Americans, Please Vote in This Presidential Election!

Yes, I am a registered Democrat.  No, I positively do not want Donald Trump to win the Presidency in this election.  But I wish that every American who is able to cast a vote will do so.  Don't know if you're registered to vote?   Call your city, county, or state elections board.  You can also check on-line to see if you are currently on the voting rolls.  If you're not currently registered, most citizens have time to do so, before 8 November...  Check it out, and make sure your address is current, and that you are registered as an Independent, Democrat, or Republican.  Sign up, if not.
   Men, women and children have paid with their lives to make certain that Americans have the right to choose their leaders by open elections.  The earliest I can trace my family in what is now the United States is from one of the Mayflower members; and another part of the family arrived in the early 1630s in the state of Virginia.  My ancestors were some of the original settlers from England - some free, some bond servants; and, in a few generations, numbers of them were fighting the Native American tribes, but a few men married a local Native.  I am proud to be an American.
    People in my family have fought in every war that the American colonists, and then, American citizens, have participated in.  And the main reason for each fight was for freedom.  Freedom to elect our own representatives to tell the leaders of our country what we, the people, wanted.  That is why our governmental system was set up with a series of checks and balances - so that our government is fair.
    I am afraid that there will be an extremely low number of American citizens voting in this election.  I am afraid that a low number of voters will affect the outcome of this current election.  Besides the Presidential election next month, the vote will affect seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives; here, in Colorado, we have more than 30 items to vote on - city, county, and state laws; the appointment of Judges; and not only election of a new President, but representatives in a our state government, the local school board, city and county council members...
    Again, yes, I'm a liberal Democrat - but please register to vote, and then vote in this election for the candidate of your choice.

     If you are an American, VOTE in this election.   Tuesday, 8 November 2016

Vote Today! - And Mail-In Ballots

I liked the idea of mail-in ballots when I moved here, 10 years ago, and I still like them - except for one thing: once you do vote, there is no way to stop the telephone calls, e-mails, and television advertisements urging one to vote for or against a certain measure or candidate.  I mailed my ballot in, and the County office received it on 22 October.  The national voting day is tomorrow, 4 November, and the ads, calls, e-mails and bombast will reach new heights until it's time for the polls to close.  I am very glad that we have major elections every two years only - I would not be able to put up with this mess year-in and year-out.  I receive 30 to 65 e-mails each day asking for campaign contributions; I receive, on average, 6 to 10 telephone calls each day, even though I am on the "National Do Not Call List;" and I can't watch any program on commercial television without being bombarded by campaign advertisements - "Vote for so-and-so,"  "Don't vote for so-and-so," "Vote for this measure," and "Don't vote for that measure."
   I read what people running for office have to say.  I watch debates and moderated question and answer sessions.  I listen to any political advertisement the first time I see it; and I watch local television stations subject these ads to "the truth test."  I read editorials regarding the candidates and their views, as well as editorials regarding amendments and proposals.  My county sends out a booklet to all registered voters, telling them what is on the ballot.  This booklet does not list candidates for office, but it does give one the text of proposals and amendments to laws, and also prints comments, both for and against, each item.
   I try to make an informed decision when I vote.  The information is out there for anyone who wants it - it is in newspapers, on television, and on many websites. Here in Boulder, people who cannot read have access to volunteers who will read to them; there are multiple stations set up around the city and county for people to either hand-in their ballots in person, to drop them into a lock-box, to go to a polling place, etc.  Boulder County tries to make it easy for any registered voter to be able to vote.
  Please use your right to vote today.  It's something that our forefathers died for; and it's something that many people around the world cannot do themselves.  Vote.

A Pretty Monday

It looks glorious outside today - I've already been to the store (to pick up kitty crunchies) and was hit with the double whammies that my friend Brett, who works in the bakery, is being transferred back to the Iris store, and my friend Patrick is moving to Winter Park and leaving Starbucks. I'll still be able to see Brett, and Patrick thinks he'll come back to Boulder, but it's like having my sons move away... They are both great kids, though, and I wish them the best.

  Questing, the filly who didn't want to run in the Ladies Classic on Friday, checked out OK by the vets immediately following the race. However, two hours later, her left eye was swollen completely shut. Her connections don't know if she hit her eye in the starting gate, or if a large dirt clod from the track hit her in the eye in the early part of the race. Thank goodness it was nothing worse, and she'll be fine to race again. ... The folks around Wise Dan and Fort Larned say that both of these colts will return to the track, after having a 45- to 80- day long vacation. The colts' owners are happy to say that, barring accidents, their boys will carry their colors next year at the races.

  I'm getting ready to go walk Rosie and Remy, and to stop by various houses around the northerly neighborhood to just say "hello!" to the various critters I care for... and I will be at the Thore house for Thanksgiving, so I can bake brownies and cookies for the bus drivers. I have to admit was rather taken aback last week; I had told one of the drivers that I loved him/them, and, as the bus left the station, the driver turned on his outside PA microphone, and yelled, "We love you, too, Betty!" which was easily heard for 2 square blocks. (I was so embarrassed and pleased that I laughed 'til I cried...)

  And, one last thing: if you are registered to vote in the Presidential election, please do so. I really don't care whom you choose to vote for. Just, please, exercise the right that over a million people have died fighting for. If you have already voted early, in person, or by a mail-in ballot, I thank you. If you haven't yet voted, please go to your polling place tomorrow and place your own, unique vote. That is what makes America America. Thanks.