You Voted for Who? How Dare You!

As November 6th approaches, my quadrennial seasonal depression gets stronger and stronger.  Another four years of ineptitude, vitriol, questionable decision making, lies, and propaganda will be pushed upon us by two branches of our government system.  It no longer matters to me whether it is a donkey or an elephant voting or legislating on my behalf as I rarely think they have my interests in mind, but rather the interests of thousands of Washingtons, Lincolns, Jacksons, and Franklins.  In American politics it is always about the Benjamins, and I don't have enough to get my message heard.

"What did you say, YOU DON'T WANT TO VOTE!!!"

Which used to depress me.  I still get affected from time to time at the angry and frustrated words of friends and family,be it from the left or from the right. who think that their political affiliations will solve the problems of the current administration.  I hear what they're saying, but have had to remove myself emotionally from their passionate soapbox. I'm sorry family and friends.  I just don't care.  I don't care about either of these candidates and their plethora of hypocritical party stances.  I don't think my vote will mean anything.  I don't really care that much who gets elected president.  Some of you are frothing at the mouth in anger towards me right now for this wishy-washy commentary.  I want to say I can understand that.

But I don't.  Blue or red, conservative or liberal, have or have not, pachyderm or ass, to me, you are something other than a voting demographic.  You are a person.  And if I could guarantee that my vote would positively affect you, your family, your pocketbook, your belief system, and also everything about myself, my family, my wallet, and my ethics, I would vote for that party.  But I can't.  Our parties are too messed up.  Our interests are too varied.  So I will try and vote my conscious and my logic.  It might benefit what you believe, or it could go against everything you believe.  Or I could pull a wildcard and throw my vote away on a third party candidate that will have no shot at anything, or even more extreme: not vote at all.  But remember, it is my vote, it is my right.  And we as a nation used to respect that.

Pay no attention to the way that man voted.  Ignore the
man behind the curtain.  

It used to be that asking about one's politics was like asking about one's sex life.  It was something that only classless people did.  But as people become more open with their bedroom practices, so have they become more vocal about their voting booth experiences.  But I don't want to know about either.  Oh sure, we might all get a little curious about both, but at the end of the day, it's probably best that we don't know what you do behind or beneath the sheets.

So do your civic duty or don't.  Do what you think is best for your family, and I'll do what I believe is best for mine.  But by all means, lets not let something as arbitrary and disconnected from our human worth--as our voting record is--from separating us as friends and family.

Post Superstorm Sandy, it was the people who offered their power
for cell phone charging, their food for the hungry, and their homes
for warmth, that personify the America I believe in.  (photo:thuglife)

When Wednesday hits, and emotions are high on both the winners and losers sides, I propose we enact a new social voting idea:  "Don't ask, Don't tell"--don't assume your friends are celebrating, or assume they want to grumble with you.  And my other proposal is; regardless of who wins the presidency, lets come together and demand the betterment of our nation through our works.  Let us, the real Americans define America through our actions, instead of letting our "representatives" redefine America through their inaction and $ cronyism.