Glad election is almost over

I am really looking forward to the upcoming holiday. No, not Thanksgiving or even Christmas. I will be eternally grateful when election day arrives tomorrow. I am absolutely sick of the trash that appears in my mailbox every day and the recorded telephone calls from political candidates. I am tired of television commercials that claim not to stoop to the opponent’s level then end up going even lower.

I doubt if it would do any good but I really would like to know why I should vote for you and not why I should vote against the other guy. Tell me why you want the job. Tell me your qualifications and why you are the best choice. Show me that you have strong ethics, are reasonably intelligent and are willing to listen to reason. Explain the reasoning behind your unpopular decisions. Then maybe I will vote for you.

I realize that mud slinging has been a part of the election process from the beginning but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. I refuse to vote for anyone who constantly downgrades other people. One candidate this year lost my vote for that very reason.

Why is it important for me to know what someone did in their youth but not important to know what they have done for the last few years? Why should I care where they graduated from high school, who they are married to or how many children they have? What does that have to do with how well they will do their jobs?

When I see all the literature that ends up in the recycling bin it makes me think. I think of all the time and effort that went into creating the mess that overflows the mailbox. I consider all the resources that are wasted and will end up in the landfill. I wonder if perhaps the money could have been better spent to correct society’s ills.

I know that will never happen. The way we elect people in this country takes a lot of time and money. It costs a lot to get your name out to the people. It takes time to inform voters that they should elect you and not the other guy.

In spite of all the rhetoric and the rock stars urging us to vote, there are thousands of people who won’t bother to find their polling place and figure out the new machines. They either don’t care which rich man gets elected or figure that their vote doesn’t count. The last presidential election should have dispelled the notion that one vote doesn’t matter but it is very difficult to change a belief.

Back to the new machines … This business of computerizing the process scares me. Many voters are older and at least some of them consider computers to be unreliable. As my work involves interacting with a computer all day I am well aware that the machines are evil and prone to producing strange results at random intervals. Hanging chads are no match for a cranky computer.

The process is further compounded by workers who can never find our names. Most of them seem to be convinced that Dolecki begins with any letter except “D” and when they finally find it are bound to ask, “Are you Diana?”

I know they are required to ask but, really, we are the only Dolecki’s in this area. It is one of those inane things that drives me crazy. I always stifle the urge to reply, “No, I’m Thomas.” But I’m afraid they won’t let me vote if I do that so I grit my teeth and say, “Yes.”

Just a few more hours and it will all be over until next time. The next set of legislators will take office, full of enthusiasm and relief that they didn’t waste their time and money seeking to speak for all of us. Just a few more hours and I can go back to filling the recycling bin with discarded cereal boxes and unwanted Christmas catalogs. Just a few more hours and the negative campaigning will be over for another year or so.[[In-content Ad]]