My grandfather was a Democrat. My father was a Republican. Having never thought much about it one way or another, I registered as a Republican and cast my first vote in any Presidential election for Richard M. Nixon in 1968. A guy needed to be 21 to vote back then, and I missed the '64 elections by a little bit. About the only thing to learn from this is a guy in his twenties is not yet smart enough to vote. That, I guess, makes it alright to let teenagers vote too. Might as well enfranchise eight years olds. They couldn't do much more harm than I did at the ripe old age of twenty-three.
So, yeah, this whole mess is all my fault. Had I not voted for him, Hubert Humphrey would have won, we would still be on the gold standard, and solar power would account for more than half of the electricity generated in this country. No one would know the meaning of "Rat-Fink", Karl Rove (That's right - George Bush II's Karl was involved back in the Watergate years - we just can't seem to rid ourselves of roaches.) would not have seen the national spotlight for at least a while longer, and the office of the Presidency would not have been so tarnished in these modern times.
My one vote, back in 1968, sent us on this bad trip, and I wish I could take it back. A bunch of us do. But, for the last twenty years I've tried to make up for that one vote, cast at a particularly brainless time in my life. I have voted only for third party candidates in national elections since 1992. Had I done that in '68, Pat Paulson would have gotten my vote and the world would be more like the Coke commercial.
I worked hard to get Ross Perot on the ballot and then voted for him even after realizing he was a bit more than flaky. How is it guys like him get to be billionaires? My vote has gone to Ralph Nader several times, and I almost voted for Barr in the last election. But, when I found myself gagging over the thought of any of the choices in 2008, I skipped the election. It's the only one I've ever missed, and that's a real sorry state of affairs. The best vote the last time around would have involved pulling my pants down in the middle of Wall Street and taking a large dump on the stairs in front of the NY stock exchange. But, fat people should never pull their pants down in public. It's disgusting.
It's starting to look like that just may again be the best vote in the coming election. But, November 2012 is a long, long time from now and there may be one or two surprises between now and then. Yogi, or maybe Niels Bohr, said something along the lines of "It's hard to make predictions, especially about the future." and I agree. Anyone who attempts to do so tempts fate, and runs the risk of making a fool of himself. Well, it just so happens that I am not afraid of seeming foolish so I'm gonna go out on a limb.
I Predict: The reality of the 2012 election will have very little to do with the expectations we have of it in May 2011. The likely candidates may not yet be on the scene, one of them may have the title "Colonel", and the outcome may not be constitutional.
This nation, my friends, is completely schizophrenic. If you happen to be laid off or retired and have some time, here's a little experiment you can perform in your own living room to see for yourself.. Watch Fox Business News, with the current weeks reporting on "Makers vs. Takers", for ten or fifteen minutes, and then switch to MSNBC. The news on that network is about varying percentages (from the high 60%'s to the low 80%'s) of folks in various states who are opposed to "reforming Social Security and Medicare." The anchors on that network are asking why the Repubs are dead set on committing suicide while the anchors on Fox are asking why we haven't already killed these "entitlements". The divide between the two positions is monumental, and shows just how ruptured our society is.
We in this house have resolved the issue. There is sufficient food and other items I consider essential to get us through a six month period within easy reach. If needed, a vast store is available within a days travel time.
My family considers me to be a little "touched" most of the time because of my thinking on this subject, so in no way should you act based upon our preparations. It's OK to be a little quirky some of the time, but few folks are ready to be considered a little "off." It so happens that my family is populated with very reasonable, left brained, Fox loving folks. I display some of these traits some of the time, so it's OK with them for me to be quirky. Every family needs someone over whom to shake their heads.
So, if you think an extra ton of rice, beans and sugar belong in your garage, always be ready to be the butt of a joke. And, set aside enough for the family members who live nearby.
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