Elections REALLY Got You Down?

If you find you're having difficulty coping with things lately, here's an article that might help:

Top 10 free and affordable mental health and counseling options.

[UPDATED VERSION!] The Trouble With The Electoral College

In light of this week's Presidential election, here's an update on why the Electoral College is awful. Watch the original video after this short update:


[UPDATE] The YouTuber went back and did ANOTHER update to correct himself on some issues. It's also worth watching especially because one part of it reminded me of the awful governing situation we have in New York State that is referred to as "3 men in a room."

2014 Moratorium

It doesn't seem fair to do a moratorium in a year I'm still living in, if just for a few more hours, but I felt the urge to scribble a post.

2014 had a lot of good moments. It was a kind of relief from everything that had happened over the previous two years between Matt's mom dying and losing our dogs, Buddy and Zak.

Accomplishments: This one is not my own but I consider it a pretty major deal that Matt not only completed his Bachelor's Degree through Houghton College but he maintained a 4.0 the entire time!

Matt and I also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in July. It doesn't really seem like it has been 10 years!

Travel:

• Four-day trip to Washington D.C. in March to see our friends, Brian & Tim as well as getting to see M. (long time friend and shenanigans associate) and Brandy (Jamestown transplant)
• Overnight to Cleveland, OH in May to take part in an alumni orchestra rehearsal at Baldwin-Wallace under Dwight Oltman's baton one last time. Saw many old friends.
• 10th Wedding Anniversary trip to Burlington, VT with a day trip to Montreal in September to finally meet Maurice.
• plus numerous trips to Rochester, Buffalo, and Erie, PA.

Books: I read at least 15 books according to a scan of my Goodreads list in 2014, which is a marked increase from recent years.

Movies: Between Netflix, movies at The Reg, and our local theatre chain, we saw some good flicks including The Monuments Men, The Way Way Back, We Are The Best!, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Le Week-End, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Frozen, Mrs. Brown, A Single Man, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, The Trip, Funny Face, Slacker, New York, I Love You; Coffee & Cigarettes, Don Jon, Blue Is The Warmest Color, Geography Club, and The Interview.

Music: My top ten artists according to last.fm for 2014 have a lot of overlap when you consider that Johnny Marr and Morrissey both were part of The Smiths and Adam Schlesinger is writing/singing/performing songs for both Fountains Of Wayne and Ivy.

1. Fountains Of Wayne (132 plays)
2. U2 (126 plays)
3. Morrissey (99 plays)
4. Taylor Swift (62 plays)
5. The Smiths (59 plays)
6. Ladyhawk (52 plays)
7. Enya (51 plays)
8. XTC (48 plays)
9. Johnny Marr (47 plays)
10. Ivy (44 plays)

Violining: My violin was attached to my neck most of this Fall but for overall ensembles/concerts that I performed with this year, I offer this:

• March - "Annie Get Your Gun" at Falconer High School
• May - Jamestown Area Community Orchestra Spring concert at Jamestown High School
• October - Jamestown Area Community Orchestra Fall Concert
• November - "Les Miserables" at Jamestown Community College
• December - The Living Christmas Tree at First Covenant Church

Random Bits: I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in October and have been on medications since that seem to have stabilized my levels so far. Matt made the decision in 2014 to get Lasik surgery on his eyes, but that won't happen until 2015. We bought a fancy, new convection oven, 5-burner gas stove in December after another pecan pie filling failure on Thanksgiving. I also bought a Pono device after buying Neil Young's pitch hook/line/sinker. It really does have great sound quality although I will admit I'm still mad at Apple for discontinuing the iPod Classic as that probably would have been my music player replacement for my iPod Touch, which is old and doesn't hold nearly enough music for my liking.

Looking Ahead to 2015: Who knows what could happen? It's going to be a year of some change with my office being moved to City Hall, Matt being able to see without glasses, and the fact that it's an election year for our Mayor. I've never been a fan of resolutions because they're far too easy to break, but I'm hoping that we go into 2015 with an open mind and patience for what lies ahead.

Tweeting Fun & the Erie County Executive Debate

For some odd reason, I decided to watch the Erie County Executive Debate on WNED tonight. I had gotten the heads-up about it from WNYMedia.net earlier in the day about what hash-tags to use (#ECDebate) if you were going to tweet while watching, so I thought, "Well, this could be fun."

Totes fun.

Okay, I've been out of the politics game for quite awhile even though I still do stuff here and there depending on what my husband begs me to do. There are no contested races in my election district this Fall and that's including the mayoral race for the City of Jamestown. Many people are lacking reasons to get to the polls in this county. It's pretty damn sad. And then I look to the north to Erie County and see there's a County Executive race. That could be fun.

The debate was proof of such fun. I'm a Democrat, so I was rooting for Comptroller Mark Poloncarz. Disclosure, etc. That said, I've seen and heard enough debates to know when one side is doing a better job than the other. Poloncarz missed some opportunities in his statements, but overall he crushed incumbent County Executive Chris Collins. You almost got the impression like this was Collins' first time on the political debate circuit.

From a fluff standpoint, someone needs to get Collins better make-up so that he doesn't look like he's sweatin' like Nixon all over the podium (actually thought of the Buffalo band first before the actual historic reference).

All that aside, it's the #ECDebate twitter tag that made this all fun. I laughed out loud so many times tonight. It reminded me of the old Bfloblog days of watching Sabres games and the live blogging/comments. Maybe it's the whole MST3K feel to it all. Anyway, I want to thank all the WNY Tweeps who made my Thursday night and helped me become a little more educated on what's happening politically in Erie County.

Election Day 2009 - Opposed to Unopposition

Another Election Day is here.

Without a big Presidential election to push people to the polls, I won't be surprised if voter turn-out is down around the country.

With all the races that are unopposed within our own county, I wouldn't be surprised if voter turn-out is down in this area as well.

I am not a fan of having candidates who are unopposed, even if they are members of my registered party. It tends to decrease the number of people who actually make it to the polls. For districts where maybe there are other races, this can hurt candidates who do have an opponent.

An example would be the election district where I currently reside, or any district within the city of Jamestown. The entire City Council is running unopposed. This is unprecedented in the 10 years I've lived here or for anywhere I've ever lived in my 33 years. Fortunately, I live in one of three County Legislative districts where there are two people squaring off against each other for a seat. There are six County Legislative districts that cover the City of Jamestown. This means that three of the current County Legislators are running unopposed.

So, as a city resident you could live in an election district where the only opposed races on your ballot will be the County Executive race (Incumbent Greg Edwards vs. Democrat Chuck Cornell) and State Supreme Court Justice District 8 where you vote for 3 of 4 people on the ballot.

Exciting? Hardly. It's an abomination in my opinion to have so many unopposed races at the city and county level. I believe in having a choice, especially if I am not happy with how my elected official has performed while in office. For this reason, I will be entering the most write-in votes ever in my personal voting history for every race where I am not given a choice and the person running doesn't meet my expectations.

Do I think my write-in will make a difference? Well, considering I haven't mounted a write-in campaign so that large numbers of people put down the same names as me, probably not. Although, there have been races locally where no one who showed up to the polls voted for the guy running unopposed but someone did submit a write-in vote. The guy running unopposed got quite a surprise when results were made public. My write-in effort is being done more as my personal right.

If you are registered to vote, I ask that you follow through on your civic duty and get to the polls today regardless of who is running and the types of races that are on your ballot.

For voting information and for local voting results after polls close here in Chautauqua County, visit VoteChautauqua.com.

Career in Politics

I would guess that most people who read the title to this post aren't immediately filled with warm fuzzy feelings.

Politics, as a career, tends to get as much sympathy if not less than the field of law. People, perhaps innately, don't trust politicians and so by association tend to not trust the people who work for them.

A co-worker this morning made the observation that two people who are running for local office in our county have, for the most part, only had jobs "that involved a vote." He didn't say more than that, but his tone of voice implied that he didn't think much of this. I didn't say anything at the time because I could see that it wouldn't make me a lot of friends at work and, by nature, I'm very non-confrontational.

Still, it grated me that a person could be denigrated because they chose to follow a career they loved which just happened to be in politics. I have worked in that field. It can be unforgiving and very rewarding.

I would hazard that most people who tried to work for an elected official, or were an elected official themselves, would find a way to get out quickly and in as dignified manner as possible. There is no such thing as job security. Your job depends on how well you work for your boss, how well your boss works for the people, and how well you can convey that fact to the voters in your district. Of course, you have no control over things like a sinking national economy that usually adversely affects your local area, but people will still blame you for this. People will blame elected officials for a lot of things they have no control over. Even the President has to contend with this every time the price of gas goes up.

I know some people fault those who work in politics for seeming to be detached from the real world. "You don't know what it's like to have a regular job. You don't know what it's like for the 'average Joe.'" I've heard this myself and I've heard others say it about politicians. Because obviously no politician has ever had to pay taxes, buy groceries, raise a child, drive over roads in ill condition, deal with how snow storms affect businesses and commutes, or work long hours with no compensation because they are salaried.

I'd say most people don't have to worry about going to the grocery store and being stopped every other aisle to be told by someone what they think isn't going right in the area. This goes for people who work for elected officials too. Forget about going out for dinner or a drink in your district and having a "quiet night" because inevitably someone will approach you with work related stuff. And those who love their jobs often don't mind. Why? It's because you report to the people. Most people can name who their boss and supervisors are using one hand to count them off. Elected officials and the people who work for them report to everyone who lives in their district.

It's not an easy job. It's probably why we have a hard time finding people who even want to run for public office. Fortunately, in this area I think most people run for office or take political jobs because they believe they can bring positive change. They believe in the people of this area and the people in office. Sure, some elected officials have higher aspirations, but most recognize that to move to a higher office you damn well better do a good job at the very local level first. Of course, it all comes back to the constituents in that district and whether they voice their opinion by voting. Just some stuff to think about.

Historic Victory

I watched the final election results at Jamestown's Democratic Headquarters with Matt and other friends last night. The agony of defeat from the previous two presidential elections had left me quiet and wary. I almost couldn't believe it as MSNBC flashed California, Oregon, and Washington states for Obama, putting Obama well over the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the election.

As I stood in shock, I felt my eyes well up with tears of relief for a moment until I looked around the room at people cheering, kids running outside with Obama signs to dance in the streets, my friends crying, and some of the biggest smiles I've seen on election night.

It was quite a night.

I share with you today's front page of my hometown paper, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:

Image Courtesy of Newseum

Campaign Workers Rejoice

Tim Smeal is the happiest man right now.

Obama Wins In A Landslide

Obama greets a thunderous crowd in Chicago.

McCain Concedes

McCain concedes.

Jubulation

Kids dancing in the street in Jamestown upon MSNBC's prediction that Obama has won the presidential election.

Election Day Lunch Tradition

Our traditional election day meal. Johnny's Lunch.

Vote!

It's finally here.

VoteChautauqua.Com if you need polling information for this area.

If you're still thinking, try Obama vs. McCain for information comparisons.

Links with Little Connection

Amy Goodman arrested at GOP Convention

Voice-Over God Don LaFontaine has died

Fashion for the Seasonally Depressed

Hm. Well, maybe there is a sort of odd connection.

MoveOn.Org: Special Election Briefing: 5 Things You Should Know

The New "Day One" - Monday, March 17th

While he has officially announced his resignation, Eliot Spitzer is our Governor for a few more days. I've had a range of emotions regarding what has happened over the past few days. I even compared the news of this scandal, and Spitzer's inevitable resignation, as a heartbreak.

Like so many, we had hopes when Spitzer announced he was running for governor. And when he won with over 70% of the vote, we thought that maybe this would be when New York could turn around. Hell, look at what he did on Wall Street!

Then his term began. I remained optimistic. Even with the pitfalls, I thought, "He'll find his groove. He'll find a way to make it work." I waited. I grew concerned. I wasn't feeling too good about Spitzer's ability to work with others and implement his ideas. "Where is his head at?" I wondered.

Then I wandered over to Drudge by chance at 1:30pm this Monday and found out.

Am I worried for the future of this state? Sure. I also retain some optimism. Governor-to-be David Paterson said in a press conference today that Buffalo and Western New York remain as important to him as it was to Spitzer. I believe that all of Upstate needs to hold him accountable for that statement and to not forget what the former administration had tried to begin with revitalizing the region.

Day One begins Monday at 1pm.

What the EFF Spitzer!

I'm wicked pissed.

Spitzer is Linked to Prostitution Ring.

Beyond uncool.

Buffalo Pundit is running updates. Check in there often.

Our County Executive Is Blogging.. Sorta

I recently, for work purposes, had signed up for something called "The Monday Morning Memo" that Chautauqua County's Executive Greg Edwards started to do. Apparently, he was having issues with the memo being bounced when it was emailed out, so he set up a blog. You can view it at Mayville Memo.

I have to applaud the idea of a public official who is willing to use new media to keep the public informed. I don't know how often I will check in if every post is going to be "I went to this meeting the other day and then I went to another meeting, followed by this additional meeting." Having gone back and actually re-read some of those posts, there is substance there. It's just not getting the upfront attention. Common news writing mistake. Burying the lead.

Loose Articles

I've shamefully neglected my literary endeavors over the past year. It's been months since I've been in our library. In fact, the last time I was there I held a book out at least three weeks past its due date. I'm sure the library insincerely thanks me for my small monetary donation.

Well anyway, Kottke.org schooled me today with a post telling me that The Atlantic Monthly was now available for free online. Once I started reading articles, it became a day long pursuit in between tasks at work. When I checked the mail at home, the latest issue of Smithsonian magazine had arrived. I barely noticed the nice dinner Matt made as I read each article, fingers becoming stained with ink from the front cover. Here's a selection of articles I devoured today and realized just how little I know and how much more I could know:

The $1.4 Trillion Question: What Do We Owe China?

After Iraq: A report from the new Middle East—and a glimpse of its possible future

The Truth About Jena: Why the media got it wrong

A Breath of Relief

Matt's predictions for a certain race in the city was off by only 5%, but that's still good. It means we're breathing a little easier in terms of job stability for one person in our household. I'm hoping that our lives will resume some form of "normal" after yesterday's elections, but I am realistic. Available free-time will still be at a premium due to things I'm personally involved with at this time of year (multiple orchestra concerts, pierogi making, pie making, Thanksgiving, radio spot creation, and a certain someone's birthday).

Last night, we spent time with some friends we hadn't seen in awhile. Matt, Tara, and I got to enjoy a "deconstructed omelette" at Forte. I blame that beautifully butter-drenched food item for why the scale registered two more pounds this morning than the day before. Bless Ian for creating it. I'm floating through today in a kind of weird, exhausted, relaxed haze.