Upcoming elections- NO DEBATES

[harpfingers]

I just want to encourage all my fellow Americans to get out and vote this upcoming election, no matter who you are voting for. You can make a difference. We vote by mail here in Oregon, so my ballot has already been cast.

[Coda]

I vote "yes" to Harpfingers' suggestion. Touch that screen, punch that chad, pull that lever or fill in the circle...but whatever you do, exercise your franchise!

[russ]

I vote "yes" to Harpfingers' suggestion. Touch that screen, punch that chad, pull that lever or fill in the circle...but whatever you do, exercise your franchise!

Dittos to the above...please, get out and exercise your right and privilidge (that looks like it is spelled wrong) to vote.

[TheViolinSkirt]

Cliffs notes: I thought my vote wasn't going to count, but upon further investigation, it does.

[scielle]

Ah... glad to be Canadian...
In case you all need to be cheered-up (as I do at this time, having just read the latest), play this:

http://www.perfectgreeting.com/index.cf ... d=18465580

[TheViolinSkirt]

very funny scielle. thanks for the laugh.

[Coda]

Hi, Scielle:

Thanks for the humor. At least this time, the electoral college reflects the popular vote. All I can say is that I'll find it interesting to see how Mr. Bush deals with the next four years.

[harpfingers]

WOOHOO! That is all I have to say.

And to echo Lindsay's sentiments, My vote did count for some of our state measures. We had one that was tied 50/50 and still hasn't been decided on, very close. I feel like I really helped make a difference on a lot of our state measures.

[TheViolinSkirt]

actually, i was implying that my vote wasn't going to technically count... i had typed this lengthy diatribe about how i was told by the 'bookkeeper' that my name was not in the book and i could not vote on the machines. i had to fill out one of those paper 'provisional ballots' and was afraid it wasn't going to be counted in time. what i didn't understand is that AFTER the election, these ballots are counted for up to 10 days. Read: more ways to prolong the electoral process vol.1 Altho being in NY I didn't really need my vote to count... I WANTED it to. Oh well. I'm going to sink myself into a deep depression now...

[Rémi]

Lindsay,
Is this website you were talking about recently? Marry An American.

Now that George W. Bush has been officially elected, single, sexy, American liberals - already a threatened species - will be desperate to escape.
These lonely, afraid (did we mention really hot?) progressives will need a safe haven.
You can help. Open your heart, and your home. Marry an American. Legions of Canadians have already pledged to sacrifice their singlehood to save our southern neighbours from four more years of cowboy conservatism.

I don't see why canadians should be privileged, so I'm gonna create the Marry A Frenchman website!

[scielle]

Word has it American hits on Canada's immigration website have been up by 500% over the past two days...

[Coda]

After the election, did anybody see the satirical redrawn map of North America? I don't have the link for it, but it shows Canada and all of the states that went for Kerry (Great Lakes region and the coasts) as one country now, called "The United States of Canada." By the way, I was in Canada two weekends ago for an annual chicks' weekend with my sister. And the Canadian dollar has really gone up in value compared to the U.S. dollar since the last time I went to Canada. I think it just reflects what happens when the U.S. economy is stretched so thin and running a historic deficit that's being bankrolled by other countries. International currency rates don't lie.

[harpfingers]

Well, I think I will stay here. I actually like the country we live in. We have more freedom than any other place I know. LOL Put me in the conservative crowd. I was pleased with the election results. Morally/ socially I am conservative. But I feel like I am also fiscally conservative, pay for things as I go and avoid debt. However with elections, I felt like the moral issues were the most important issues to me personally, so that is what my decision was based on.

Hmm, Marry a Frenchman.... has a nice ring to it Remi. maybe more people will flock to Limoges instead of Canada. after all, the French have that cool accent.

[scielle]

Then there's this, from Moby, in the Journal secion of his website www.moby.com


'dear canada,
now, more than ever, your neighbor to the south(aka-the blue states)needs you. most of us living in the northern and western parts of the united states don't feel very connected to the rest of the u.s, so can we bring our states and become part of canada?
we have a lot of money and some interesting cities and we promise not to be too much trouble.
the benefits to you:
a-in one fell swoop you can have southern california and new york city! surfing in canada! suddenly the u.n is on canadian soil! broadway is suddenly in canada! you could then say that canada is the birthplace of jazz and hip-hop!
b-money. cold hard cash. the red states in the u.s might have the voting power, but guess who has the money? yup, your friendly neighborhood blue states.
so when/if you accept our offer you will instantly become the richest country in the world! that sounds pretty good, right?
c-karma. accepting this offer will give you more good karma than you'd know what to do with(because you would instantly make 120 million people VERY happy).
so you get warm beaches, tons of cash, and good karma. who can say no to that?
please let us know if you accept the offer. given our enthusiasm to join canada it's safe to say that the details of the offer could probably be worked out in an afternoon.
thank you very much,
moby
p.s-just to put your minds at ease, we do know that we can't bring our assault weapons with us.'

And BTW Coda, is this what you're talking about?

[Coda]

Yes, Scielle, that's the map. Harpfingers, I brought it up as a joke! However, I was quite serious about the currency rates reflecting the deteriorating value of the American dollar to the Canadian dollar.

There's been a lot of talk about people voting on moral values in this election. The truth is, even though I voted for a different person, I also voted based on my moral values. They were just different moral values. I think it just depends on what moral values you want to focus on. Both candidates have a proven record of changing their minds on certain issues, so that was a non-issue for me. I looked at other issues.

My two cents' worth...or maybe it's worth 1.5 cents today!

[harpfingers]

Yeah, I took the moving to Canada as a joke also Coda- no worries. It seems everyone in my neck of the woods - neighbors, people I see on a daily basis, seem to be a bit touchy this week...

Yes, they both did/do have a tendency to change their minds.... I vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt.... oops he is no longer living.

[Rémi]

Hmm, Marry a Frenchman.... has a nice ring to it Remi.

Note to myself:
Remember that women first think of jewelry before marriage.

[FrimFramMan]

...uh-got news for some of you "economists".
The U.S. economic engine can dwarf any other, hands down. Our capital/small business based economy is unique in the world.
Exchange rates may fluctuate, gasoline prices may soar, but-we'll survive, thrive, and emerge stronger than ever. Hell, folks-the economy of California is the 6th largest in the world. Combine that with Texas and it'd be even greater.
We sent a strong message to the world about where we are at this point in our history.
Learn it.
Love it.
Live it...

[Coda]

Hi, FrimFramMan:

I don't always agree with you, but it's nice to see you posting again.

[Coda]

Here's a little more economic news about the condition of the US dollar and what might loom for us in the States:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/561/5075222.html