Monday, November 06, 2006
VOTE!
I think every American who does not vote tomorrow ought to have to live five years under a dictator. I'm sure when they return they will never miss an election ever again. The biggest shame of our country is the exceedingly low turnout at the polls.
Obviously, I'm rooting for the Democrats, but more specifically lefty Democrats. Progressive Democrats. I was pleased to be able to vote for a higher minimum wage in Ohio. We need it on a federal level. We need a health care system that is not wildly askew, as ours is now. Heck, we need an economy that is not wildly askew, as ours is now. There is no way a Republican run government is going to fix the economy, and return the notion that America is a land of opportunity for all, not just for the rich to get richer and the poor to get two jobs, or three. Democrats probably won't have the spine to fix it either. We need a serious socialist party to at least move the discourse further left.
I saw a cartoon the other day which really hit home. Bush was standing in line at a retail store, complaining that people weren't happy that the economy added 92,000 jobs last month. The woman behind the counter says, "That's cause we have to get two of them, just to make ends meet."
And that's a sad fact for many people in this country. One job won't support a family. Heck, a lot of jobs won't even support an individual.
Yep, a lot of change is needed. Repeal the torture bill, let the executive branch know it can't willy nilly spy on the whole American populace and get away with it, a resounding NO to indefinate detention without charge, trial, or even access to the "evidence" against you.
Get America back on track. Back to the values I learned were American as a kid. Values I believe most Americans still hold to, even if the government isn't acting that way.
Politics ¶ 9:32 PM
Obviously, I'm rooting for the Democrats, but more specifically lefty Democrats. Progressive Democrats. I was pleased to be able to vote for a higher minimum wage in Ohio. We need it on a federal level. We need a health care system that is not wildly askew, as ours is now. Heck, we need an economy that is not wildly askew, as ours is now. There is no way a Republican run government is going to fix the economy, and return the notion that America is a land of opportunity for all, not just for the rich to get richer and the poor to get two jobs, or three. Democrats probably won't have the spine to fix it either. We need a serious socialist party to at least move the discourse further left.
I saw a cartoon the other day which really hit home. Bush was standing in line at a retail store, complaining that people weren't happy that the economy added 92,000 jobs last month. The woman behind the counter says, "That's cause we have to get two of them, just to make ends meet."
And that's a sad fact for many people in this country. One job won't support a family. Heck, a lot of jobs won't even support an individual.
Yep, a lot of change is needed. Repeal the torture bill, let the executive branch know it can't willy nilly spy on the whole American populace and get away with it, a resounding NO to indefinate detention without charge, trial, or even access to the "evidence" against you.
Get America back on track. Back to the values I learned were American as a kid. Values I believe most Americans still hold to, even if the government isn't acting that way.
Politics ¶ 9:32 PM
Comments:
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I blogged on this yesterday, but sometimes, the state gov makes it such a pain in the ass to vote.
Even though I changed me license, I am still registered to vote in my old precinct, we are not allowed to go another voting place. Last time I voted at my old precinct, they almost turned me away.
And then, when I tried to find the forms online at in.gov, its such a maze and I couldn't find anything.
so, total pain the ass.
Even though I changed me license, I am still registered to vote in my old precinct, we are not allowed to go another voting place. Last time I voted at my old precinct, they almost turned me away.
And then, when I tried to find the forms online at in.gov, its such a maze and I couldn't find anything.
so, total pain the ass.
# posted by 
: 10:39 AM
: 10:39 AM
Yeah, it can be a bit difficult. I had to get a replacement social security card in order to get my driver's license which I needed to registe. Plus I had to take a written driving rules test which only certain BMV's could administer and no one seemed to know which ones. Ended up going to four different branches.
Fortunately, I was able to register to vote at the license branch, so that at least was easy. A lot of states have moved to that, because trying to find anything on their .gov systems can be a pain in the patootie, and the election board office may not be easy for everyone to get to.
Also, the rule in the district where I worked the polls was that anyone who had proof they lived in our precint (utility bill, bank statment, paycheck stub, etc) was to vote. If they weren't on the voter lists, they voted provisional and had to contact the election board, (we had voter registration cards for them to take home with them and mail in), but they got to vote. So it isn't as hard as it might seem.
And let me guarantee you, a year in Communist China back in the 80s and even that rigamarole would have seemed like a piece of cake. Not to mention that it certainly impressed upon you the value of being able to do it, even if it wasn't as easy as it might be.
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Fortunately, I was able to register to vote at the license branch, so that at least was easy. A lot of states have moved to that, because trying to find anything on their .gov systems can be a pain in the patootie, and the election board office may not be easy for everyone to get to.
Also, the rule in the district where I worked the polls was that anyone who had proof they lived in our precint (utility bill, bank statment, paycheck stub, etc) was to vote. If they weren't on the voter lists, they voted provisional and had to contact the election board, (we had voter registration cards for them to take home with them and mail in), but they got to vote. So it isn't as hard as it might seem.
And let me guarantee you, a year in Communist China back in the 80s and even that rigamarole would have seemed like a piece of cake. Not to mention that it certainly impressed upon you the value of being able to do it, even if it wasn't as easy as it might be.
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