We'll see

I suppose I should comment on the Presidential election that is coming to a close as I type this. Truthfully, I’m not sure what to say. We have been very busy, and somewhat isolated, and I haven’t felt nearly as informed about the day to day news as I would like. All I know is that as of right now it is a very close race. By the time you all read this it will be decided, and I’m sure you will be aware of the outcome long before most of us.

My personal opinion is contrary to the majority of those I am serving with. I believe strongly that George W. Bush deserves to be fired. At the same time, however, I am very doubtful whether Kerry deserves to be hired. Either side’s victory will do little to please me. I don’t think that the two candidates are as different as many people hope. I guess that’s the nature of the political game of compromise; our leaders tend to excite us with rhetoric while in reality tending to slip comfortably to the middle.

Many of you know that I am (philosophically) a libertarian at heart. I want nothing more than to have the government take as small a role in my affairs as possible, giving me the maximum freedom to make my own way through life. I don’t feel that either party will make this possible. All politicians seem to want to tell us how to live our lives. I tend to believe (no matter how naïve and optimistic it might seem to some) that individuals know what they need and how to achieve it better than any bureaucrats possible could. Government tends to frustrate these ends more than it tends to help us reach them. But that’s just me, and I digress with political ramblings.

Before the night is over we will know who our leader will be. I just hope that whoever he is, that he quickly ceases the political partisanship and fiery rhetoric and looks for real solutions to this country’s more pressing problems. On the forefront to myself and those around me, is the current situation in Iraq. The benefits and costs that will result from this election remain to be seen. I reluctantly cross my fingers.