Aumaden's Journal: Election Day 2004

Well I went out and did my civic duty. Did you? If you can't get off your ass to vote, don't expect me to listen to yer bitchen when you don't like the results.

Altogether, I'm feeling rather introspective after this morning. Overall, I think ketchup will beat the shrub. It looks like I have some company in that: the FBI apparenlt feels confident enough that shrubby's out that they're actually investigating Haliburton.

Through this election I've come to the realization that I don't fit with any of the parties. I'm a die hard moderate. I think the Republicans pander way too much to the Christian fundamentalists. Or at least they talk that way. The right wingers eat it up too. They run around screaming "the institution of marriage is under attack!" As they sit there, on their 3rd or 4th marriage, watching Desperate Housewives, and anxiously awaiting the premiere of Trading Spouses. The amendment banning gay marriage is a total waste of taxpayers money.

The Democrats aren't much better. I'd love to see them actually talk about what they plan on doing instead of opting for the easy Bush bashing. Healthcare reform sounds nice, but who pays for it? Raising taxes for that top 4% of the nation might produce enough cashflow to slow the financial hemorrhage in DC, but it's not enough to cover the cost of the Mess'O'Potamia (yeah, I do enjoy the Daily Show). Even if we're out of there in under a year, there's still the reconstruction. And there's no way those taxes will pay for all of Kerry's planned expenses.

The whole tax situation is such a boondoggle anyway. Sure, I got a cut on my Federal taxes. The Feds then cut funding to the state. Hmm, how does the state make up the difference? They cut educational funding. How do the schools make up the difference? By raising my property taxes 12.5%. My state recently ok'd slot machines as a state revenue source. The local republican candidate wants to use that money to lower property taxes (the revenue is earmarked for education). The local democrat sees it as an additional source of income and has already figured out how to spend it all.

I will be so glad when the political ads stop. I have TiVo and just the little I see them is enough to be annoying. I don't think I could stand it without TiVo. They're all hideous distortions of the truth anyway. One local ad accuses a candidate of "defending criminals including drug dealers". Hello? He worked for years in the public defender's office! That was his job! You can't be a PD and choose whom you will help.

I'm rappidly coming to the conclusion that the best chance we have is to keep the various legislatures as close to deadlocked as possible. I don't think Republican dominated legislative and executive branches have exactly done a stellar job over the last few years. However, I can't say that giving all that control to the Democrats would be any better. As long as neither side dominates, there will be compromises. When one side gets the upper hand, that's when things like the Patriot Act gets ramrodded through.

So, I've voted a mix of Republicans and Democrats. My very partisan friends will no doubt be horrified that I didn't support this person or that. But at least I feel that I've done my part to try to bring some sense of balance to this madness we call the US government.

Thanks for letting me vent. Hopefully this nightmareish election year will end tonight and not be as Comedy Central advertised tonight's Daily Show: Indecision 2004 Line - Prelude to a Recount.