Five Minutes to More of the Same

I had a notion of which two candidates would emerge from Detroit's special election last night.

I am not a partisan, I tend to vote on issues and not along party lines. I may not vote the popular way, but I vote my conscience.

And, after a bit of a hiatus, I do vote. I think of it as rendering to Caesar....

Also, I am fiercely combative against people who have so much to say but make no efforts to change the way things are.

That is kind of the way I feel about my fellow Detroiters right now. Not just that once again the vote has been based on name recognition (and I like the qualities the person stands for, don't fault me) and a detrimental loyalty. Last November 4th, I walked into St. Scholastica's gym and into lines and lines of people waiting to cast their votes. They had children, grandchildren, tried to sneak in cameras...but they were there. There to cast a vote that mattered. There to speak up for change and hope. I think I was number 430-something when I cast my ballot at about 5p.

Today, I was in the gym no longer than five minutes at almost 2p. I walked in, was validated, filled out my ballot, entered it, and left.

I was number 81.

So, while people ran home to find out what the President would say in his speech, Detroit marched on without its people.

If we don't elect the right people on a local level, what makes us think we will benefit from things that happen on a higher level?