community College from 1974 to 1975. He left there to pursue a career as a professional wrestler, styling himself after his childhood hero “Superstar” Billy Graham. He was a “heel,” a bad guy in the ring, whose motto was “Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat!” It was at this time that he started going by his “professional” name: Jesse “the Body” Ventura.
It was also at this time that he met and married his wife, Terry, to whom he is still married. They now have two grown children, Ty and Jade.
In recent years, before his debut in the political arena, Ventura was a sports announcer, a radio personality and a film actor. He appeared in films such as “Predator,” “The Running Man,” and “Abraxis.”
It was not until local political situations affected him directly in the town of Brooklyn Park, MN, that he stepped into the political ring. When the local government threatened to require neighborhood development which would lead to the destruction of local wetlands, Jesse Ventura vowed to run for Mayor. Then, once he had won, he fought an uphill battle against the local city council, and what he saw as the “good old boy network.” He would face a similar situation in the race for Governor.
While his politics set him apart from his two opponents who represented the main political parties, they weren’t too unusual for someone who would describe himself as a moderate Libertarian. He is fiscally conservative and socially liberal.
His fiscal conservativism can be seen in his attitudes towards tax refunds, the very issue that sparked his interest in running for governor. The previous year, there had been a budget surplus. The representatives currently in office in the legislature decided to spend the surplus on other, unbudgeted programs. Ventura argued that the government should give that sort of surplus back to the constituency directly, through tax rebates.
His social liberalism can be seen in his stance on legislating drugs, abortion and prostitution. While he is at least somewhat morally opposed to these actions, he is willing to concede the government’s inability to prohibit them for the public. He has stated that he feels the answer to these issues are the involvement of concerned citizens in a counseling status for at risk individuals. He also seems to feel that through government regulation of these activities comes a lessened risk of harm to those partaking in them.
This last hint at government regulation is somewhat at odds with the rest of his, and Libertarianism in general, views of government, where less is more. Still, that is the credo he sticks to through most of his political views.
No, what really sets him apart from the field is his eccentricities. While he is not the first celebrity to make a break into politics, he has done it with such force of personality that he will most likely remain unique in the minds of those who remember him for his politics. Jesse Ventura used his celebrity to sell himself, both figuratively and literally, both while on the campaign trail and afterwards.
While he tacitly had the support of the national Reform party, they never actually contributed funds. Regardless, Ventura decided to hold himself to their policy of not accepting special interest money for campaigning. This left him in a bit of a quandary, and didn’t help his and the local Reform party of Minnesota relations with the national party.
Ventura managed to get around his problems with campaign funding through some creative fund raising. Banking on his celebrity, his campaign manager and his wife set up an independent company that sold T-shirts, action figures and other paraphernalia related to the candidate. Ventura felt that it was more honest to sell merchandise than to ask for a strict handout of cash. He was also very proud that his campaign cost only $600,000 while his opponents spent in excess of $13 million.
Ventura is also rather proud of the use of the internet in his campaigning. He feels that he
And now, even though Jesse Ventura is not serving in a public office, he still has his celebrity status to fall back upon.
Yikes. I didn't even finish that second-to-last paragraph, but that's the way I sent it in. I think I might suck at this game. But, it's done, and after another month-and-a-half, I'll be able to sign up for another online class... something with computers, this time, in order to complete my Associate's from DLI.
g'night, folks.