Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Reluctant Campaigners

Well first of all congrats to the 'scarlet letter' posters. I sat back at watched you guys got at it for days on end. A war of attrition or maybe it was exhaustion...I was tired just reading all the back and forth.

Onward....

As I drive around Belize City, I see the Citco campaigners out and about. Small waves of red on Baymen, then eddies of blue on the northern highway. At first glance one would think that they are campaigning, but they are not. They are just being seen. "Profiling" as my hood folk say. Getting paid (I think) to wander and jaywalk.

Now I don't know what it is like in the towns, but in my untidy city it is more like no one wants their team to get the job. On my home street the blue shirted ones just walked pass me going in the front door with not even a hello. Not real effective campaigning or perhaps they thought I was red. But if I was a "reddy", then they should have stopped...isn't that the point of campaigning / canvassing...to talk to voters. They should have stopped to talk to me, because I don't know Chubby, but, but, but .....I hate Z. I was convertible, sway-able. They could have done a sales job on me. But alas, they didn't even attempt the sale so I am left with trying to write in "Private Citizen Spooner" on my ballot. I am a voter lost between dissatisfaction and candidate ignorance. Hey, I just realized ... I am a swing voter!!!!!!!!

Then I stop to buy some dog food at Pet Casa (shameless plug) and the red wave approaches....in the median of the road...not even on the sidewalk....showing utter disregard for safety. At first maybe we could say "we'll they were waving at people"....nope...the ones I saw, hid behind their placards when their friends passed. Are they avoiding the voters along the sidewalks? Are they so ashamed of the job their team has done that they don't want to be seen?Or are they just collecting a check. My guess...the latter.

So what are we to do ....who do I vote for? The one that doesn't try the hardest to loose? Trouble is, I think it might end up as a tie at the bottom, and I will be up Haulover Creek without a voting choice.

My choices are a red team rocked by scandal, internal strife and mismanagement.  A blue team that I don't know, don't want to be known and are a token effort by Queen St. Or not voting. Truly a no win for me, my city or my country.

I think it is time for another real party...another real choice. Paging Private Citizen Spooner...
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