Even numbered years

Sometimes I wish I lived a place so remote, no one could ever find me. I dream of a small cabin in the woods, with no mail box, no phone, no TV, no Internet, just me enjoying God's splendor. Kind of like the Uni bomber's cabin, without the manifesto and explosives. This scene seems particularly appealing to me in election years, right about June and then again in November.

If you haven't noticed, along with pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, the election cycle for 2010 has started in earnest. My mailbox now contains one campaign mailer a week and I am getting at least one phone call asking to contribute to someone's campaign. As for email, my inbox is now being filled at a rate of seven or eight per day.

One thing about being a political junkie, I get email from everyone. If you write to your local congress critter about an issue, you are now on their email list. I'm not sure how candidates find me, but I know what Steve Poizner, Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, Chuck Devore are doing every day, even if I don't care to know.

Each week I receive solicitations from every political action committee imaginable. The NRA, National Republican Congressional Committee, pro tea party, anti tea party, even the Sierra Club, a while back. How I made it on their mailing list is a mystery, probably one of my friends playing a trick on me, and them. I cannot understand how the US Post Office is going broke with all the political junk mail being sent out by the metric ton.

I guess all this direct marketing works, why would they do it otherwise? I understand that to run for a statewide office takes millions of dollars, but whatever happened to getting in front of voters and answering their questions? Whatever happened to holding town hall meetings? Why do I need ten or twelve pieces of glossy literature telling me a certain candidate stands for truth, justice and the American way, while their opponent likes to kick kittens for fun?

Why not let your results speak for your abilities. Flowery speeches and focus-group approved messages seem to be the way to win an election today, but the only way to know what you stand for is to look at your past results. Do you have any real results, or do you talk one way on the campaign and govern another way in office? Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution?

To all the office seekers out there, let me save you a bulk-mail stamp or two. If you want my vote, come get it.

You know where I live. If you want my vote, why not show up for a town hall meeting in Woodland, or better yet, a debate with your opponent. If I can’t count on you to show up and listen to my concerns when you want something from me, my vote, I doubt you will listen to my concerns once you get into office.

We live in a representative republic. If you want to represent me, you might want to know where I stand. You can't do that with a mailer.