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I have a love/hate relationship with politics. I am interested in issues such as the struggles with Iraq, the best ways to have affordable health care, avoiding a social security meltdown, keeping the growth of government in check, legislating from the judiciary bench, marriage, abortion, and more. Reasonable people can have thoughtful discussions about these. But lately, as is common, the debate is now turning towards the sensational, hoping to "scare out the vote" for lack of a better expression. The alleged suppression of votes (esp along racial lines), tax cuts for the rich, stopping social security payments for seniors, re-instating a draft, whatever claim they can make to get people fired up. Two weeks before an election, you can make just about any claim and the opposition has little time to refute it. Many allegations which weren't asserted with any strength during the last several months (especially during the debates) are now trumpeted. Many are the same ones dusted off every four years.

I know it's supposedly undemocratic, but I really don't have a lot of emotion for those who don't vote. Many who don't vote don't know what the positions are. They don't know who said what or what their history has been. Should everyone vote? Ideally yes, it's a privilege. It's no surprise that it's a difficult decision for many, given that there's rarely a "perfect candidate" for your views. I can't remember a year I didn't feel like I should hold my nose in going to the voting booth. But if you haven't looked around until you attended some "Rock the vote" promotion or watched "Oprah", I feel at times like saying "please don't bother". Sometimes I feel like Mallard Fillmore. The mindset often seems to be:

or

I'm glad that there's only two weeks left. I hope that come the following Wednesday we have a uncontested decision and that the electorate can get along with each other without lawsuits and "stolen election" rhetoric.

Overall there's one thing we must be grateful for. Our leaders (democrat or republican) at least make an effort to reach out to us. We could have a government where the highest leaders are there for life and can act without any concern about what we think. Yes, sometimes democracy reeks, but it beats the alternative.