Vote, You Damned Fool, Vote!

Well, I went and voted a little while ago. I was really looking forward to it all day at work. After I got done my mom and I hopped into the minivan and drove over to the armory. It was pretty sweet. We here in Portage County still have the paper ballots, so it was kind of like taking the SAT's, but much, much easier. I didn't have any sort of difficult choices like I did during the state representatives primary a couple years ago. No, the choice was fairly clear. I probably could have just voted straight democrat and saved my hand a little bit of exercise, but that wouldn't have allowed me to write in my sister for city coroner. I usually write in my dad, but as my sister is going to school for a health related major, I figured she was more qualified (although by her report, human anatomy is not her strongest subject).

Now the waiting game begins, and I'm quite hopeful that the "tsunami of discontent" as CNN keeps calling it occurs. I've been having hopeful thoughts that somehow, Democrats win many, many more seats than anyone could have possibly guessed. I doubt this will happen, but it would put a hop in my step. Hell, just gaining some control would put a hop in my step. Am I certain that Democrats in power will save this country from its unfortunate direction? No, but I'm sure that they can't hurt anything.

What I'm really nervous about are a couple of very troublesome referendums here in Wisco. One is to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Not only that, but make it the only form of union, thus denying any type of rights to any other sort of relationship. This makes ZT very worried, not because I stand to lose much, but because many people stand to lose much in this, and not just homosexuals who want to enjoy the same rights as us heterosexual folks without commitment fears do, but because it reaches too far. If you don't believe in gay marriage, I suppose that's your perogative, and you can go ahead and make sure your church does not honor such things. But to deny the right of people to share a household and get such things as health insurance or hospital visitation rights is wrong, pure and simple.

The second ballot initiative here in Wisco is to allow the death penelty in our fine state. ZT is very much against the death penelty. I believe that in an uncertain system, we should never deal in the certainty of death. I believe it brutalizes society, and that a society that accepts state sanctioned homicide, even for some of it's most reprehensible citizens, is more willing to accept state sanctioned violence in the future.

Finally, here in the Stevens Point Area School District, we'll be voting on a school referendum to increase the district's budget by $6 million dollars over three years. For the most part, I approve of school referendums, and this one included. I believe a strong and well funded school district will be a boon to the community in which I grew up. Particularly troublesome if the referendum does not pass is the elimination of nearly 100 teacher jobs over the next three years. I believe that having these teacher positions filled is not only good for our schools, but good for the local economy. These are 100 good jobs in the area that will be able to contribute money to the area. Teachers will tend to stay in the area and bring families in. Upon losing their jobs, younger teachers will almost certainly leave the area. I cannot see how this would be good for the Stevens Point Area.

So there you have it, now you know how I voted. I hope you all will go out and contribute to the election. Also, best of luck to my sister on winning that coroner's position. I'm pulling for ya!