Election

On election day I voted and did so primarily because of my daughter. She asked that I vote so that she witness the election process. I truly did not want to vote because I am quite jaded at this point in my life and believe it will take a lot more than an election and voting constituents to change the face of America. There is high unemployment, underemployment, homelessness, and despair. I believe the political process is a jump start to change, however, I believe grass roots efforts are a more tangible and effective way of understanding individual, idiosyncratic communities and addressing the many issues that happen within such communities.

I was not surprised by the results of the presidential election as The United States has always proven to be a stalwart for conservatism when we are at our poorest. The diatribe that Bush spewed reminded constituents of religiosity - spoken to them via the guise of morality and included topics that were anti-gay and anti-choice - peaked their interest, held them spellbound, and propelled them into voting booths to pull the lever for Bush. The voting public thought it better to believe the good ol' boy that reminded them of their blue collar roots and of Sunday morning church. They did not want to vote for those with whom they are not familiar. They are not familiar with millionaires or heiresses, or with stem cell research, but are familiar with the morality issues that Bush so often touted.

And so I will continue to worry about my finances as I suspect they will not improve, but remain the same, or perhaps, get worse with this same administration. I applied for an interdepartmental position at my place of employment and requested a salary lower than what I knew was deserved for such a position and the work it entailed, and was not called to be interviewed. When I called to inquire what was happening with the position, I was told my salary request was too high and only others who requested substantially lower would be interviewed. Whomever gets the job will learn quickly they are not being paid appropriately for the work they do. Such is the fate for many Americans because of this and the prior presidential election.