Vote or shut up

So I'm leafing through my mail-in voting pamphlet, and the candidates in Washington State that I have to choose from are growing ever more pathetic. I'm starting to understand why voting turnout is so low these days. But I've always held that if you don't vote, you can't complain. I mean, if you don't say anything when you have your chance, then just don't bother saying anything at all is my philosophy.

Opening up my ballot information package, which is starting to look like a small-town phonebook with all of the ballot measures in Washington, there isn't any really easy candidate to choose here. I used to vote, for the most part, right down party lines. I mean in the U.S., at this time, you really have two parties. So it's really tearing me apart that Maria Cantwell voted for the Iraq occupation, and continues to vote in favour of funding the operations overseas. So sorry, Maria, but I'm going Green this year. You really lost my respect, Maria, so I'm voting non-Democrat for a Senator for the first time ever. Way to go.

Luckily, I still have a groovy Representative in Brian Baird. He voted against the original Bill for funding the operations in Iraq, and continues to voice his concern about the war. And he generally votes in line with my way of thinking on most issues. So at least I'm sticking with him for now.

For anyone that is interested in researching their candidates a bit (for the U.S. elections, of course), I find www.vote-smart.org really easy to use. You can look up issues by keywords, or go straight to a specific bill or resolution. Do your duty America! Otherwise, don't come whining to me later.