I Voted

Its true. Today I exercised my right to choose an representative for me in our republican (the political philosophy, not the political party) government. I also voted for for some ballot initiatives, which means that I also acted as a democrat (the political philosophy, not the political party). Voting always makes me feel good. I suppose that in some respects I take seriously the right we have that not everyone has. Our system is certainly not perfect, but it works and it sets the example for many other young republics/democracies. I know that a lot of my peers take this for granted. They don't see the importance, probably because they don't see the results of their one vote. In their little world, they are largely correct. But I believe that if they study history they should be able to see the significance, both historically and practically.

Anyways, my votes: I arrived at the the fire station, turned bastion of democratic (the political philosophy, not the political party) ideals, and discovered that I told the state of California that I was an Independent, which makes me a "non-partisan". It feels largely good to be a "non-partisan" in this polarized, partisan world. But the philosophical arrogance I felt upon this realization was stifled once I realized the practical importance: since I wasn't a registered Republican (the political party, not the political philosophy), I couldn't vote for my candidate of choice, John McCain. This was a little frustrating, because in a "blue state", the only time my vote matters when I vote in national elections as a Republican is during the primary. Even more so in this contentious Super Tuesday. Oh well. So today, for actually the second straight national primary I voted as a Democrat (the political party, not the political philosophy).

I quickly went to the initiatives and propositions, voting no, no, no, yes, yes, yes, yes, no, no. Basically only yes to the indian gaming initiatives, which would make my Uncle Gene happy I suppose. Then I went back to the vote for the presidential candidate of my choice and I thought for a while. My wife and I talked about this for a bit this morning, discussing who we'd choose between Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama. She would choose Clinton, I was unsure, and was still so when face with the decision. I finally decided that if I were voting for a Democratic (the political party, not the political philosophy) candidate then I would be voting for change. And I believe the Obama would be a more efficient agent of change than Clinton. Plus his message of hope and unity is appealing and I'd be willing to give him a shot if I had to. So I cast my vote today for Barak Obama to be the Democratic (the political party, not the political philosophy) candidate for President of the United States.

To my left: My wife and dog taking a nap together on the couch.
To my right: A pillow and the remote control to the tv