The Most Important Day

Today is the most important day of the regular four year cycle that defines American Politics. The collective actions of American citizens (and some nontrivial number of non-citizens, dead folks and pets) will have an effect that will reach every part of the globe. Most other nations in the world change their governments without elliciting even a yawn, but when the United States sneezes, then world catches cold.

One way or another, everyone will be disappointed. Half of us will have supported the losing side. The other half, will have supported the side that isn't quite what they expected it to be. Whoever the next President is, because he is a human being and because he is a politician, he will not do all that we expect him to do. That is both good and bad. Good, because neither will be as evil as his opposition believes him to be, and bad, because neither will be able to do all that his supporters hope he will do.

On the whole, I believe that Senator McCain will do more good and less harm than Senator Obama. I truly hope that the voice of the people comes down in his favor, but our country is resilient enough to survive even a President Obama. After all, we survived the ecoomic idiocy of the Hoover and Roosevelt years, and the amateur military adventures of the Johnson years, and the general well rounded stupidity of the Carter years. Even the combined efforts of Obama, Reid and Pelosi cannot hurt us beyond what we are able to repair.

Not that I expect great things of a President McCain. At best, I expect his Presidency to be a holding action until something better comes along. At worst, the hole he digs us into will be relatively shallow.

In any case, if you have taken upon yourself the obligations of citizenship, then do your moral duty and vote. The time spent is not wasted, even if your favored candidate and party loses. To declare for one side or another is enough. I will respect even an Obama supporter, wrong as they are in my opinion, who has thoughtfully and deliberately concluded that he is the best candidate. Vote even if you are in a state, like Utah or California, that leans so heavily to one side or the other, that it seems to hardly matter if you vote or not.

It is a well proven human behavior that what costs nothing is valued at nothing. The little effort it takes to vote will give value to the rights and privileges and freedoms that you enjoy. And regardless of who wins, pray for him. Presidents do not have the advantage of being led by revelation like our prophets are, but they still have to do the right thing every time. That is a hard task, even for the wise.