Civic Duty Update

Today was Election Day in most parts of the US, and while there aren't any big national races going on, there were a number of local contests-- town boards, county legislatures, state judges, and so on. I stopped by the local elementary school on my way home, and did my bit for representative democracy, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank George W. Bush.

Thanks to our intrepid President, it took me about six seconds to vote. I was in the booth for a little longer than that, just to look at the cross-listings of candidates (most of the candidates on the ballot were endorsed by more than one party, which I understand is a quirk of New York's system), but flipping the actual levers took almost no time, for one simple reason:

As long as the current leadership of the Republican party holds power, I will not vote for a Republican candidate for any office at any level.

It's kind of nice, really. I don't need to read up on the issues, or watch campaign ads, or even look at the mailings I get from the local parties. Come election day, I'm voting for Democrats across the board, because I will not do anything to support the political ambitions of crazy people.

If they ever get around to cleaning house, and starting to act like a sane and responsible political party fit to hold power in a civil society, I may have to start paying attention again. For the forseeable future, though, my time is better spent talking to the dog.