On Democracy

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except all the others that have been tried.  Winston Churchill

Over the years, I've been involved in many facets of Democracy.  I've run campaigns for local candidates, I've volunteered for national ones. I've given speeches, monitored voting counts, hung up posters.  As a political science major in college, I learned more about the process of elections than anyone should, and I admit it left me somewhat.. jaded.  Even back in the 70s the academics believed that politics were about one thing, and that was getting re elected.  I think now they'd agree it is about control of resources and power as well, which can't be accomplished without re election.
I also, as many of you know, participated in some experiments with democracy in the Virtual World of Second life.  One of those projects was a Euro style system, where parliamentarians were elected by factions.  The other was a direct democracy, one person, one vote on all issues. One thing stands out among all those systems, all that experience, both real and virtual that never ceases to amaze me, and that is the number of people who don't exercise their right to vote.

People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of the those who make themselves heard and who vote-- a very different thing. Walter H. Judd.

There are good reasons not to exercise the right to vote, but most of them have to do with someone doing something wrong. My youngest son was looking forward to voting in his first election this year.  He filled out the paperwork and sent it in with plenty of time to get an absentee ballot.  (He's registered at home, but is at college now, 5 hours away.)  He never received his ballot. That isn't right.  I'm still toying with flying him home after class so he can vote, but that's a bit drastic.  I'll watch the polls.. if it looks like it might make a difference, you bet I'll do it.   Because one thing is for sure: 
Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote. William E Simon.

If you have the right to vote in the election today, please exercise it.  I may not agree with your choices, but I believe completely in the collective choice of all our voices.   We just have to make ourselves heard.

November again.

The sun was relentless today, perhaps mocking the biorhythms that adapted to daylight savings time, and thrust itself into the world like a too long denied lover.  It lights the morning now, silver rays stabbing through the trees and prodding me. There are things I am supposed to do today.

It is November again, and once again I am writing new words. I am taking a break from the relentless editing that haunts me year after year because I write these fifty thousand word novels and then have to do something with them.  I love the new words.  I don’t even mind the editing.  I just have to convince myself that this is what I do now.  I’ve been flirting with it for a long time, looking through the side of my eyes, slipping behind my desk or just opening documents on my computer and typing, always something that can be stopped or interrupted. And that is why I’ve never finished anything, because I never say, this is my job. This is my work. 

For the first time in the 12 years I’ve been doing this casually, I feel that it is okay to say it. I don’t have to say, “and I write” as a tag line to whatever else I am doing.  I don’t have to stand in front of a group and say, my name is Georgiana and I’m addicted to words.  It is socially acceptable, sort of, and mentally necessary. 

I’m going to get out of my way now and go see where my story takes me.