Red state, blue state... yellow state, green state?

Let's see... Where can I go to escape the circus that is known as American politics? Germany. Ah yes, the fatherland is almost halfway across the world and there, I can find peace.

Wait, no. The circus has come to town.

There are two men fighting to be the ringmaster. McCain- lion tamer, captain of the straight talk express and war veteran. Obama- the fire eater, master orator, and advocate of change. People in Germany keep asking me which corner I'm in; red elephants or blue donkeys. Maybe they think its a safe subject of conversation with an American, or maybe they just don't know me that well. Honestly? I don't care who becomes the ringmaster of this circus. Things can't get worse than they already are. Either choice would be better than our current situation.

I'm not voting.

I don't like politics. I don't like people who aren't genuine. People who never get angry, never screw up, never tell someone to go fuck themselves (which I would have done to the head of the NAACP for saying he wanted to cut Obama's nuts off. Go fuck yourself.) Politicians do exactly that. They spend the primary season proving how much of a democrat or republican they are- how far to the left or right they are- and the election season proving how close to the center they are. It is a profession rife with con artists and shady financiers.

Wharton has taught me well about the golden rule: whoever has the gold makes the rules. Call me jaded, I don't care. We elected Bush (twice) but the people we really elected (twice) were those that paid for his campaign- the oil companies.

But these are not the reasons why I refuse to vote. I think that in order to vote, you should have a complete knowledge of each candidate's stance on the issues. Idiots are elected by idiots. In order to drive you have to get a drivers license. You have to prove that you know the rules of the road and can navigate the obstacles accordingly. I feel the same way about voting.

In an ideal world every voter would be completely informed and have to prove their knowledge before casting a ballot. I understand why this is not practical and cannot be implemented. There are logistical issues- who would pay for it, where would it be held, how could it be handled in a non-partisan way. There are rights issues- some people won't be able to fully understand the information and it is unconstitutional to refuse them the vote because they're intellectually incapable of comprehending it.

My problem? I just don't care. I don't have the motivation to seek out the.necessary information. I don't feel comfortable voting because I don't know enough about each candidate and I don't care to research it. Ask me any question about the financial system, decisions made by the fed, macroeconomic fluctuations, etc. and I can give you an in-depth answer. Ask me any question about politics and I'll say, "...uh... Ask my sister. She's the political one."

Besides, my Wharton degree should pay off in ten years or so. Whoever has the gold makes the rules...


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