Elections

The elections are finally over.  It is always disappointing to me EVERY election how few people vote and then complain.  I have been an election judge since 2001.  After Bush was appointed to office, I needed to do something.  So I became a judge and Doug became a Precinct Committeeman.  I have not seen the kind of horror stories that are reported about the elections so I guess I am lucky.  I am sure that they happen but just not to me yet .  It is a long day and it takes me severals days to recover.  Showing my age!  The money is secondary for me but every one of the judges I have worked with in the last couple of cycles are in it for the money.  Period.  No civic duty involved.  That's okay by me because it blurs the political lines.  The student judges are great.  When I first started, all of the judges were at least 20 years older than me and they have all since retired and many of them have past away.  They all did it to do their civic duty.  I don't see that too much any more.  Most of the judges I worked with this time were around my age.  This is a good thing because maybe they will continue to work the elections.  Or when they are better off financially, they will quit.  I hope not because I have worked with some real nice people.

Doug and I campaigned for our local candidates, going to door to door, putting out signs, mailing campaign literature to voters in our precinct and talking to friends and neighbors to vote for our guys.  More often than not people were not interested.  "I don't know any of these people" "This election is not going to do anything for me" "I am tired of elections"  were just some of the things people were saying to me.  I have thought about this and the election in November and I have decided that burnout with party politics is part of the problem. They were all willing to participate for the November election, thank you Obama, but now they were done. It did not matter that I could tell them all they needed to know about the candidates, they weren't interested.  Sigh.

Party politics is a whole other blog.  Oh the things I can tell but probably won't.  

Marla is coming in 2 weeks to visit for the weekend.  Woooooo!!!  It is a very short visit and she will have a very busy and I will have dinner with her and Tony.  I was able to get the day off so I will be able to spend a few more hours with her.  Nice. 

Politics

After the November election, I was just worn out.  All the campaigning for our local candidates and Obama, well I just had to take a break.  I used to get about 40 emails from campaigns and various blogs about the election.  Mostly asking for money.  We gave as much as we could.  It paid off.  We got 3 Democratic candidates elected to the Dupage County Board.  Wow!  Bill Foster as Congressman for the 14th and President Barack Obama,  super Wow.  At least the emails have dropped off.

Anyway, now that January is here one would think that the we can just all rest.  Not so much, the January caucus is just around the corner.  I have been asked to be a candidate for Winfield Township Trustee.  It is part time but I am afraid that I am not qualified to do it.  Are any of us qualified to hold a public office?  We should be.  I mean there should be qualifications to be able to even run.  Do I have the qualifications?  I don't know.  I still don't know if I am going to do it.