SHAYALON.COM

Last week, whilst traipsing through downtown Boise, we were accosted approached by one of those poor people whose job it is to get people to sign petitions…

He approached us with “Are you registered to vote?”

I was pretty interested, because I thought he was registering people to vote.  So I responded enthustiastically.

“No, we just moved here and we need to get registered to vote!  It’s so cool that your out here!”

He looked really uncomfortable and explained that that wasn’t what he was out here for.

He wanted me to sign a petition asking that Ralph Nader and another independent candidate be allowed to be on the ballot in Idaho.

My initial response, and the one that carried me away from him, was “HELL NO!”

Because I truly believe that if Nader hadn’t been on the ballot in 2000, Al Gore would be the president now.  The world would be at peace and we’d all be driving flying cars and living in mansions.

1. Nader took votes from Gore.

2. Putting Nader on the ballot in idaho would have exactly the same effect as putting a Purple Ringed Tortoise on the ballot.  He’d get 134 votes that should go for Obama.  McCain will win in Idaho, because the majority of people in Idaho don’t like to think too much cuz it detracts from their enjoyment of NASCAR; they’ll let Bill O’Reilly do all the hard thinking for them.

So, I am torn.  The true democratic process means that whoever is running for president should be on the damn ballot.  On the other hand, if we carry that down the slippery slope, then anyone with an original party idea would have to be included on the ballot.  So we’d have, potentially, 200 candidates to choose from…

What I did was refuse to sign the petition.  I don’t want Nader on the ballot.  The last eight years stand in testament as to why…