Halloween Poll

 From the YouGov Poll.

People Plan To Party Like They Did In 2019 For Halloween

These charts are from a Morning Consult Poll -- done between October 1st and 5th of a national sample of 2,200 adults nationwide, with a 2 point margin of error.

The View Of Americans On Halloween

These charts are from the YouGov Poll done between October 8th and 12th of a national sample of 1,000 adults, with a 4 point margin of error. It shows what American adults think about the unofficial holiday of Halloween. Nearly a quarter of them say Halloween is one of their favorite holidays.

What Kind Of Candy Are You Giving Out For Halloween?

This is the time when most of us are preparing for Halloween, and one of the necessary preparations is the purchase of candy to give out to the children ringing your doorbell.

Do you buy the giant bag of cheap candies, or do you try to buy the candy you know kids will like? If you are in the latter group (like me), then the YouGov Poll did a survey of 703 kids between 8 and 14 between September 22nd and October 1st to help you choose.

The chart above shows the 20 favorite candies chosen by the kids. Giving these candies are sure to please most kids. 

Only A Tiny Religious Minority Object To Halloween

I happily admit that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It has no real purpose except to have fun -- with kids trick-or-treating for candy and adults partying.

But every year, there are those who want to ask people not to celebrate this fun holiday. They think it somehow violates their religious beliefs. Fortunately, they are a tiny minority of the public.

Only about 20% of the population says they have a religious objection to celebrating Halloween, while 80% (including many religious people) have no problem with Halloween at all. And the same is true of all demographic groups.

This chart was made using information in a new Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between October 22nd and 24th of a random national sample of 1,500 adults, with a 3.1 point margin of error.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

(This image is from gameskinny.com.)

I want to wish all of my readers a very Happy Halloween! I hope you get to celebrate this wonderful (although unofficial) holiday with those you enjoy being with. Don't forget to feed plenty of candy to the ghouls, goblins, witches, and other creatures who darken your door on this night -- and be sure to save plenty of candy for yourself.

Placate The Creatures At Your Door With Union-Made Candy

(This Halloween cartoon is by Mike Luckovich in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.)

We're only a few days away from that time when you will likely be inundated by witches, ghosts, goblins, and other tiny nefarious creatures appearing at your door and demanding tribute. The best (and traditional) way to handle this is to ply them with copious amounts of candy -- and I suggest you do that. But not with just any kind of candy. As a good progressive, supply these tiny beings with the best candy -- candy made by union workers.

To help you do this, Daily Kos has provided a list of union-made candy. Here is their list:

5th Avenue
Abba-Zaba Original and Strawberry
Almond Roca
Baby Ruth
Big Hunk
Butterfinger
Cadbury
Jelly Belly Candy Corn
Candy House Buttons
Caramello Bar
Clark Bar
Disney Jelly Beans
Ghirardelli Chocolates
Gimbal’s Fine Candies
Harry Potter Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans
Hersheys Kisses and Hugs
Hersheys Nuggets
Hot Tamales candies
Jawbreakers
Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
Kit Kat Bars
Laffy Taffy
LOOK!
Mallo Cups
Mary Jane
Mighty Malts Malted Milk Balls
Mike and Ike
Necco Candy Wafers
Nestle
Pearsons Candy
Red Vines Red Licorice and Black Licorice
Rocky Road Original, Dark, Mint, and S’Mores
Rolo
Russell Stover Candy
Sconza Candy
See
Sip-n-chew
Smarties
Smarties Candy Lipstick
Snaps
Sour Punch
Sunkist Candies
Super Ropes
Sweethearts Mummy Hearts
Thin Mints
Tootsie Rolls
Trolli
U-NO
Zagnut
Zours

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

(This image found at the website With Love by Bea.)

Today marks the arrival of my favorite holiday of the year. It is Halloween, a holiday dedicated to only one purpose -- having fun (both for children and adults). I hope all of my readers have a fun and safe holiday. And remember to bribe the witches, ghosts, goblins, and other tiny monsters that darken your door tonight with lots of candy!

Pumpkin Carving

Treat The Little Goblins With Union-Made Candy

(The image above is from Sacramento Sidetracks.)

Halloween, my favorite holiday (even if it isn't an official one), is fast approaching -- and you need to prepare to save yourself from the little goblins and witches by stocking up on treats with which to bribe them. And a good progressive, which I assume most of you are, will buy candy that was not only made in this country, but was made by union workers. And fortunately, the website Labor 411 has provided us with a list of good candy made by union workers. Here is their list:

5th Avenue 
Abba-Zaba Original and Strawberry 
Almond Roca 
Baby Ruth 
Big Hunk 
Butterfinger 
Cadbury 
Jelly Belly Candy Corn 
Candy House Buttons 
Caramello Bar 
Clark Bar 
Disney Jelly Beans 
Ghirardelli Chocolates 
Gimbal’s Fine Candies 
Harry Potter Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans 
Hersheys Kisses and Hugs 
Hersheys Nuggets 
Hot Tamales candies 
Jawbreakers 
Jelly Belly Jelly Beans 
Kit Kat Bars 
Laffy Taffy 
LOOK! 
Mallo Cups 
Mary Jane 
Mighty Malts Malted Milk Balls 
Mike and Ike 
Necco Candy Wafers 
Nestle 
Pearsons Candy 
Red Vines Red Licorice and Black Licorice 
Rocky Road Original, Dark, Mint, and S’Mores 
Rolo 
Russell Stover Candy 
Sconza Candy 
See 
Sip-n-chew 
Smarties 
Smarties Candy Lipstick 
Snaps 
Sour Punch 
Sunkist Candies 
Super Ropes 
Sweethearts Mummy Hearts 
Thin Mints 
Tootsie Rolls 
Trolli 
U-NO 
Zagnut 
Zours 

This Just Makes Halloween Better

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, even if it is just an unofficial one. That's because it has only one purpose -- for people, both young and old, to have fun. And the thought that Michele Bachmann, one of the dumbest public officials in America, doesn't like Halloween just makes it even better for me.

A County GOP In Virginia Steps Way Over The Line

The images seen above were included as part of a "Halloween" memo sent out by the Loudoun County (Virginia) GOP. I have no problem with most of the images -- after all, Halloween is a fun holiday and people should have fun with it (and zombifying your political opponents, like was done with the picture of Rep. Pelosi, can be a good-natured part of that fun).

But I have a big problem with the middle picture on the top row -- the picture of the President of the United States with a bullet hole in his forehead and his brains exposed. That is inappropriate, to say the least. For an older guy like me, it instantly brought back memories of another president shot in the head exposing his brains -- President John F. Kennedy. And my second thought was whether this could give the "crazies" in our society the idea that doing the same thing to President Obama would somehow be acceptable.

Frankly we have enough problems with virulent racism in this country without publishing such an image. In a country where we have seen the assassinations of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and the attempted assassinations of Ronald Reagan and Gabrielle Giffords-- not to mention past presidents and leaders who have been killed -- is way over the line of decency, common sense, and acceptable behavior.

I don't know if it was racism or just incredible stupidity. In either case, it is just not something that should be tolerated. The Republicans are now doing some "damage control". Pat Mullins, chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, said, "The disgusting image used today on a mass e-mail has no place in our politics. Ever. The Republican Party of Virginia condemns the image and its use in the strongest possible terms."

I appreciate those words by Mr. Mullins. But I have to wonder what kind of person, a county party official, could have thought that the image would be appropriate, even funny. The e-mail should never have been sent, or even considered for distribution, and the official who OK'd it should be fired.

Happy Halloween

I hope all of the wonderful readers of this blog have a very Happy Halloween!

Don't Text And Fly !

Found this on FaceBook and it was just too good not to steal. All you witches out there be careful!

Offensive Halloween Decoration ?

The above-pictured halloween decoration is set up in a private yard on Highway 287 in north Amarillo.   And it is upsetting a whole lot of people.   They think it is offensive and want it taken down -- just think of the children!

Personally, I think it's rather humorous and well within the First Amendment rights of the private property owner.   If this is the worst thing a child ever sees (a stuffed scarecrow holding a beer can and shooting the bird at passing cars), then that child is very lucky indeed.   I have a hard time believing any child is going to be psychologically scarred by viewing this display.

What do you readers think?   Is this much ado about nothing, or is it too offensive for public display?

(Picture is from the channel 10 website.)

Halloween

Halloween is fast approaching. While I enjoy most of the holidays, Halloween is far and away my favorite, especially as it is celebrated in the United States. Halloween is a holiday just dedicated to having fun, trick-or-treating, candy, costumes and parties.

Maybe it's because I find other holidays to be too serious in nature, or maybe it's just my Irish heritage. Halloween is generally regarded as having originated in Ireland, where the Celts had an Autumn festival known as Samhain. They would light large bonfires to ward off evil spirits, because they believed the dead revisited the world on that day.

Since the division of the world of the living and the world of the dead did not exist on this night, many believed it was safer to dress as a ghost or "otherworldly creature" so as to blend in when outdoors. The children would knock on doors to gather fruit, nuts and sweets for the festival (the beginning of "trick-or-treating"). Homes would be decorated with pumpkins or turnips carved with scary faces.

Halloween arrived in America with the two million Irish that came because of the potato famine in the mid-nineteenth century. Costumes began to be worn around 1900, and trick-or-treating became widespread in the early 1950's. Halloween is now the sixth most profitable holiday for business, after Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentines Day, Easter and Father's Day.

Oddly enough, there seems to be a significant difference between liberals and conservatives over the celebration of Halloween. While over 70% of liberals and 67% of moderates will be handing out Halloween candy this year, only slightly more than half (55%) of conservatives will be doing so.

I'm told it's because many religious conservatives consider Halloween to be a "demonic" holiday. Personally, I think they're afraid someone might be having fun, and they can't have that.