Unfortunately, nothing exciting happened at my polling place, except for Punkinhead running out and me having to lose my place in line to go get her. Oh, and she had to go to the bathroom. Twice. Yeah, I waited about an hour. I knew about ten people there (after all, they're all in my neighborhood) so we chatted. It was all good.
Didn't have to wait as long as many folks. Some places in this great nation of ours folks spent the night outside their polling places waiting for doors to open. That's some serious fuckin' patriotism, but it seems there might be a better way. I know that work by law has to give you time off to go vote; apparently in my neighborhood several folks took advantage of this by going to vote well after 10. Makes sense. They could get to work and say,
"Good GOD, the lines were horrific! I waited for two hours!"
"Good for you for waiting, though."
"Yeah," sigh, "Rock the vote, man."
I do so love the congratulatory tone everyone uses about voting.
"Did you vote? Good for you!"
And then there's the sympathetic, yet guilt-trip laying patriot:
"Ohmygod you had to spend an HOUR in line??! I know, I had soooo much to do today too! But, you know, it's our duty."
As if we aren't ridiculously fortunate to have the priveledge. I mean, no one I know likes Bush or Kerry all that much, as far as I can determine, but it's not like either one is some third world dictator with fifty wives, ten mansions, and drug lords on the payroll presidiing over a nation full of starving children and limited satelite tv service.
The only thing I would change about the Presidential election and subsequent term is that the guy who wins gets to be President, and they have to take on the runner-up as their VP. Can you see Bush and Kerry together, or Kerry president and Bush stepping down into #2 spot. Now that would give them what they deserve if they trash each other during the campaigns, and it would make for lots of good fights. CNN would be happy. And everyone knows that if CNN is happy, we all are happy.
As for the poll volunteers: talk about your basic thankless job. I forgot to say thanks as I left. Of course Punkinhead had been rolling around on the floor kicking the booth behind me, so maybe just leaving was thanks enough.
She sure was disappointed though. She thought for sure we were going boating today.
2 comments:
I think the looser should be the bieatch of the winner. This would incent more competition and weed out the rif-raf and we'd have a real race with real incentive. ;-)
I like it, I like it...
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