Voting in District 23: A Walk-through

On the way to the polls this morning, you wouldn't know that we are on the cusp of an "historic" election that will "change" our "vision" of the "future".

The sun was shining. It was warmer than I thought it would be at this time of the year. People were just coming out of their apartments heading to work or the park or the grocery store or, like me, to the polls.

Everything was casual. No one was rushing around to try and get in on the "most important election in our nation's history" (How many times have you heard that one?). The local football team was even out doing laps and running contact drills. All is normal.

Well, until I got into the polling station. There were PEOPLE in there! Past elections, I've been the only one to walk in, chat with the little old ladies, smile my non-threatening smile, vote and wave goodbye. Now I had to wait. In a line. With other people. Madness!

So, this gave me a great opportunity to do what I do for a living. Observe and write. What did I observe? Well, the twenty or so people in line ran the gamut of demographics. Old, young, black, white, male, female. This is a true microcosm of America. The one thing that struck me, was no was really talking. You get a group of people together in a small room, all from the same neighborhood and you're bound to have a little banter. Granted, there were a couple of waves from one person to another, a smile here, a "how ya doin'?" there, but no one was really TALKING.

I guess I expected to hear, oh, I don't know, "blah, blah, blah McCain" or "Obama, blah, blah, blah". Nope. Not a thing. I kind of find that interesting considering the "historic" nature of this election. There was really no BUZZ. Maybe it was out of courtesy or shyness or based on one person who had no idea how to work the machines, ignorance. Who knows? Oh well.

Actually, the highlight of my time in line, was watching a Poll Challenger. He was a young guy with those hip thick-rimmed glasses, dark blazer and open collar shirt. I don't know if he was trying to look intimidating or he was just bored, but he just stood there and when a voter gave his or her name, he looked on his list to confirm they are actual voters (and one of his party or the other) then returned to staring off into space. I felt like that naturalist from the Geico commercials.

The line moved along, I went into the voting booth, pressed the necessary buttons and left. Thirteen minutes, in and out. Not bad.

Now, we wait to see how historic this election truly will be.

Almost forgot: Steelers 23, Redskins 6. One upset down, one to go.

Upsets

Here we are. A few hours from Monday Night Football and a day before we elect the next President of the United States. I'm hoping for two upsets.

The Washington Redskins welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to Maryland (shouldn't it be the Maryland Redskins?) for an important game that could ultimately decide division winners, playoff berths and successful seasons.

The Steelers got caught napping last week against the Giants and came up short. The Redskins have a quarterback who hasn't thrown an interception all year. That will change tonight. The Steelers defense is tops in the league and I see them shutting down the run in order to force Jason Campbell to throw the ball more. More throws, more chances for interceptions; more interceptions = victory (see Giants v. Steelers last week).

That is upset Number One. Upset Number Two is a little more important than a football game. My "hope" is that Senator John McCain and his campaign have done something, ANYTHING to secure enough votes to win. Am I a huge McCain fan? Not in the slightest. Is Sarah Palin the next Ronald Reagan? No.

I am however, a huge fan of freedom, liberty and the fundamental belief that I know what is best for me and my future. The government is the antithesis of that. They have consistently ruined lives, businesses and futures through "well-meaning" programs that cost billions and do nothing.

Barack Obama is one of the strongest advocates for the government-first option and he honestly scares me. I want to be able to recognize the country in four years and not mistake it for Stalin's Russia, Castro's Cuba or Chavez' Venezuela. Harsh? Not in the least.

Waves of changes have swept over many countries around the world. Some are to sweep a dictator out of power; others are just efforts to get rid of an unpopular leader. This "wave" is so much different, because it's based on thin air.

What "change" are we looking for? People say they're sick of President Bush. Ok. It's been eight years and most two term Presidents tend to wear on people. But HIS policies haven't done near the damage as those of the Congress.

Housing Crisis? Congressional Democrats in bed with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
High fuel prices? Congressional Democrats won't allow drilling
Osama Bin Laden? Bill Clinton didn't get him when Bin Laden was in Sudan
Mistrust of Government? I'll give you this, both are at fault for sure

So, what "change" are we talking about? Unfortunately we may get a big mouthful of change that we weren't banking on.

Good luck Steelers and America!

Two More Weeks

Two more weeks until we elect a new President. Ho hum.

I don't know if it's the length of the campaign or the candidates, but I can't wait until this is over. Either candidate is saying they are going to save us from ourselves, but I just can't take it anymore.

I used to love watching the horse race and all of the ads on TV, but now every time I see McCain or Obama I cringe.

"McCain is going to destroy America!"

"Obama is a socialist!"

Enough already!

The people who think that either man is going to suddenly swoop down the day after the election and make their lives easier are at best fooling themselves and at worst displaying a mind-numbing level of naivete.

The stock market will still go up and down, Al Qaida will still want to kill us and Hollywood will still pump out rehashed movies that don't make any sense. So what's the point in getting yourself all riled up?