Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I Voted!



This year, I officially put down roots and declared myself a resident of Massachusetts. I voted for president and for a myriad of public officials, all democrats running with no opposition.

I must say, it's kind of funny with all of the two past years of election hoopla that the piece of paper that makes it all happen is plain, unadorned, and you have to actually look where you're filling in the bubbles...it's not like there's a big red elephant next to McCain/Palin, or a blue ray of hope next to Obama/Biden. It's just black and white text. Pretty powerful, when you think about it.

In addition, I voted on three propositions:

-eliminate personal taxes (aka a whopping tax cut) - no. Education, energy reform, and America's infrastructure need this money.

-transition marijuana possession under 1 ounce to a fine-based offense (about $200) - yes. This reform also includes much harsher penalties without jail time for juvenile offenders: they have to both pay the fine and do community service (with their parent's knowledge - parents are informed of all offenses). At the end of the day, I believe that police should be focusing on larger crimes, not marijuana. The jury is out for me on whether marijuana should be legal or not (yes, it is bad for you), but regardless...police officers, your help is needed elsewhere.

-make greyhound racing illegal - yes. This is a practice that just needs to stop. It is inhumane. Plain and simple.

So yes - my final thought of the day is GO VOTE! You have the right. Use it.

No comments: