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Friday, June 09, 2006
Citizen Fantasy Camp

I voted this week. There were primaries to determine the matchups for the fall midterm elections, and some ballot measures, and various other races. Turnout around here ran about twenty-eight percent, which is pretty sad, but to be fair, we've been having elections here every fifteen or twenty minutes since 2002. Election fatigue sounds like a joke, but I think there is a case to be made for its validity.

Today was also Tom DeLay's last day of work as a Congressman, and I am happy to see him go. He's a corrupt, morally bankrupt individual, and those who know me best understand that these qualities, in and of themselves, don't really bother me very much. The offensive part is that he claims to revere God, and Jesus, and believes that no matter what he does, it must be correct. That's the line for me. Be a crook, just don't pretend that you aren't.

Assuming DeLay is not convicted of taking illegal funds from lobbyists, he will rejoin the private sector, naturally, as a lobbyist. Financially, he will become even wealthier than he has made himself over the past twenty years, since now, pretty much anything goes. So much unmonitored money floating around, and a man of influence like Hot Tub Tom will know how to siphon off his considerable share.

That's the game, really. It's about padding the nest. The corporations shell out, the lobbyists and the politicians reap the profits, the corporations write the laws, and the politicians make the rich richer. Understanding this is pretty depressing, but I'm a realist. Pretending there is an easy fix really isn't in my nature, even if I am an American.

Thusly, I do enjoy sports metaphors. Brace yourself.

If you are not a politician, you can at least be a fan. Being a fan has its charms, and it can be a lot of fun rooting for your team, and occasionally even heading to the game (the polls).

Picture yourself at the stadium, one of countless fans, yelling for your team. You're making as much noise as you can (voting), but the players can't hear you, because you're just one fan, and the stadium is a big place. Now, maybe you can get enough other fans to join in on your chant, and perhaps the players (politicians) hear you a little bit. Maybe you can even get one of them to miss a free throw (cheat on his wife), drop a fly ball (take a bribe on videotape), or maybe even hit a home run (actually vote no on the Patriot Act), but it's not easy to do, no matter how much noise you and the other fans make. Do you know why that is?

Because win or lose, the players will still be millionaires when the game is over, and you have to walk back to your car. And no, you can not ever get into the game.

posted at 10:34 PM

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