Will two minuses make one plus?

Demetrios Rhompotis

About one third of eligible to vote Americans exercised their constitutional right this past midterm election! But don’t expect me to shed crocodile tears about the low turnout: au contraire, I would say it is a disgrace that so many did so! Once more those who managed to outspend the others (not just during this campaign, it’s a longer-term investment) got elected: we choose our “representatives” based on name recognition, like we do when we purchase one toilet paper over another, not on issues, although we might fool ourselves by pretending to take into consideration how soft or hard is one candidate (or toilet paper) on crime (or on our …ass)! I hate prognosticating when it comes to politics, because unlike the weather and sports, they have become contemptibly predictable, but in the near future officials will buy their positions, same way bishops did in the Middle Ages, and then extracted unbearable tributes from the people in order to make back the money they spent. In our time tributes are called taxes and the Middle Ages …Middle Class!

Now regarding numbers and cents, I don’t know what’s worse: the election result, or having the “pundits” talking about it for next two years! You tell me, as I had enough already and they just started!

To me the silent majority of the two thirds who didn’t vote is the real winner and that’s why the country is the real loser. This sounds like a contradiction, as in the previous paragraphs I appeared to applaud the low turnout, but the fact remains that the system is plagued with flaws that make our democracy look like an oligarchy even when it comes to voting numbers!

It is imperative that we all start working and contributing into remaking our system in a way that reflects our evolving reality-which happens to be different from that of the founding fathers. One first and simple step would be to change the day of voting and the location. We need to bring the polls where the people are and not vice versa. Saturday is the ideal day and hair salons the perfect venue because that is where people concentrate in massive numbers before they hit the clubs or gala events (if they are Greek Americans).

Now, by proposing something like that I will certainly be accused of favoring Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in general, but that is not case, you have my …words for it! I’m just trying to be creative for the …shake of our democracy! Speaking of frappucino, Starbucks could be another location and why not McDonald’s. Better …latte than never!

I mentioned before post-election analyses and my dismay about what I hear and see from various experts, but I can’t resist offering mine too, especially as that is my prerogative as I remain in full command of this post. Besides, one more piece of “wisdom” won’t make a difference, at least when it comes to the sheer volume of what’s out there. President Obama may not want “to read the tea leaves” as he said during his after election day press conference, but the fact is that the Tea Party won and Democrats suffered big losses. However, If the President wants to see the election results in mathematical terms, there is more than a glimpse of hope: two minuses (Republican House and Republican Senate) make one plus. What that plus could turn out to be, it remains to be seen …

PS
1) Truth doesn’t necessarily sets you free, it usually sets you up …
2) Wisdom should always be a starting point, not a destination or an end …
3) Historic novels are by definition contradictory! You can’t be both “historic” (old) and “novel” (new)! Unless you are …the Rolling Stones!