Cast ballot, choose, determine, elect, enfranchise, establish, opt
I hope everyone who could vote did vote today. I could not, as I am not registered with any party. I do hope that the Democrats can get their act together and actually do something that will culminate in a presidential victory in 2008, but more than that I wish that the term “third party” would go the way of the dodo. It’s demeaning to think that a democratic country could exclude people who want to be in politics and try to make a difference. The two major parties are subsets of the same corporate faction. Call me extreme, but I must say my piece.
But that’s not what I came here to talk about, bitch. (Can’t end a sentence with a preposition!) Today saw the last of the volunteers standing around trying to get you to vote for their candidate, at least for the time being. Between them and the AMNewYork and Metro hawkers (competing free daily newspapers) it’s like running through a gauntlet just to get to the train in the morning. Each year I see these people, and I see commuters take the pamphlets being given to them, and I see the pamphlets that didn’t quite make it to the trash can on the way to the train. Nobody looks at these things. They’re there only to make the candidate’s name known.
As I was walking to my train, I realized that I had to say something, even though it wouldn’t do much of anything. I turned around (after walking down the entire stairway - far be it from me to be rude and turn around in the middle of a flood of people!) and went up to a volunteer. I asked him whether his candidate would make sure that the pamplets that were trashed would be picked up. Of course his answer was “Sure!” and he wasn’t listening to a word I was saying, but I felt a little better about having said something.
Now I know what you’re saying. How come people take the pamphlets only to drop them on the ground when there’s a trashcan 10 feet away? I ask the same question. However, it’s easier to talk to a few candidates (or their volunteers) than to talk to thousands of people on their way down to catch a train to get to a job they don’t want to do, etc.
Possible solutions? Ban political leafleting (given, with caveats, by Damek.) But (here’s the caveat) what about the first amendment? It would be difficult to ban this way of getting your name out. On the other hand, I never see anyone actually reading these pamphlets, but I do see people take a second to look at the posters all over the place. That’s where I get most of my name recognition. Now if the candidates would just get rid of these after primary day, life would be better. (NYC residents, get a marker and write on any poster you see tomorrow evening “Primary’s over - Take your stuff down!”)
Other solutions? Get the candidates to pick up the trash to which they contributed, one way or another. The MTA trashmen are already underpaid, they don’t need this on top their regular jobs. Of course, that would mean that fewer volunteers would volunteer if they knew they would have to pick up after lazy New Yorkers. But they spend hours day after day handing these things out, why not spend 20 minutes twice a week cleaning up the station where they were? Think of it as an “extra effort” you can put on your political resume.
One more! I’m aware of one candidate because she actually went out to meet people in the street. I saw her over the course of a few weekends around the neighborhood talking to a lot of people. This is only feasible if you’re not an incumbent and don’t have a job to do over the weekend, but it works. Another candidate had his volunteers register people to vote a couple of months ago. He would also be around every once in a while. This is an excellent way to get people involved. In fact, I think this is the best way to get your name out. Let people see who you are, and they’ll remember you more.
9/4/2005
My Hurricane Post
I am giving you fair warning. This post is a ramble, and may not make much sense at times. I have so many ideas swimming in my head that I can’t really put them in a coherent linear format. You have been warned…
Actually, my Hurricane Katrina post has already been done by none other than Damek, so look at his post. Nothing could have stopped this hurricane, but how come FEMA hasn’t been able to adequately provide help for the survivors? How come all I see up here is the same sensational media with the heartbreaking stories that quite frankly turn me off? And how come the same stories keep popping up day after day?
So many people are trying to get as much gasoline as they can before the prices go up astronomically. But you have passenger cars who are just topping up almost full tanks while big trucks that deliver food and supplies have to wait in huge lines for gas that might not even be there once they get to the pump. President Bush says that Americans should “be prudent” in their gas purchases. But America in general hasn’t been prudent for the last 5 years, so how do you expect us to do so now?
Along those lines, if America had been working on wind and solar energy like we should have been over the last 10 years, there wouldn’t be as much energy damage as there is now. I’m not saying that we can rely solely on this alternative energy - our country is to vast to have it be a practical solution for our present energy consumption - but think of what could happen if we had 10-15% of our energy coming from these sources. Our houses would be cheaper to heat and cool. Some of this technology may apply to our transportation worries. I just want to live in a place where I could drive a car that didn’t completely fuck up the air that I breathe and where I wouldn’t have to be paying through the nose every month, even with the conservation techniques we use at home, for living somewhat comfortably. But then I digress. We’re talking about a natural disaster.
I’m hoping that the government, that America in general, can get their act together and start thinking for the greater good. Those people in their passenger cars at the gas pump are thinking that if they have a couple more ounces of gasoline that they will be safe, forget the others who might need it more. The government has sent all our good civil servants - police, firefighters, etc. - to war as reserve fighters instead of keeping some important people here at home. (Tangent, an ad campaign for the armed forces shows people who are skilled workers in America and who are also part of the armed forces. Some ads would show empty rooms. This is supposed to make me want to join the Army? This makes me sad that these good people who care about our society aren’t here for us, especially now that we need them.) A disaster has happened and it seems that no one cares. I don’t know, maybe there’s a huge plan that will save us all but we have to wait a few more days while the government gets it ready. I hope so.
If you want to do your part, but haven’t gotten around to it, there are obviously still places to help. If you live anywhere near Katrina’s path but were unscathed and have extra room, please look into giving a space for people who are now homeless. This is a good place to start. For those of us who live too far away and/or who don’t have room for another person, the Network For Good is a warehouse of donation sites, and it also gives you info on how to choose a charity. There are many other sites you can go to; these are only a couple. Please do something, since it doesn’t seem like we can rely on our “elected officials” to do anything but finish their vacations.