Elections Everywhere Else

What's voting like in different countries? Well, for the countries that have the right to vote, it can be a totally awesome experience. It was an election year in the Philippines on one of my visits. My mother's entire province went out to their polling place, an elementary school, and it was a huge party. There wasn't a single person who COULD vote, that didn't. Every ballot was a paper ballot, and everyone's thumbs were blackened by "I VOTED" ink. It was fantastic. I thought, "Why couldn't it be a party like this for US too?" Voting is often viewed as a chore in the United States for some reason, a civil DUTY. Perhaps that's why young voters shy away from voting, it's just ANOTHER chore to do, there's a line without a fun roller coaster at the end of it, there's some planning required with registration, and there is early waking up involved.

Australia actually requires all citizens of age to vote, and if they don't there's a fee.

"What happens if I do not vote?

Initially the Australian Electoral Commission will write to all apparent non-voters requesting that they either provide a reason for their failure to vote or pay a $20 penalty.

If, within 21 days, the apparent non-voter fails to reply, cannot provide a valid and sufficient reason or declines to pay the penalty, then prosecution proceedings may be instigated. If the matter is dealt with in court and the person is found guilty, he or she may be fined up to $50 plus court costs.

If there's anything that will make young voters turn out, it's the threat of losing the little money they have. I was listening to NPR the other day, and a guest proposed that voter registration be automatic upon the age of 18. BRILLIANT! If the government found the 18+ population during Vietnam, they should be able to do THIS! Imagine the turn out if we fined people for not voting, and if there was automatic voter registration! Young voters would have the MOTIVE to go, and the extra step of voter registration wouldn't be a worry. Eh, maybe someday.

Why do people do this?

Ok, WHY? Why do people do this? If you're not seeing this clear enough, it's a picture of a man I saw at Best Buy. He's wearing a camouflage outfit, and those are leaves on his tree colored suit. You might not have noticed him as he blends so perfectly into his surroundings, but trust me, he's there. The best part is when I took the picture, a Best Buy employee said, "Oh, do you know her?" As if I were taking a picture of her co-worker. REALLY? That's like seeing an alien at The Gap, and in your excitement, a lady says, "Yeah, I know, great sweater!" People are just weird.

Unexpected things...

For as long as I've been alive my Lolo (aka Grandfather) has been a beacon of strength. He does these weird exercises in the morning, and kind of looks like he's punching the air. It's not quite shadowboxing, but it's similar. He wasn't exactly designated, but he was certainly a reliable chauffeur. He drops off and picks up my cousins after school just as he'd picked me up. We knew we could always call him mid-day, if our parents were unavailable, to pick us up from school if we were ill. These sorts of things are always taken for granted as a kid. Maybe it's because it was so routine, that it kind of lost it's awesomeness.

Oddly enough, the things that drove me crazy about my Lolo are the very same things that I kind of grew to love about him. He does this thing, it's totally disgusting, where he burps for minutes on end without an "excuse me." It used to make me want to gag, but it's kind of funny and weird now. He used to make me turn on our old computer so he can play chess, and complain about how slow the computer took to load as if it were my fault. While we would get ready for school, he would play the same crazy song, his MASTERPIECE, over and over until we had our backpacks on. If we were misbehaving, he'd use to say, "Do you want me to take your nose and put it in the back?" He told awful jokes.

You kind of take for granted of the things that are routine and reliable because, well, they're routine and reliable. Today, my Lolo, my model of health, had a heart attack. He had an angioplasty, and the doctors said he was lucky to have gotten to the hospital when he did because he probably would not have lasted much longer.

My cousin observed my Lola (grandmother) whispering "I love you" to my Lolo when he came out of surgery, and my Lolo replied, "YA, I already KNOW dat. Did you remember to take your medicines?" That is so indicative of his personality: overly concerned, pushing away "mushy" feelings directed toward him, and funny, but just not on purpose. 81 years old, and going strong.

The past few weeks..

The past few weeks have been insanely busy. With the move, several exams, time at the hospital, patient care plans, practices, and a mid-week gig in San Francisco, I can hardly make time for Ugly Betty. Although, let's face it, I make the time.

Of course, with the turbulent times, I also made time for the three different debates. Like many others, I was baffled by Palin's idiocy. Had I known that all it took to be a U.S. Vice Presidential candidate was a pair of fancy shmancy specks, an accent, and a stupid wink, I would have moved to Europe years ago.




Also, on a pretty random note, I went to the bathroom this morning after breakfast, and when I walked back to the living room......the light by the door was switched on. Nobody was at my apartment except for me. I thought for a second, "Did I turn that on, and not even realize it," but I was nowhere near the door the entire morning. Then I thought, "OH GEEZ! Did someone break in, and is that person hiding right now?" I walked around holding a screwdriver while checking every room and closet. I don't know what I would've done with that screwdriver had I actually discovered an intruder. In conclusion, I think Casper paid me a friendly visit. Energy wasting, random scarer, Casper. Thanks for bumping up my PG&E bill, guy.