I Voted - 11/4/08

I just returned from voting. I always get a good feeling from exercising my right to participate in the governing of my country. Every time I walk through the VA hospital, it renews my belief that, for me, voting is not just a right, but a responsibility. Many have died or lost body parts protecting the freedoms that we often take for granted. The least I can do is take an hour or so to honor their sacrifice.


I know our system is flawed. It is disappointing to me that the two party system seldom offers me a candidate that I can get behind and I usually end up not voting for someone, rather against the John Kerry's of the world. That is definitely the case today. Neither party has provided a person that gives America much hope of solving any of our many problems. Actually, I don't believe any president can have much affect. But I will continue to vote anyway.

I met a woman in line that is voting for the first time in her life at 48 years old. Listening to her talk convinced me that she is voting because her television told her to. It probably even told her who to vote for. I also saw several homeless people herded in to vote. Because they had no residence and probably no identification, they had to cast a paper ballot. I am certain the election will be settled long before these manual votes are tallied. Chic-fil-A was giving free sandwiches to all voters and a local church was giving donuts and coffee, so it was a good day for the homeless and me. Those perks were in addition to whatever the party that collected the strays offered them to cast a ballot as instructed.

The beauty of the one person, one vote, system is that whether a homeless person or a billionaire, for the few minutes it takes to vote, all are equal. I take great pleasure in knowing that my vote canceled out Oprahs.