Election 2008: I'm James Mar and I approve of this message.

It's Time. What I learned from this movie:

Q: How many times can Tony Leung Ka Fai grunt after continuously getting his skull caved in with a large rock?

A: 14, I counted.

With the 2008 American Presidential Elections a week away, I thought I'd share a few words about this process.  The practice of voting is instilled in Americans even at a young age.  In schools, we vote for all sorts of things like class president or prom king/queen or "most likely" polls or whatever.  Though these "class presidential" elections rarely ever felt like they were anything more than popularity contests.  They never quite got to the lying, bribing, scheming, and slanderous levels of trashy politics like I've seen in this:

Well, actually, I did feel a minimal level of manipulation from some of my classmates during their desperation.  But that's democracy for you. 

It wasn't til I actually paid attention to real U.S. government elections that I got to see more of that.

I never really got interested in politics until after college since that's where more real adult world concerns come to surface.  In theory, I never really and still don't believe in the "one vote makes a difference".  The winners get announced before every vote gets officially counted and we go by state electorates.  The collective vote makes a difference.  I can understand why the mass promotion for individualism in the voting process is pushed however, even if ironic.  So anyway, I still vote mainly for the ideal.  Not because I believe my vote will turn the tide of an election.  Personally, I never really noticed dramatic effects of a newly elected official has had in my life.  I really don't place that much power for cause and effect in these people.  They're not dictators.  Senate has it's part too.  I often believe whatever happens would've happened either way whoever was in charge.  That most events are a matter of circumstance or a result of unforeseen consequences from choices in the past.  All choices are gambles.  Some lose some pay out.

I think my first real US governmental vote was for the 2003 California Governor election.  I was disappointed by that election because I felt many people voted based on the celebrity popularity of Arnold. 

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdIjJ8efftThis is the guy we've put in charge of California for the last six years.

Though I think I voted for him in 2006 just cause the other choices sucked worse if you can believe that.  It just goes to show, you really don't need any qualifications to be in or run the office.  Isn't America great?  I mean at least our state hasn't imploded under his watch. 

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LazUZz3K6IY And if I lived in Minnesota, I could've voted for America's own CAPTAIN FREEDOM!

I don't look to non-intellectual celebrities as a legitimate political voice, I look to them to entertain me.  Fame's voice is often given more weight than it's actual worth, which is just someone's opinion.  And that can be used or abused. 

I also voted for the 2004 Presidential Election.  This election, I have my own viewpoints and opinions, but that's something I'll mostly keep private.  Reading other people's blogs and watching the "news" really upsets and scares me.  There's definitely bias in the news on both sides, people are so angry and crazy on the left and the right, it's blind negativity as well as blind positivity is driving people to uncivilized madness or seemingly mindless devotion.  I'm not going to tell you who to vote for as I think this is something people should decide for themselves.  It's too late anyway.  I also don't believe in sending money for funding vanity campaigns or mass "paid for" propaganda.  I think it's obscene the millions these candidates receive and spend for the purpose of perks and swaying others who allow themselves to be influenced by info-mmercials or smear ads.  To think that a campaign's success owes as much or more to it's wealth than it's ideals is totally wrong to me.  It's unfortunate the way journalism, commercialism, and entertainment have all intermixed in the media to becoming biased propaganda, angry rants, and idiotic name calling.

More than a candidate's apparent charisma or incompetence, what matters most to me is where I stand on issues and who matches them most?  I can't rely on the news or the candidates.  There's so much crap all over the place it's impossible to follow or tell who's telling the truth, let alone figuring out where they truly stand.  I've generally known were I stand but for fun I've taken some politics tests and you can too:

http://www.moral-politics.com/ http://www.politicalcompass.org/test http://typology.people-press.org/typology/ http://www.kieskompas-usa.nl/ Based on these tests, I usually rate close to centrist with conservative right leanings. 

When all this insanity is over and our new candidate is sworn in, I'm a realist for these guys so I'm gonna say he'll definitely make mistakes in the next four years.  Big ones.  The same people who gushed over whoever gets selected and mocked the opposition will keep their mouths shut when it happens.  But I also have faith whoever gets selected honestly loves America and that will be enough for them to do ok.  But I'm not expecting much.  Till the next head bashing.