Whatever You Do

If you're an American citizen, whatever you do today, make sure you vote.

I don't care who you vote for (well, that's technically not true - I am interested in the victory of certain candidates)...I care that you vote.

It's a foundational right of American citizens, to elect whom we wish to represent us.

You may not feel like it does, but your vote counts. So go be counted today.

Getting Out the Vote!

Last week, when we headed to the local college to hear The Niece perform and watch her receive an award:

Gosh - it's hard to believe that at this time next week, she'll be moving out. Where have two years gone?!?

{sniff} On with it, then.

While we were at the college, we were also able to early vote. Hurrah!

Like many cities, our beloved 'burb is struggling with depressed sales revenue and property values. That made this city council election quite important for The Boy and I.

Have you voted?

A Major Crush

{Warning: Diverting from my usual politics-free posting.}

I told The Boy last night that I need to remember to send the Dallas mayor, Tom Leppert, a note thanking him for his service to our city. He's just announced that he's not going to run for another term - opening speculation that he'll likely run for the Senate.

As I noted, I think Mayor Leppert's done a great job. He's a good guy and a good leader. I guess I have a bit of a crush on him.

The Boy: I don't think you ought to mention that to him. And I question the reasoning of telling your husband that you have a crush on another man.

** pause **

The Boy: In fact, you might ruin his Senate campaign if you start chasing him as a half-crazy woman with a crush. Perhaps you'd better just leave the man alone.

Hmmm....

Mayor Tom Leppert - photo from here.

Danger, Will Robinson!

I woke up on the grouchy side of the bed this morning. Why? Who knows...perhaps it's merely because Ben crawled in between the boy and I right when I wanted to cuddle before drifting off to sleep. (Darn that cat.)

SO--for those who will be around me, near me, emailing me, thinking about me, or merely sharing the road with me today, please:

• Drive the speed limit, not 2 mph below.
• Have your mail ready to drop in the drive-through post box when you drive up to the drive-through post box. (And looking through your purse when there's a line developing is right out)
• Don't let the elevator door close right as I get to it. (Really?!?)
• Be considerate when you feel you must cough up a lung first thing in the morning. (Ick!)
• Use common sense when unloading the office dishwasher - if dishes still have food caked on them, don't put them in the cabinets. (Double ick!)
• If you ask "Are you busy?" and I say, "Yes," don't sit down and tell me about your latest funny story from home/weekend plans/etc.
• Don't offer to "fetch and tote" to help me out when you have no idea what my job actually entails.
• Wait at least 5 minutes after asking me to do something before you ask if I'm finished yet.
• Don't send me outrageous political emails (conservative or liberal) without at least having the decency to run it through Snopes to make sure it's even true. And don't expect me to do anything other than hit delete even if you have.

Consider yourself warned.

Very True

I gave Kelly a receipt after a quick shopping trip at Target.

He took a look at the Target slogan printed on top of the receipt:

TARGET - Expect More. Pay Less.

Interesting! he said. This is just the opposite of the government's age-old philosophy:

Expect Less. Pay More.

What I Would Add

I wish Inauguration Day was a national holiday. Regardless of your political gender, Inauguration Day is full of optimism and carries the sense of a fresh start - it is captivating. That's not to mention that it is the culmination of an important part of our political process: the peaceful transition of power.

Today, regardless of who you voted for, we all have a new president.

It's hard to say how President Obama's term will go. He may have a Congress of the same political persuasion, but I'd hardly bet that everyone there is on his side. He inherits tough times, just like our former President inherited a nation in crisis mid-day on September 11, 2001.

My hope today, on this hope-filled Inaugural Day, is that our president finds himself able to deliver even half of what he's promised.

The one thing I know for certain about President Obama is that he is one heck of a speaker. I think one of my favorite parts of today's speech came near the end, when he said:

But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

So true. Yet, somewhat incomplete.

If you don't mind, Mr. President, I would like to remind your detractors and your admirers of one thing: responsibility begins with you. It doesn't come in the form of a handout, bailout, or entitlement. Hard work, sacrifice and thinking of something greater than one's self are the only way to truly prosper and succeed. (And when I say "prosper," I don't necessarily mean riches.)

Mr. President, you aren't the savior of our country. Men and women of Congress, you're not going to bail us out of this mess - you never have and you never will.

Men and women of America, take responsibility for your greed and your sloth, your dreams and your desires and do what it takes to make a great country.

Now that is change I want to believe in.

Bad Economy + End of Year + Political Changes =

A lot of nervous bunnies inside companies these days.

I receive regular updates on "downsizing" around town and nationwide. I think I've become hardened by it all. This bunny's nose doesn't even twitch any more.

Listening to the White Noise

I love November 5th.

No more frantic last-minute pitches. No more doomsday music-filled ads.

The election is over. Americans have spoken and soon we'll be able to sort out truth in action from campaign fiction. Quite frankly, it's time for all of us to move on to the business of working and living.

It's almost as if we turned on a giant white noise machine, and I think it's long overdue.

By the way...

Our bipartisan party last night was exactly what it promised to be: a fun bipartisan gathering. We had Hillary supporters, Obama supporters, Ron Paul supporters, McCain supporters and conscientious objectors. Everyone talked about the issues. No one fought. Everyone listened and learned. Why can't our elected leaders do the same?

Other Than Voting, It's Out of Your Control

As American citizens, we have the right to vote. I'm also thankful our nation supports free speech. However, I strongly believe that if you want to complain about our current leaders, you should at least have the decency to vote.

Here's your most critical choice for 2008: Participate in the process or be a bump on a pickle.

Once voting is over and done with, there's nothing much else we can do. I'm going to follow the Biblical mandate to pray for our leaders, regardless of who those leaders are. My candidates may win or lose, but I still live here and want to be governed well.

Fortunately for us, we have a circle of friends who believes likewise. Even better, they had the good sense to plan an election watch party. What a great idea!

The wording on their invitation is too cute not to share:

Hi friends,

D usually is up very late on election nights, so we thought this year would be a great time to make it a party… an election night 2008 party! And, YOU are invited!

We will have fun games including ping pong, Presidential trivia (to test knowledge), Poker (to test economic acumen) and other fun stuff. Teams for games will be based on who you voted for – Republican, Democrat or Other (Yes, Other!! I’m (D) looking for a strong Other team for poker, so please help me out… it’s not throwing your vote away if it means you’ll be on my poker team! Seriously.).

Since we’ll have all political stripes represented, this will be a political mixer, of sorts. Because of this, we do have one rule, though: it is okay if you have strongly held beliefs or strongly support a particular candidate, BUT we are asking (requiring) everyone to not be one of those people who feel compelled to strongly express or convey those beliefs or positions, i.e. in an argumentative or demeaning manner. Here is a hint that you fit into this category: You frequently begin conversations about the election with … ”anyone who votes for Candidate A is a complete idiot.” So, if you can’t be social in your politics, please stay home and enjoy the night with your preferred party-leaning news network J. We definitely will still love you if you fit into this category, but we want this to be a fun and social night for everyone.

Anyway, if you can make it please let us know and here are the details:

Tuesday, November 4, 7:00 pm, but come when you can…it will likely be a late night
We’ll provide chili and the related toppings, feel free to bring other snacks/drinks.
Also, if you want to have a drink to celebrate your candidate’s victory or drown your sorrow a bit, bring that too. (D will have a bottle of champagne on ice just in case Ron Paul pulls out an upset.)

Hope you can make it… it should be FUN!

We agree - this should be a fun evening and an enjoyable way to wrap up a too-long campaign season. Thanks for inviting us!!

When You Care Enough to Give the Best

Happy Election Day! (Finally!)

Lord knows this election cycle has gone on forever and everyone I know seems to have very strong opinions about what we should do as a country, while not necessarily knowing who to vote for in order to make those things happen. Despite feeling exhausted by the constant political smog, I am very pleased to see people caring about things beyond themselves and their next purchase.

I've said it before: Voting is important. Don't just have an opinion. State your opinion by taking time out of your day to cast a vote.

The politicians I support might not be elected. The politicians you support might not be elected. I can promise you - we'll all get over it.

So I'm not saying any more about that - you know what I think. Go vote. You have all day to make it happen.

And because we live in the US, the land of the free (and the free handout), some of our favorite retailers have found a way to reward good behavior (beyond tattoo removal specials). Check these out:

• Starbucks - free tall drip
  
• Krispy Kreme - free star doughnut
  
• Ben and Jerry's - free scoop

Called to be a Thinking People

Kelly and I went to the Art*Music*Justice concert Saturday night.



Honestly, I'm still struggling over what to say about it. Loved the music, admired the artists, but...

I have long been an advocate for breaking free from our own cultural framework to see the world around us. I'm a born and raised Midwesterner, who has lived all over the world and feels equally comfortable in a sub-Saharan hut as I do a McMansion in Plano, Texas.

But here's where I struggle: as I've gotten older I have become more aware that the world we want to touch and comfort is also the world that is quite literally all around us. Yet when we gather to talk about injustice and suffering, we often point overseas.

Why?

Is it easier to identify the face of suffering when it's a starving African child? Do we want to end poverty only for families enslaved in Bangeldesh? Are we concerned with the freedom to think and worship God only for those in the Middle East?

Don't misunderstand me. We have an obligation to help the world. My husband works with an organization that reaches out worldwide. I would pack my bags and move back overseas tomorrow if the opportunity presented itself.

What I question is that our desire for activism and justice is most stirred when we look outside our own borders. It's easy to write a check, support a child, take a 10-day trip. It is a relatively minor part of our lives.

What's not easy is addressing poverty in our own country. We allow the poor to become enslaved to payday loan companies in the name of "making money available to those who need it."

What's not easy is confronting high recidivism rates in our own country. We rail against crime, yet have no workable plan for actually rehabilitating offenders, nor identifying (and addressing) the underlying societal factors that lead to crime.

What's not easy is facing the unjust treatment of the mentally ill and chemically dependent. We've tried prisons, institutions and the streets.

What's not easy is admitting that the cultural make-up of our country is changing. We need to learn what being an American means - beyond accents or skin tone.

What's not easy is agreeing that you can't have it all. The single parent family has needs. The debt culture is out of control. The terms commitment, responsibility and promise (among many others) have lost their meaning.

I want to fight injustice and I want to make a difference - both here and around the world. It seems to me that part of the reason the Art*Music*Justice tour made me uncomfortable was that it didn't make me uncomfortable enough to impact my day-to-day life.

No Hanging Chads in Plano!

We voted today and have the stickers to prove it!

At least for early voters in Collin County, voting was a new experience. Gone were the paper ballots with their "fill in the bubble completely" blanks. Instead, a room full of touch-screen voting machines awaited us upon our arrival. (Of course, we could have requested a paper ballot if we'd preferred that method.)

A few comments about this year's election, based on our experience.

1. Thank you for allowing early voters to cast their ballots at any approved venue in the County. This has always been an early voting privilege, and it's one that I most appreciate after having suffered through a 2-hour line one year on Election Day when I forgot to vote early.
2. Thank you as well for having early voting locations open on Saturday from 7-7. It's wonderful to vote on a day that isn't full of work responsibilities and the Monday through Friday hustle-and-bustle.
3. I think some of my favorite folks are those dedicated enough to our democracy to serve as election workers. They don't do it for the money for sure, but they are eager to assist, friendly and work hard to get you in and out the door.
4. The touch-screen system was easy to understand and fast to use. My only complaint is that there is little privacy. This could have been the set up for our location, but I was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kelly and we were able to easily see how the other was voting. I still love the private booths with sliding curtain doors from my first voting experiences in Manhattan, Kansas!
5. Go vote! Here in Texas, we can easily claim that our votes don't matter one way or the other as our area has a very dominant political flavor. I don't care about that - it's important to be part of the process. I wish there had been a presidential candidate this year that I felt passionate about supporting. But there wasn't, so I had to wrestle with the issues and make the best choice I could. Whatever the election results, I'm grateful to be a citizen of a country that encourages its people to struggle with issues and make tough choices.

Now that I've voted, some may be wondering about that question from yesterday's post. The answer is, in no particular order: Libertarian, Democratic and Republican.

I voted. Have you? Will you?

The Question Everyone's Asking

Who are you voting for?

I can't seem to escape this question. It's not that I don't want to say, it's honestly that I haven't decided. Based on what I hear from those around me, I'm not the only one stuck in the mud.

I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised at the amount of indecisiveness amongst American voters. After all, the last two presidential elections were nearly 50/50 splits. Add to that an unhappy country after years of inefficient governing (Congress and Presidential) and two less than ideal presidential candidates. It's no wonder many with strong ideological notions, including myself, are waffling.

I think I agree with my mom: "Can we get a do-over?"

Actually, Hallmark's Maxine best captures my political opinion this year: