A Profound Statement of Democracy?

I tried, I promise I did. I even went through the trouble of preparing a post about what it is like to watch the Detroit Lions on a Sunday that I was going to post today to distract me. But I could not bring myself to do it. With Election Day finally here, there are some things I have got to get off my chest. So, against my better judgment, and for ONE day only, GameTime, TBD© goes 100% political (hey, if Curt Schilling can do it, why can't I?).

Now, I am not about to try to convince you to vote for one candidate over the other; it is not my place to do so. Rather, this is just a general discussion about some frustrations I have with the current state of our political system. If you want to have a discussion about who I voted for (in keeping with my tradition of full faith and disclosure, it was McCain), feel free to drop me a line or give me a call and we will do lunch. I am more than willing to discuss my reasoning with you. I am not, however, about to use this site as a soapbox for views about the candidates. I am already risking enough negative comments just by stating who I voted for. If I were to go into a full-fledged point/counter-point, who knows what names I would be called. But if you do want to discuss things with me, make sure you are a prepared, after all I have spent the better part of the past six months having nightly debates with my Better Half, which segues nicely to my first point (isn't nice how it worked out like that?).

I have no problem with people who agree or disagree with me on voting for one candidate over the other. We are all entitled to our own opinions and I will never fault you or think less of you as a person simply because we do not agree. Your right to your own opinion goes beyond our Constitution. Is our right to our own opinion not one of the very foundations by which we asserted our independence from Britain? "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." As my buddy Barnes put it yesterday, "ain't no thang" if you agree or disagree with me over the issues. So if you want to talk about the election, let us talk about the issues, and not the other things. I feel bad for people who are not voting for Obama simply because he is black and/or think he is a Muslim, or the people who do not think a woman is cut out to be Vice President. Even the discussion of "The Bradley Effect" playing a role in today's election makes me sick. How have we, as a nation, not moved past these things already? How is it that we still judge people by their race, gender, or religious beliefs (and when did I become such an idealist? Man, the Republican party is going to revoke my privileges)? So I will talk to you about the issues, and only the issues. But like I said, I have gone twelve rounds with my Better Half, multiple times, and I am still standing (and, amazingly enough, still married to her . . . it's magic). So make sure you bring your "A" game. There is also one other requirement for me to talk with you . . .

You also must have, or be planning to, vote. If you are eligible to vote, and do not, I do not care what you have to say. You blew your chance. How many articles have you read were someone says something like "I am voting because this election will mark a significant change in the lives of all Americans"? We interrupt this rant for some late breaking news: EVERY ELECTION MARKS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE LIVES OF ALL AMERICANS. Here in California, they are worried that they might not have enough printed ballots because voter turnout is expected to reach 80%. I can not decide what is worse, the fact that we are unprepared for such a high voter turnout, or the fact that we are excited that voter turnout is going to reach only 80%. Why is it that the 2008 Presidential Election is any different from the mid-term elections we will have in two years? Yet I can guarantee you that voter turnout in two years will be significantly lower than this election. As an avid GameTime, TBD© reader, I know you have read the United State Constitution. So you know that the Framers of this great nation made the Executive Branch of the government the weakest of the three branches, because we were trying to move away from the royalist model that put absolute power in just one place, and they made the Legislative Branch, or the "People's Branch", the most powerful. Since we live in a Republic (wait, you didn't think we lived in a Democracy did you?), the representatives we elect carry most of the power. So why then are mid-term elections treated like the ugly step-son? Since I turned 18, I have not missed a single opportunity to vote, not one. I have voted in three different presidential elections, three gubernatorial elections, including a recall, five school board elections, five congressional elections, and I have voted on a countless number of (stupid) propositions (usually "no" . . . but this is not the time for me to get into California's problems). I vote . . . even when my vote does not count.

Confused about that last statement? I cast my one vote for McCain, yet it will not impact this election. I cast my vote for McCain, yet everyone knows California's fifty-four electoral votes are going to Obama, just as they went to Kerry, Gore, and Clinton in years past. Somewhere in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, and Virginia, however, people are celebrating the value of their vote. That is the "beauty" of the Electoral College; first to 270 wins. This, I believe, is why voter turnout remains much lower in the United States than it is in other countries. This, in turn, creates a perpetual cycle of discontent with our government while making no effort to change things, until things get so bad we blame everything on one person (even things that aren't his fault), all-the-while ignoring the failures of the people whose job it actually is to take care of us, which results in a knee-jerk reaction against anyone and everyone even remotely associated with the national "villain", and gives nearly absolute authority to one party. Sure they might reduce the national debt, even while increasing government spending to never-before-seen levels, but that is only because they are going to tax us like we have never been taxed before (oops . . . started to get a little soapboxy there . . . my bad).

By now you are probably wondering why I am wasting your time. While, for starters, I hope you do not actually feel like I have wasted your time. More importantly, though, I am frustrated with everything that has gone on with this election. This campaign has gone on longer than any previous campaigns, and it has gotten more coverage than any previous campaigns. But are we really going to be better off because of it? Both candidates are promising you that if they are elected they will bring change to Washington because they know that is what you want to hear. And I am tired of it because, here is the thing: this one, single election is not going to change a thing. Our nation is facing serious issues, but these are not new issue. We face these issues year-in and year-out. This is not the first economic recession our nation has dealt with; this is not the first time a person's civil liberties have been attacked; this is not the first time we have been in an unpopular conflict. So why can all of our candidates get away with making it seem like it is? Only when we begin to demand more from all of our elected officials, not just the President, will things start to change. Only when every election, for every elected office, is as hotly contested as this year's Presidential election, will things start to change. It is time we demand that our public officials do there job or get of the way of those people who will. Do that, my dear readers, and I promise things will actually change.

Thus endth the rant.

Hey, Lay Off Old Thunder Guns

[Editor's Note: When I first got the idea of starting a blog, I promised myself I would use it as forum to entertain readers with an offbeat view on sports and pop culture. Being the modest person I am, I think I have done an excellent job thus far. That being said, today, for the first . . . and hopefully only . . . time, GameTime, TBD© ventures into the world of politics. I will not be actually talking about the merits of the candidates or who I think you should vote for and why; I do not believe it is my business to do so. But I have long been annoyed with this country's willingness to cater to the lowest common denominators instead of attempting to raise the standards. I tread lightly into this topic and I promise that, if you make it to the end, you will get what you are used to from the good people here at GameTime, TBD©.]

We here at GameTime, TBD© take pride in our ability to educate and entertain our readers. That is why every now and then I like to lead with a little trivia: What happened on this date in history (and don't go running off to wikipedia or thisdateinhistory.com . . . is that even a real site? . . . to cheat; if you think you know the answer, write it down and you will soon find out if you're correct)? [cue the Final Jeopardy theme music.]

. . .

Alrighty then, your time is up. Now, for those of you who wrote down "George Washington gave his farewell address" or "The Battle of Antietam began" or "Composer Ignaz Jakob Holzbaue was born" (okay, I looked that last one up), you only get partial credit. Yes it is true that all of those things happened on September 17th . . . 1796, 1862, and 1711 respectively . . . but that is not the correct answer in my world. The correct answer in GameTime, TBD© world is: on September 17, 1787 the United States Constitution was finalized and adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (I would have also accepted "U.S. Constitution adopted" for full credit).

Now, would all of you who got that correct please raise your hands. Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone? I am willing to bet that very few, if any, of you got the right answer. I mean, sure, the Constitution did not become our official governing charter until March 1, 1788 when the people of Rhode Island finally pulled their heads out of their collective you-know-whats and voted to ratify the Constitution, but that should not over shadow what happened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 221 years ago today. Let's face the facts, if the Articles of Confederation was still around (you remember the Articles don't you? You know, the first constitution of the United States? It was, after all, our governing charter for 7 years), we would not be in the same position we are today.

The reason I bring this up now is because politics today is based on the assumption that most Americans are oblivious to, and ignorant of, what our Constitution actually says and the powers it affords to the various branches (yes, there are three of them) of our government. All we hear throughout campaign season is our presidential and vice-presidential candidates declaring the things they will do and the reasons all of our problems are the other guy's (or girl's) fault. So I encourage all of you to take a half an hour, maybe a little more, and actually read the United States Constitution (and at least Amendments 1-10, 13-15, and 25). Then, when you are done, come back and tell me where the President gets the powers the candidates all claim to have during their campaigns. I also think House Speaker Pelosi needs to take a moment and re-read the Constitution (assuming, of course, she has actually read it) before she goes around placing blame for our Nation's problems; I guess there is a good reason why Congress' approval ratings are so low.

See, that is the true problem with politics today: campaigns are run on the basis of ignorance and fear; the belief that Americans in general do not know any better. Our politicians only want to tell you why everyone else is to blame for our problems.

And that brings me to the real point of this post (wait, what?): would everyone please lay off Ed "Thunder Guns" Hochuli? [Editor's Note: "Thunder Guns" is not actually Ed Hochuli's nickname, it's just a nickname I'm trying out around here. But is there anything better than watching a game officiated by Hochuli? A uniform that is one size too small, biceps bigger than most of the players, and an official who poses while making his calls (Holding . . . pause while flexing . . . on the offense, number 78 . . . pause while flexing . . . etc.). Thus, I believe "Thunder Guns" is a perfectly acceptable nickname . . . but I digress.] By now you are all aware of the fact that Hochuli made a bad call in the Chargers/Broncos game last Sunday, a game the Broncos ended up winning as a result. Hochuli apologized to everyone immediately following the game and took responsibility for the bad call.

Since then, the hottest bandwagon in sports has been the "Down with Hochuli" wagon, and it is being driven by the NFL. Fans are blaming Hochuli for the Chargers loss and the NFL has publicly stated that it will downgrade Hochuli for his officiating of the game. Yet everyone seems to forget that the Broncos still had to score and get the two-point conversion to win the game and San Diego's defense allowed them to do so. At the same time the NFL wants to keep quiet the fact that, despite the seemingly thousands of plays that can be reviewed with instant replay, an inadvertent whistle cannot be reversed. This was a rule not created by the officials, but by league officials, owners, and coaches. But instead of sticking up for the person in charge of enforcing those rules, the NFL seems to think that the whole situation is the fault of Hochuli, and Hochuli alone.

I do not buy it. I remain a Hochuli fan and I still believe he one of the best, if not THE best, official in the game. Ask anyone who has watched a football game with me, I get excited when I see "Thunder Guns" out on the field. I even hope that he is officiating the 49ers/Lions game this Sunday because I will be there and would love to see him in person (if any of you out there know how I could get a picture of me and "Thunder Guns" this coming Sunday, please contact me immediately).

So would everyone please lay off old "Thunder Guns"? Oh, and go read the Constitution.