I Voted Mr. President!!!
(VOTE YES AMENDMENT FOUR, FLORIDA!!)
Yup, went up to Orange Blossom Mall and I voted for the first time ever! Ah, it's good to be eighteen.
Of course I was a little wary, because I've heard plenty of tales about the confusion that can happen at the polls. So, while I was in line, I kept asking people what to expect, what's the process and such. And each time, they look at me funny, like 'You don't know?' So, each time I have to say again, 'Well, I just turned 18 and I've never voted before.' I got two types of reactions every time I told them how old I was.
One was: "Oh, you're just a baby!" Granted, yes, most of the people I was standing in line with were in their 40's or up...but seriously, I resent that statement! They seemed awfully concerned about a 'baby' performing their civic duty.
And the other was: "Only just turned 18 and you're already voting? Wonderful!" These people (my allies!) more or less were excited to see a young person being 'responsible.'
Anyway, my mom forced me to go to the store with her in exchange for driving me to the polls. Of course, if I had to suffer, I was taking her down with me.
So I filled the trip down the grocery isles with talk of our fair U.S. of A. ...OK, I was ranting about the indignity of the American populace refusing to take action within their own government, then bitching about the outcome. My mother is included in this, by the by, which I made sure to remind her of. I believe the Census office estimated it to be about 36% of legal adults that aren't even registered to vote. I can't even count how many times I told her to just get a damn registration card, in case she does decide to vote later. (Of course, she never listened.)
Anyway, in the middle of my rant, she stops in front of a shelf of bread and says, "Hmm, I wonder if there's a limit on how many you can buy?"
I stare at the potato bread, then back at my mother, who's ignorant to the fact that I've even stopped talking. "I'm talking about the lack of participation in our very defining democratic process...and you're wondering about a potato bread bargain?"
She stares for a second before shrugging. "It's buy-one-get-one-free."
"...That's why Churchill said the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter."
Anyway, tomorrow is Ki's birth/adoption day (since she was a stray, we don't actually know when she was born). So, I bought her a big, meaty bone and we're going to the park tomorrow afternoon.
She'll have been with me for five years now and, judging from her teeth, she's estimated to be about seven years old.
Yup, went up to Orange Blossom Mall and I voted for the first time ever! Ah, it's good to be eighteen.
Of course I was a little wary, because I've heard plenty of tales about the confusion that can happen at the polls. So, while I was in line, I kept asking people what to expect, what's the process and such. And each time, they look at me funny, like 'You don't know?' So, each time I have to say again, 'Well, I just turned 18 and I've never voted before.' I got two types of reactions every time I told them how old I was.
One was: "Oh, you're just a baby!" Granted, yes, most of the people I was standing in line with were in their 40's or up...but seriously, I resent that statement! They seemed awfully concerned about a 'baby' performing their civic duty.
And the other was: "Only just turned 18 and you're already voting? Wonderful!" These people (my allies!) more or less were excited to see a young person being 'responsible.'
Anyway, my mom forced me to go to the store with her in exchange for driving me to the polls. Of course, if I had to suffer, I was taking her down with me.
So I filled the trip down the grocery isles with talk of our fair U.S. of A. ...OK, I was ranting about the indignity of the American populace refusing to take action within their own government, then bitching about the outcome. My mother is included in this, by the by, which I made sure to remind her of. I believe the Census office estimated it to be about 36% of legal adults that aren't even registered to vote. I can't even count how many times I told her to just get a damn registration card, in case she does decide to vote later. (Of course, she never listened.)
Anyway, in the middle of my rant, she stops in front of a shelf of bread and says, "Hmm, I wonder if there's a limit on how many you can buy?"
I stare at the potato bread, then back at my mother, who's ignorant to the fact that I've even stopped talking. "I'm talking about the lack of participation in our very defining democratic process...and you're wondering about a potato bread bargain?"
She stares for a second before shrugging. "It's buy-one-get-one-free."
"...That's why Churchill said the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter."
Anyway, tomorrow is Ki's birth/adoption day (since she was a stray, we don't actually know when she was born). So, I bought her a big, meaty bone and we're going to the park tomorrow afternoon.
She'll have been with me for five years now and, judging from her teeth, she's estimated to be about seven years old.