Voting. It's not complicated.

Brought to you by an Austrian girl who told me how she just voted. From China. Where she had to spend money to do it because she has to send her ballot through international mail. Also brought to you by a moron who...I'll get to that in a minute.

American apathy about voting is driving me increasingly insane. Oh, we sure care who gets elected after the election, but less than 50% could give a damn until then. I wish we had a law that people who don't vote, aren't allowed to bitch. That might actually get some kind of response. Or perhaps I could institute a new solicitation method: "Go to the polls or I punch you in the face. No, I don't care who you vote for. That's your business." Anybody for that? We could start a whole new political party: Face-punchers. Our entire platform would be "Vote, bitch! Or else!"

This is what really set me off, though: a fellow American actually said to me the other day, "Elections are coming up. I'm glad Bush'll be out of office after this fall."

Well. At least he was aware there are elections this year, which is more than I can say for some people. But.

o.O. Dude. No. Presidential election is every four years. This year is Congressional midterms and gubernatorial elections. We vote for state governors and Senators and Representatives.

But you know what? Those are IMPORTANT. I know everyone likes to focus on the Big Man, but it's true that we actually have other branches of government than Executive. And some of that crap people like to blame on Bush? Is actually the doing of Congress. Currently Republican-controlled, yes, I know, but that's not the point. The point is that they do stuff over there in the Capitol Building. Yes, it's true. Voting for Congressmen actually makes a difference. Voting for your state's Governor? Probably makes more of a difference in your individual and community quality of life than voting for federal officials does. Besides, lately the Governors have actually been getting off their asses and setting collaborative national policies. Hark back to the ancient days of our republic, 100 years ago, when Governors mostly ran things.

November 7, people. Mark it on your calendar.

Not that anyone who actually needs to read this probably will. I have intelligent friends. You guys aren't the problem. I just want to print this out and go staple it to peoples' faces as they pass by me on the street. That's the frustration talking, I won't do that because I'd get arrested (though I will bet you the cops'd be sympathetic), but I would really like to! I'd sanitize the staples first. They'd barely even wound anyone!