"My Vote is Voter Than Your Vote"

I realized yesterday that I still hadn't received my absentee ballot. I've stayed a registered voter in Michigan since, not only is it the best state, but I'm still unwilling to commit my life to anywhere else in the world for more than 8 weeks at a time. After such a dramatic buildup, I was worried America wasn't going to receive TJB's two cents on this election.

Luckily, I woke up this morning (at 1PM) and ran down to the mailbox to see my ballot shoved into it. AMERICA WAS SAVED! I STILL HAD TIME TO VOTE!

I quickly went through the ballot reading each name, doing some quick research on the state candidates and proposals, sealed that bitch up,

and found I had run out of stamps.

A friend of mine had posted a warning that one stamp may not be enough to mail the ballot (big thanks to Mykal), and I wanted to make sure my ballot would get there on time. I would have to trek to the nearest post office. This was going to be serious business.

I threw on my sunglasses and swagger, grabbed a Holiday red cup from Starbs, and strutted down the Avenue to make my voice heard.

When I got to the Post Office, I saw a posting on the door that said "CASH ONLY!"

Oh. Hell. NO. For those who know me well, they know that CASH ONLY is one of the things I hate most. Where are we living? What year is this? How do you survive being a business in NYC, let alone a government establishment, and get away with being CASH ONLY.

So, I went to buy stamps at the Duane Reade since the McDonald's with the surcharge-free ATM is under construction and I couldn't afford to pay $3 at another ATM for cash I didn't already have. I don't know if you've been in a Duane Reade in the past year, but every 2 minutes they play this obnoxious ad for those "Forever Stamps". Still, I have yet to enter a Duane Reade playing that advertisement that actually HAD any stamps.

This day was no different. The cashier was kind of enough to point me to the man who owned the street cart outside, mentioning he would have stamps.

Dear America, if the man who owns a street cart can get a hold of stamps, but big businesses can not, I am VERY confused. I wish that had been on the ballot somewhere.

PROPOSAL 12-4: GET SOME F*CKING STAMPS

So, since I refused to give cash to the man in the street cart who had a monopoly on stamps, I decided to pay the $3 to get $20 and crawl back to the Post Office. I was already an hour into mailing my ballot.

But I did it! And while I waited at the Post Office, I even got to spend the time in line making eyes at a cute boy (who seemed to be shipping all of his belongings elsewhere, so I guess we're not going on a date any time soon).

Which brings me to THIS America.

I think voting is one of the most private things we have left. I don't think it's anybody's business but your own and I have loathed and avoided any political internet postings. But we are living in a very crucial time in history, and I have struggled with my beliefs over this past election year.

Yeah, that's right. I'm a Log Cabin Republican. Suck it.

But my voting came down to this:

As much as I think a flaming Democrat is the most petulant child of all, and as much as I think Joe Biden is the smarmiest elf I've ever seen, and as much as I still wish John McCain had been President these last four years, I did some serious thinking. I thought about all of those annoying "Letters to My Republican Friends" and RainbOwbama postings Max Von Essex and that Keenan-Folgers kid tossed around like candy.

Then, I thought about the man I want to marry and the kids I want to have and the future I want to live free of judgment from anyone. When I was 19, those things didn't matter as much. And even though I don't want those things in the next 4 years, maybe I do in the next 8 or the next 12, but these next 4 are what I have a say in today, and I will not let anyone take my future family away from me.

So to my brother in the Army, and to my Republican friends in small-town Michigan, and to my economically conservative parents who love me more than anything, I am sorry we disagree this year.

I just want to love.

4 More Years,

TJB: Making It