Taking a Cue...

...from you!  Yes, I am taking a cue from "WAITING FOR THE BIG GIANT"that is, I am chronicling my voting experience right here!  Before all of America! (well, maybe just a couple of Americans).  The Lady of "Big Giant" fame and her Man hit the voting booths yesterday and had some very astute observations about voter competence.  Her notes made me very uncomfortable about our efforts to "get out the vote", painfully brought to our attention by the recent activities of ACORN.

Yesterday, Julieann and I voted.  As usual, we did not specifically state who we were voting for. This is our method to avoid concerns over cancelling each other's vote or unduly swaying one another's decision.  We did not visit the polls as they are not open yet in California.  Rather, we used absentee ballots, a great way to get the job done in the comfort of your own, or about to be repossessed, home.

I told Julie I wanted to mess with some chad but she insisted I follow the instructions and use a pen to obliterate the small ovals on the ballot instead.    I had my key decisions made based on the completely unbiased, fairly waged, coherent, eloquent  'camp pain' headquarters statements made by both hearty parties on the details of Sarah Palin's wardrobe.  So I was ready.  

I whipped through the candidates, making my mark with the efficiency of a hot knife through butter.  At the end, I came upon a list of eight or so names, maybe more who were all looking for seats on various things like school boards, city councils, crossing guards and so on.  I didn't know any of them so I was ready to play 'pin the tail on the donkey' with my pen but Julie stopped me by artfully suggesting I pass on voting for those particular positions.

I was pretty proud of my conscientious approach to the various initiatives as well.  We had about fourteen.  My approach;  if it involved spending more money "I said No. No. No."  Except for some bonds for Children's hospitals (I figured only Communists would vote no on that one).  

Another initiative, the amazing Proposition 8, that would, if enacted, ban gay marriages in California.  I simply don't know which way that one is going to go.  Maybe both ways (pun intended). I can't even sort through my own feelings about it, other than to reflect on that tender moment in grade school when Sister Arcadia grabbed me by the ear, drug me into the coat closet and smacked me for being a "baaaaaaaaaad boy".  I was thinking if I voted a certain way, I would turn around and...  there SHE would be.

Anyway, back to the main point here... voter competence.  What the Hell are we thinking, randomly signing up anyone who can walk and talk?  What percent of voters do we think make educated decisions about all the candidates and issues?... 10%?  Someone show me where the percentage is higher and I will be properly astounded (I will also check the validity carefully on Snopes and Truthorfiction).  I say 10 percent (maybe.. and not including me) do a good job of it, 80% make a decision about the President and let the rest of the ballot go to knee-jerk chance. The remaining 10% or more should be in rehab (but they "won't Go. Go. Go."), not in a voting booth.

We get evangelistic about encouraging Americans to exercise their right to vote but when it comes to educating them we are all like..."well, I will take a pass on that one".  Want to know why our legislators are a mass of pork-barrel, "cook me another proverbial waffle", even criminal types? (Example:  Alaska's Stevens, a criminal one day and a viable candidate the next.  Huh???)  Its all because we put them there and let them stay without holding them accountable that's why.  It's my fault and it's your fault so lets cross our fingers together on this election and hope we made all the right mistakes on the ballots.

I'm TomC and I approve this rant.