Friday, October 31, 2008

Problems at the polls, and other voting concerns

People have been early voting in numbers that are historic, which in my opinion is momentously great!
But...every night on the news it's one glitch after another on counting those votes.
A few days ago the top story was about some absentee ballots not counting if... you signed your name incorrectly; the example given was signing Mike for Michael! I’m so fortunate; I guess that my name can only be spelled one way.
Crazy and nit picking, don’t you think?

Now another controversial situation was brought up about the mentally challenged living in group homes being registered to vote; the confusion seems to stem from if whether or not they are capable to understand what voting is all about and who the candidates are as well as where they stand on different topics of concern for all Americans.
A mother of two of these special people said that even though they are respectively old enough, at 19 and 32 years old to vote; they can not read or understand the process, and therefore her concern was that the person who registered her children, which she is still the guardian of and did it without her permission, she feels that this person may think that they have the right to tell her children who to vote for.
She definitely has a point.
But as far as the rest goes, do any of us really know?
Honestly, I never thought of this as a problem, but she is absolutely right.
Perhaps, too many group homes registered for the 2000 election that would explain a lot.
Sorry!
Not very politically correct, but being a former volunteer that worked with special people and one who also helped out with Special Olympics… they would actually be laughing at that too!

Another news blip on my radar was the local man in the motorized wheel chair suing over 140 time’s different business in our area for not following the ADA for access into their stores. I really can’t blame him. Being with just a cane, but I too was in a wheel chair for a while about ten years ago… access is everything. Even with my cane so many older businesses in the area have too high thresholds and don’t seem to realize that not giving access to everyone like the law states loses them customers more than likely with money they want to spend. It is wild in the times we live in that these obstacles have not been addressed sooner since the law has been in affect for decades already. He says so far he hasn’t made a penny and that isn’t why he is doing this, it’s to change things for access for all!
I hail him and wish him well and encourage his reasoning that others should take on this fight right behind him; don’t settle for things at the status quo.
Below is my toughing it out cure. Hope it helps us all. If you say it like a mantra, over and over.

"Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."

Good night to all and to all think just four more days, and all this craziness will be over!

Speaking My Mind: Which way will the war go?

Speaking My Mind: Which way will the war go? :   My eyesight is going again... in case you missed it... Netanyahu snaps back against growing...