It's election day here in the good ol' US of A. It's a day marked with a media frenzy only equalled when Madonna adopts, but that's neither here nor there. It's also a day when most of us rush to the polls with good intentions secure in the belief that we are actually participating in our government. And we are, to be sure. The cynics among us believe that while every vote counts, no one vote really makes a difference. And from a purely statistical perspective, it's impossible for both to be true. It's hard for me to imagine that my vote for the Senator and Representative from the Commonwealth of Virginia this afternoon will have any more impact on the government of Virginia or the Nation than peeing in the neighborhood pool has any impact on the chemistry of the water contained therein. But I like to pride myself on being somewhat politically aware, so I will dutifully report to the polling station tonight after work and cast my vote for whom I believe will be the best qualified. Or at least the least felonious individual in the bunch. Having said all that, and tending to fall in with the politically cynical, it gives me great pride to walk into a pollilng booth, cast a vote without a single person applying undue pressure or a single person knowing of my choice. Contrast that with one of the last elections in Iraq before the war, where it was reported that 100% of the nation voted for Saddam. In this context, it becomes crystal clear to me that as cynical as I am, and as flawed as we Americans are, we still do it better than anywhere else on God's green Earth. And I am proud to be a small part of the process, no matter how statistically insignificant I may be. I can be proud of the fact that for each of us in the United States, our statistical impact may be small, but it's not zero as it is in many, less fortunate places in the world. I have seen and lived in other places around the world, but right here -- here in my flawed, polarized, media saturated, hydrogenated, caffeinated nation -- just ain't so bad. Dan
Just got back from voting. I think we can all agree - Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, whatever - that this is still the greatest country in the world. I think we also all agree that admittedly we have our problems, but as Americans we can and will fix them (what those problems are and how to fix them is where we disagree). Eventually.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dan-Wolfe @ Nov 7 2006, 11:14 AM) [snapback]344995[/snapback]</div> Well said. Those who do not vote have nothing to say.
I voted this morning on the way to work - both the Senate and House of Representatives are tightly contested races where I live, so I got up early. I'm originally from Chicago, where 'Da Mare' liked his ward-heelers to encourage people to vote early, vote often.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dan-Wolfe @ Nov 7 2006, 11:14 AM) [snapback]344995[/snapback]</div> You vote and pee in the pool? Me too! Yay Virginians!
I complain about elected officials because I openly and actively participate in the representative democracy process. They were giving away "I voted" stickers. I really wanted one that said, "I voted for everything you oppose." I figure that will get people to the polls.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dan-Wolfe @ Nov 7 2006, 11:14 AM) [snapback]344995[/snapback]</div> I'm not politically cynical in that I'm naive enough to think my vote helps (Florida in 2000 cured me of that), but I had to say that I agree with most of what you said. As a fellow Virginian, I thank you. And I voted this morning.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(huskers @ Nov 7 2006, 09:07 AM) [snapback]344992[/snapback]</div> Mailed it in last week. And, yes, Proco I did have to hold my nose for a couple of them.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pogo @ Nov 7 2006, 02:56 PM) [snapback]345168[/snapback]</div> So did I. The Senate race here in NJ has been one of the ugliest campaigns I've ever seen. I was sorely tempted to vote for NJWeedMan. At least I know what he stands for!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jeannie @ Nov 7 2006, 10:32 AM) [snapback]345015[/snapback]</div> Ha! I live in Chicago and though I voted early at 7 a.m., I'm only going to vote once no matter what Richard the Younger wants. Can't wait until he comes up for re-election and I can vote against him. Funny thing at my polling place is that they didn't even check my ID! Just found my page in the log book and had me sign my name. Oh, and we had paper ballots where we connected the middle of a broken arrow with a marker and fed that into a machine. Not sure if it counted or not as I didn't see the paper tabulator advance after it read my vote. Not that it matters in this Blue state. My big question is why do the polls close so damn early around the country? I grew up in Iowa and we had until 9 p.m. to vote. Here in Illinois it's 7 p.m. and some states close at 6 p.m. Don't they want people who work during the day to be able to vote?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(huskers @ Nov 7 2006, 04:25 PM) [snapback]345184[/snapback]</div> Excellent point & I concur - gven the absolute importance of voting in our country. It should be *easy* to vote since it is essential to our democracy - indeed, it defines "democracy." And, yes, I voted. My family voted. My friends voted. Who wouldn't?
