Shout About It

...or don't

Well, the election season is nearing a close and Obama a commanding lead. This means we can look forward to four years of a different party, different story, and meaningful changes... or at least new challenges for the SNL makeup team. Though it pains me to be a stick in the mud (it doesn't really), I can assure you that America won't change all too much under Obama's watch or anyone else's for that matter. America will continue to depend on foreign energy, spend $5000 per citizen on an inefficient health care system, give another $5000 a pop to the defense department, collect scary volumes of personal information on its own citizens, and accumulate more debt, on the order of, say, $12 trillion, total.

Bear in mind, I've got nothing against Obama. He's the most refreshing candidate since Kennedy. But, as consummate as Obama may be, he's only the president. You see, the president is more like a waiter than a commander in chief. In the back of the kitchen, congressmen, state officials, generals, the cabinet, and business owners are cooking up reality and it is the president's job is to present *reality* to the nation. He's a bit player, and so are we.

Our role in this democracy is to vote, and vote we shall. But it is a tragic irony that so much of our mental effort is focused on the president when he is the weakest link on our ticket. Consider this, 120 million people vote for president. Joining that group is like pissing in the ocean. One vote counts for much more in local and state elections than the presidency. And, local officials make policy that affects life right in your region, schools, roads, and services. Through the power of their influence, local politicians bind the hands of higher positions like, for instance, the president.

Which brings me to my point: If you are going to vote, and you should, parcel a little extra time and caring for the little guy in a local seat. They need you and you need them far more than some celebrity politicians in the White House.

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