Not Voting

Greetings, Readers.

You read the title right. I have officially decided not to vote this year. Why? Because I'm tired of the constant political mud-slinging I've seen all year, and for me to vote would be to say that I fully support a mud-slinger, regardless of which side I choose to vote for.

All year, ads have been running for both candidates pointing out one screwup or another, thoroughly outlining all the ugly sides of the opposite candidate, and then showing one brief moment of the advertising candidate's "good side", with a voice-over by that candidate saying "I am [Joe Candidate], and I approved this message." Why can't we just once have a presidential candidate who will run their entire campaign based solely on their own merits, without targeting the other's downfalls over and over again? Would that candidate win the election? In this world, it would seem, probably not. But if he were to stick to his advertised (Christian) morals in his policies and campaign, and not lay down wave after wave of personal attacks against the credibility or value of the other candidate, then he most certainly would have my vote behind him.

Since I am also now a father in this election year, I begin to wonder, "What is this teaching our children?" I mean this seriously. Imagine if the candidates for the position of class president in their High School were to run their campaigns this way. I don't even want to imagine the defamatory, slanderous posters there would be seen around that school's campus, or the hateful advertisements that might be run during the morning announcemnts. But then, of course, I'm sure the principal of the school would have something to say about such things. Surely they would not want to allow their children to advertise themselves that way. And yet, who's to argue against those children when, season after season, we see grown, "mature" adults acting the same way for virtually the same reason?

So, what would I say if I was asked who I would vote for? I honestly don't know. I mean, who do I want to vote for - a war-monger or a flip-flopper? Either way, I'd be voting for one person slinging mud against the other, with me being one in the middle catching the crossfire.

- Iszi