I am proud to wear the above sticker because I voted today.  To be honest, the day started without it being on the agenda.  Turnout was expected to be extremely light.  No major emotional issues seem to be on the ballot; just candidates for the two parties, most without opposition. 

But as the day went along, it seemed to become more important to take the time to vote.  Often I have let it be known that I am not interested in listening to your opinion about political matters if you do not bother to vote.  Also, there are places throughout the world where the private ballot means little or nothing.  Finally, since the turnout to vote is so light, my particular vote will carry extra weight.  If the turnout is 25% as heavy as usual, then in essence my vote will be four times as powerful.  So I found myself at the polls.

My state requires a photo ID.  Many oppose this restriction, arguing that it inhibits the poor and minorities.  But the state offers a free photo ID card to anyone who bothers to apply, so I think the argument is without merit.  No one was in line.  There were probably a dozen poll workers, serving me!  I voted by touch-screen, something that makes me uncomfortable.  It seems too vulnerable to hackers and manipulation and even error.  I think it would be best and safest to have a paper trail to verify my vote.

In races where there was no opposition, I dutifully clicked the boxes next to the candidates.  With one race in which I knew none of the candidates, I left it blank.  The question was asked if I would support a one-cent sales tax to support a rapid transit service, and another asked if I would support a lower property tax accompanied by a higher sales tax.  I voted “no” to both, being one who never supports an increase in taxes.  Government, almost by definition, is foolish and wasteful with money.  And, I voted against our current County Commissioner.  Fancy billboards throughout the county encourage his re-election.  I’ve received several mailings touting his credentials, and robotic phone calls.  So, I figure anyone with so much financial backing in support of a County office with meager salary must be too closely aligned with powerful and rich folk who likely have little in common with myself.

I came home and encouraged my wife to go vote.  She hesitated, saying she was not too informed about the issues.  I told her that did not matter, to just go vote against the County Commissioner.  And she did!

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posted by: barnabus1 (reply)
post date: 07.15.08 (5:43 pm)

YAY!!!! I'm totally against any type of new taxes!!!!! We are paying the tax increase put on 30 years ago to build the first auditorium in RC town!!! It's been paid for a dozen times over!!!

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posted by: LadyG (reply)
post date: 07.15.08 (5:46 pm)

I definitely prefer a paper trail, and vote or don't com[lain.

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posted by: sebastianjoshua (reply)
post date: 07.15.08 (7:09 pm)

i DEFINITELY prefer Barrack Obama.. hail to Obama, a new wave of Generation Next

... dont care who u vote or what u vote lol

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posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 07.15.08 (7:11 pm)

You voted against mass-transit? Must be a sucky route they're proposing. Plus, I'm all for lower income taxes offset by increases in sales tax, but I don't buy much.

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posted by: fractalmom (reply)
post date: 07.16.08 (6:22 am)

good for you then.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 07.16.08 (12:55 pm)

Reply to: barnabus1
Yep. I see it the same way. Once you vote in a sales tax increase, even for whatever noble reason, it is likely never to be repealed or allowed to die. We have toll roads around here that have surely paid for the roads by now, and they yet continue to collect tolls and will do so until Christ comes back.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 07.16.08 (12:56 pm)

Reply to: LadyG
Paper ballots, I know, are so low tech and require a bit more labor to tabulate. But they will never be lost in cyberspace or manipulated by some geek.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 07.16.08 (12:59 pm)

Reply to: sebastianjoshua
Do you even live in the US?

O.K. I'll call your bluff. What specific proposals from Obama's platform do you like? Please share with me, oh let's say three things, that are concrete and measurable and not based upon emotion.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 07.16.08 (1:08 pm)

Reply to: surrogate
Sometimes I take MARTA to Atlanta, and specifically to the airport. Their northernmost station is about 5 miles from here. It can be cumbersome and irritating, but I can see how commuters would benefit. However, where I live, most do not drive into Atlanta to work. If anything, Atlanta would be commuting out here for work. And that would not bee good for the quality of lifestyle, in my opinion. Also, I know what would happen. Mass transit, a seemingly rational and good thing, would become another government based vacuum for tax dollars, costing far more than the benefits.

Here is what would happen if sales taxes were increased and property taxes lowered: It would be good for a few years. Then, excuses for tax increases would come along, and next thing we know the tax level would be back to where it was before, but with the added burden of an inflated sales tax. I absolutely do not trust government.

But, my greatest reason for opposing this proposal is that it shifts the burden of taxes onto the backs of those who can already least afford it. People do not own houses and property mostly because they do not have sufficient money. Since they can't afford property, then what makes these people think they should pay more to the government? I do understand the concept that wealthy people should pay more taxes. Not all the taxes, and not for punitive reasons or class warfare, but a greater amount than those who are poor. It makes sense to me, but not to the wealthy homeowners and businessmen of my area.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 07.16.08 (1:10 pm)

Reply to: fractalmom
I set a pattern long ago. For whatever reason, my guy usually does not win.

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posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 07.16.08 (6:16 pm)

Reply to: PastorDave

USUALLY, and I do mean just usually, the better a community's mass transit system, the more it's used and the less of a financial white elephant it is. I'll cite New York, Washington D.C., Chicago and London as examples. I have friends in three of those cities who don't even own cars, nor do they want them, so convenient are the systems.

As for the sales tax thing, it depends. In my state, food and prescription drugs are not taxed, meaning at least on those items, which people need to survive, the sales tax isn't quite so onerous. on the other hand, sometimes I'm annoyed how broad the term "food" seems to be in this regard.

I don't know if it's true any longer, but when I lived in Ohio in the eighties, if you bough fast food to eat in, it was taxed, but if it was "to go" - it went untaxed. So? People always ordered their food to go, and then sat in the booths and ate out of the bags. It was absurd.

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posted by: sebastianjoshua (reply)
post date: 07.16.08 (7:29 pm)

ha ha ha i love to tease u... :-)

i went to Uni of Hartford CT and studied there for 3 years.

frankly speaking i hate all the presidential candidate coz they are all same... full of hatred towards muslims.

We are all human and we deserve to live in peace and harmony in this earth AND most of the time American is the culprit who create nuisance

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posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 07.17.08 (4:26 am)

Reply to: PastorDave

"O.K. I'll call your bluff. What specific proposals from Obama's platform do you like? Please share with me, oh let's say three things, that are concrete and measurable and not based upon emotion."

Ask me. Just three? What's the deal, if it's something you don't like it must be based on emotion? -I think I understand the question. You're trying to differentiate things like Health care for our citizenry, bringing back the pre-2001 tax code (that was working far better, than the current one) and taking to our enemies (something that, until the current folks took power) has long been the mainstay of U.S. foreign policy from things like going to war with a country that never attacked us to show off how big and powerful we are?

Did you want a dozen more? I can't think of any of Obama's proposed policies that could be chalked up to feeding off peoples' emotions. Oh, maybe I'm wrong. I suppose proposing a change in the mortgage regulations to ensure that lending rules include true disclosure about what can happen when interest rates go up... Yeah. That's for whiners. So what if the fact they've gotten away with incredibly predatory practices for a decade or more has cost us ALL real security - and real wealth.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 07.17.08 (6:33 am)

Reply to: surrogate
Sebastian is typical of Obama supporters, highly charged with emotion and severely lacking with detail. I do not think you represent the average voter- you study the issues and read. Too bad that you generally come down on the wrong sides of the issues.

pre-2001 tax code? I guess you mean higher taxes. I would love for Obama to make that a publicized, vocalized, and ongoing statement of his campaign- because the majority of voters do not like it. Health care, aka Hilliary? It all sounds good, until you get into the specifics, and realize there are no simple solutions. Class warfare and the mantra of change get the blood to boiling for the true liberal, and such strategy will sway the simple, but it is neither a good plan to run our country nor a good way to be elected president.

Of course, sebastian hasn't considered any of the specifics. He is somewhere far away, watching Obama on TV. The guy comes across as charismatic and mouths the word "change" a thousand times a day. He's telegenic- he would make a good weatherman, but not president.

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posted by: (reply)
post date: 07.17.08 (6:44 am)

Reply to: sebastianjoshua
Full of hatred toward Muslims? You really believe that. How sad, how wrong. But, to counter, there is a large segment of the American population convinced that the average Muslim hates him. I'm convinced the average Muslim in this world is too busy just trying to survive in life to expend energy in hatred toward us. Too bad a bunch of them had to come over here and kill 2000 of our citizens, and then millions of them danced in the streets in celebration of the carnage. I live in Georgia, a relatively small state. I have a busy life. I've never known many who were Muslims, although I drive past a Mosque regularly, and those I have met along the way have not in any way caused me to be alarmed. There is plenty of room in this world for people far different than myself... until they blow up the World Trade Center, kill thousands of innocent Americans, and celebrate with joy. That makes the average American furious.

What do you think about the World Trade Center Murders? A sympathetic and nuanced response will not get you too far with the average American- liberal, America-haters excluded.

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posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 07.17.08 (10:08 pm)

Reply to:

Dave, you alway want to talk about the 9-11 thing which was awful and yes we lost 3000 people. We responded by killing hundreds of thousands of people who were NOT involved. God, your attitude pisses me off. I'm sure Jesus would just LOVE it, huh? You don't give a hoot about WHY so many were happy about it, do you? Think maybe, to many of them anyway, we MIGHT have had something to do with their reaction? -or are they just murderous by nature? Seems to me we had lots of people cheering after shock and awe, and ever since. Why, Dave, is "the average American" any more important than anyone else?

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posted by: scubadiva (reply)
post date: 07.19.08 (7:03 am)

I voted too. I crossed over and voted against Vernon just because I despise him so much. I was blown away by the low turnout.

Did you notice the trend with lots of the black candidates (in Atlanta) officially appearing on the ballot with names like "Able" Mable Thomas and Steen "Newslady" Miles? Being a marketeer, I understand their attempts at using that to help with the recognition, but should that be allowed on the ballot?

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posted by: scubadiva (reply)
post date: 07.19.08 (7:04 am)

And I totally agree with you on marta. Since it expanded into the Perimeter area, crime has increased significantly in the retail and residential areas.

And that the same reason why the only time I take Marta is to the airport. The safety issues are enough that I'd rather ride on my own. In traffic.

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