I vote for...you!

I love the movie, Dave, and this is my favorite scene. Here is a normal guy they picked off the street to put on just the facade of the President, and here he is, shattering the status quo. I love the deer-in-the-headlights look on everyone's faces when he announces that they'll be working on the budget. I imagine that, if I ever ran for political office, that's exactly what I'd do. Break the steel "but that's how we've always done it" mold.

Tonight will wrap up yet another Election Day. As a listener/reader of various media, I can’t wait for the bombardment of campaign ads and propaganda to end. From my boyfriend’s perspective (as a U.S. Mail Carrier), today can’t be over with soon enough. I don’t know what other folks’ attitudes are, but please feel free to share. I’d probably identify with you on several levels!

I have a very difficult time voting for candidates. I see all the pretty lights, hear all the bells and whistles, but to tell the truth, I don’t really know these people running for office. I don’t "know" for a fact that they have mine or my community’s best interests at heart, even if they have been in office for years and years. I don’t "know" that they haven't been or won’t get corralled, cornered and broken by the status quo once they take or resume office. I don’t know if they will make or break their promises. I find it more practical to vote on the issues, but even with all the research, reading and studying...I readily admit that there is so much I don’t know. There are many who feel that their one vote might initiate change, but in all reality, once our votes are cast, we all know that there will be a period of celebration or grumbling that follows, like the lucky winner of a lottery ticket...then it will be back to work, back to school, back to life as usual.

For me these days, Election Day hasn't been a time where I see the beginning of any sort of "change". It's like Thanksgiving, where family and friends get together for a huge dinner and a football game, then the whole concept of being a "family" is forgotten about for the rest of the year. Like Christmas Day, when the floor is strewn with toys and gift wrap, and then the "spirit" of giving is forgotten about for the rest of the year. Like Valentine's Day, when the flower bouquets die, the chocolates have been eaten, and love and being loved is forgotten about for the rest of the year. Like a Veteran's Day parade, when crowds come out for a parade, giving respect and honoring the sacrifices of our Veterans. And then they are...

Ah, change. How many Election Days have come and gone, with very little progress made on any number of issues set before the thrones of power (read Amador's "Game of Thrones")? Citizens who put in hours and hours of time, research, study...sharing presentations, proposals, arguments in a limited amount of time before the powers that be? Groups and organizations struggling with budgets, holding as many fundraisers and donation drives as they can just to survive? Small businesses offering whatever they can to their customers and communities? At least with a Thanksgiving dinner, you know your money went into food - turkey, taters, gravy, stuffing, pumpkin pie, etc., maybe a few table decorations. At least with Christmas, you know that your money went into gifts, a Christmas tree, maybe a few hundred outside lights. At least with Valentine's Day, you know your money went into perhaps flowers, jewelry, chocolates, a nice bottle of wine, a romantic dinner. There are so many fundraising events in Amador County where the community comes together, and you know your money (or at least a good portion of it) is going to good causes.

But U.S. Citizens are expected to vote on issues and candidates they know nothing about.

Has “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” been better because of our votes in the last 200 years? The last 20? The last two? What has changed? Personally, I don't believe in change being brought about by politics or government. I don't see changes being made by any one candidate or party...because what I do see is the homeless still homeless, the jobless still jobless, junkies still junkies, criminals still criminals, our elderly still forgotten/neglected, our children and grand-children at the mercy of what the ignorant define as a "good education". There's still pollution in the air and water, there's still violence in our neighborhoods, there's still prejudice and no acceptance of religion, race, color, class, gender or creed. Corporate media still makes bank on fear and ignorance. Change? We might have better luck with it at a slot machine at the nearest casino.

Make no mistake, victory or defeat, your vote isn't about who will win or lose. It's about money, and where/how it will be spent, and who will spend it for you. After all, you can't vote for the CEO of a bank, or a Chinese delegate. So, in my opinion, the seats of power are not won on Election Day. Unfortunately, the real seats of power are ones that are often empty and gather dust at city council meetings, at Board of Supervisor meetings, at community meetings...the seats where "we, the people" should be sitting. It's one thing to say that you voted, that you did your duty as a voting U.S. Citizen...it's an entirely different thing to actively be one for the next two/four years.

So personally, I vote for you. What is it you believe in? What do you stand for? If you think your vote doesn't count, then make yourself count, well after the ballots have been counted and the Election Day balloons have lost their lofty heights. Be present and accounted for in your community, not just on Election Day, but every day. Feed the hungry, help the homeless, provide jobs for the jobless. Pick up trash. Be a tutor. Volunteer. Donate to an organization or cause you believe in. If you don't like the way things are, head up a committee, a protest or march. Let your voice be heard. Many of you already do these things. But Amador County has well over 30,000...

Now, wouldn't that be a great voter turnout, 364 days a year?

"The Census Bureau does a survey of non-voters, and the biggest reason people don't vote has nothing to do with procedural issues...it's because they are not interested in politics, and they don't think their vote will make a difference, and they don't think that the candidates will really do anything for them." - Hans von Spakovsky, Manager of the Heritage Foundation's Election Reform Initiative