A Political Conundrum
The Illinois primary election is February 2, 2010, Groundhog Day. All the political 
groundhogs will forage for food – votes. The right to vote is a key element in a democratic society. I am not a politically active person, but I do vote in the general election held in November and sometimes in the primary election. After careful consideration, I decided not to vote in the primary this year. The main reason is that a voter must declare a political party and is allowed to vote only for candidates of that party. Another reason is the overwhelming number of people running for various offices. The governor’s race includes 13 candidates representing the Democrat, Republican, Constitution, Libertarian, and Green Parties, as well as two Independent candidates. The lieutenant governor’s race includes 14 candidates representing the Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, and Green Parties. To analyze the positions of each of these candidates would be a task similar to writing a doctoral dissertation. The money spent on these campaigns is an astronom
ical waste. Do the Constitution, Libertarian, and Green Party candidates, and also the Independents, truly think they have a chance of winning? I could easier climb to the summit of Mt. Everest! Each day, we receive a number of telephone calls with recorded messages requesting our vote for a particular candidate. One call’s command was, “Press 1 for an important message.” If I had done this, I probably would have been connected to someone in the Dominican Republic at a cost of $2,000.00 per minute. I always said I wouldn’t vote for anyone who called or left flyers on our front door. There’s no one left to get my vote! The real question is WHY would anyone want a political office in the State 
of Illinois, a state that is beyond broke? Maybe it
’s because a political position in Illinois may lead to a federal job – President or prisoner! It’s a perfect example of the 19th century adage, “To the victor belong the spoils.”
The Illinois primary election is February 2, 2010, Groundhog Day. All the political 
groundhogs will forage for food – votes. The right to vote is a key element in a democratic society. I am not a politically active person, but I do vote in the general election held in November and sometimes in the primary election. After careful consideration, I decided not to vote in the primary this year. The main reason is that a voter must declare a political party and is allowed to vote only for candidates of that party. Another reason is the overwhelming number of people running for various offices. The governor’s race includes 13 candidates representing the Democrat, Republican, Constitution, Libertarian, and Green Parties, as well as two Independent candidates. The lieutenant governor’s race includes 14 candidates representing the Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, and Green Parties. To analyze the positions of each of these candidates would be a task similar to writing a doctoral dissertation. The money spent on these campaigns is an astronom
ical waste. Do the Constitution, Libertarian, and Green Party candidates, and also the Independents, truly think they have a chance of winning? I could easier climb to the summit of Mt. Everest! Each day, we receive a number of telephone calls with recorded messages requesting our vote for a particular candidate. One call’s command was, “Press 1 for an important message.” If I had done this, I probably would have been connected to someone in the Dominican Republic at a cost of $2,000.00 per minute. I always said I wouldn’t vote for anyone who called or left flyers on our front door. There’s no one left to get my vote! The real question is WHY would anyone want a political office in the State 
of Illinois, a state that is beyond broke? Maybe it
’s because a political position in Illinois may lead to a federal job – President or prisoner! It’s a perfect example of the 19th century adage, “To the victor belong the spoils.”
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