Primary Pests

We're about to elect a new state senator here in our district. We know this because there are helpful sandwich boards up all over town reminding everyone that the primary is next Tuesday. That and the approximately 2700 phone calls we've gotten about the election.

I can tell you without exaggeration that for the last few weeks we've gotten between 2 and 5 calls per day from the two democratic candidates' campaign offices asking us for whom we would be voting. Sometimes they are recorded calls from other political figures, sometimes calls from real live individuals at "The Committee to Elect So-and-So" and so on and so on.

All this is not only ANNOYING but reminds me of a fantasy I always have during this time of year. I should preface this by saying that I am familiar with our political system and therefore aware of the many reasons this would not work, but I love to think of it anyway.

What if, instead of making all these inane phone calls to ask me again and again who I was going to support, the well-educated, well-intentioned young people who I'm sure are on the other end of the phone were empowered to actually DO something? What if instead of bothering me during dinner they actually went out and spent those 4 hours SOLVING THE PROBLEMS these candidates claim to care about?

I LOVE to fantasize about a political campaign in which volunteers show up at the campaign headquarters only to be shipped off in vans to various part of the city to tutor children, fix up housing projects, provide transportation and companionship for the elderly, and upgrade green spaces in our city. Wouldn't that be the BEST? Wouldn't that make so much SENSE? Heck, give them t-shirts with the candidate's name on them if you'd got to do some PR. But do SOMETHING other than calling me all damn night.

It's sad that our political situation has become so ridiculous that mobilizing young people to create change means getting them to call people on the phone instead of participating in their neighborhoods and communities doing productive stuff.

In fact, I'm starting to get motivated to just go out and do some good stu......oh wait, I think the phone is ringing.....