QOTW

(By the way, this is why I am a loyal Facebooker.  Endless blog fodder.)

Lovely, no?

"I just do not believe in politics."

Politics--much like homosexuality--is one of those things whose existence I would think is indisputable.  We do have this thing called the election cycle, complete with advertisements on radio and TV, newspaper stories, signs, and even occasional block-walking candidates.

Truthfully, did politics exist only on a national level, I wouldn't really be bothered by this sort of thing.  But it doesn't, and that frustrates me.

Yeah, maybe in a Presidential election your vote doesn't count for a whole hell of a lot.  Texas is going to go for Mitt Romney in spite of me voting for Gary Johnson.  I realize that, just as I realize California is going to go for Barack Obama no matter whom my conservative friends there vote for.  The scale of a Presidential election is massive.

The scale of a local election isn't nearly so large, not even in a city the size of San Antonio.  And frankly, the mayor, City Council, school board, and bond issues are going to have a much bigger impact on my life and yours than whatever the fuck the President does.

Naturally, the elections which are boring-but-important tend to have tiny turnouts--around here we're shocked if it hits 20%.  This means 178,000 people are making the decisions for the rest of us.  If we're lucky.  (Check out this article for more info on exact numbers.)

Why people vote in national elections where they will have little impact and sit at home for local/statewide elections where they might actually make a difference is one of those enduring mysteries for me.

I guess it's just easier to bitch.