Did you vote?

Don't worry, I swore I wouldn't not get political and risk upsetting any of my 3 loyal followers.  My post today isn't about Democrats or Republicans- its about the process.  I enjoy voting and always triple check to make sure I voted for the person I intended to vote for.  That night and the following day I am always glued to the TV to see the results.  It doesn't matter which side is winning, I am fascinated at the country we have become.   I know most are very upset about the direction of the country.  I get that there is a ton to be upset about.  Some say we went too far, others say we didnt go far enough.  Unemployment around 10% (probably the real number is higher) is way too much- regardless of who is to blame.  But when you look at what happened from a historical perspective, every two years shows what a great country we are.

The election season is vicious.  Anything is fair game.  Ben Chandler(D) is the incumbent congressman for Lexington.  He has been running ads about Andy Barr(R) being a convicted criminal.  Sounds awful, who vote for a convicted criminal?  Want to know what the crime is?  He had a fake id when he as 18.  Seriously.  Why would anyone go through the process?  God forbid when the opposing candidate starts attacking families.  It gets very personal, very cruel.  But it almost never goes past that (minus a few stompings by followers here and there).  No matter how cruel and how personal the attacks are, almost instantly after its over the loser steps aside and pledges loyalty to the city,state, country, that just them no.  That is amazing.  The peaceful transfer of power is a microcosm of how great this country is.  It isn't that way everywhere and hasn't always been the case here (see the Presidential Election of 1860). 

Yesterday (as it does every two years) reaffirmed my belief that this the greatest country in history. We have people who will sacrifice almost everything to serve in politics, people who volunteer that are willing to give the 'last full measure of devotion' in order to protect us, and friends who can disagree about the direction but shake hands when it is all over.  Not because of the threat of violence, not out of fear, but out of respect and love for this great country.

Tomorrow is a brighter day.