Mom the Vote

There was an interesting article the other day on the influence of Mommy bloggers in the upcoming election. There's a Twitter campaign, #momthevote, aiming to spread awareness about party platforms and their stances on issues that are important to parents. Each of the major parties has decided they're going to be "family-friendly" with tons of promises being tossed around about how THIS party's platform is going to do more to help the little guys, the squirrels just trying to get a nut.

Maybe I'm a cynic. OK, there's no maybe about it, I *am* a cynic. I really don't think it matters who anyone votes for in the upcoming election. They're all full of shit and when you strip off the superficial layers, every government is so mired in bureaucracy there is little chance of real change. That sentiment sows the seeds of apathy, but I'd never suggest such a defeatist attitude. Every time I think that it's hopeless to try to affect change, I do what all rational people do - invoke Depeche Mode. Specifically the chorus of the song "Princess Di is Wearing a New Dress" (OH, how I just dated myself):

You can't change the world
But you can change the facts
And when you change the facts
You change points of view
If you change points of view
You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world

It's not one voice or one vote that changes the world, or the country as the case may be, it's the groundswell of a million voices demanding to be heard. Once again I'll be holding my nose and voting when I head to the polls. But dammit, I'll still head to the polls! It's the only voice I've got, and I owe it to The Parasite to use it. At the end of the day it doesn't matter who you vote for as long as you vote with your conscience. Our kids count on us to do the right thing all the time, it's part of showing them how to be functioning members of society. So read the party platforms, decide what matters for your family, and haul your ass to a polling station on May 2nd!