The choices we make...(the election and stuff)

Went to the polls today, and there was a light, but steady, stream of voters. Perhaps more people voted early than expected, accounting for some of the apparent lack of urgency. In any case, had to vote, for Gov. O'Malley to remain in office, because the former governor Erlich is spewing nonsense about the health care legislation passed in Congress, claiming that it's bad for Maryland. Bobby Haircut doesn't understand that NOT having nationwide healthcare coverage is bad for Marylanders and other Americans. Of course, Republicans in other states are also aiming to attempt to roll back the healthcare legislation.

Frankly, I don't think any of the pundits and political prognosticators know how this mid-term election will turn out. The Republicans will gain some seats, but who knows how many, really, until all the ballots are counted. (Fairly, I hope.)

However, healthcare legislation (or lack thereof) is not the only issue that's affected, and been affected, by Republican governance. Take the issue of the Republican party and the NRA (please--never understood why the National Rifle Association is so obsessed with handguns). A recent Washington Post investigation mentioned that because of legislation passed in 2003 (by a Republican Congress), federal gun-tracing data is no longer publicly available. So, the results of choosing a Republican president and Congress years ago is still affecting us, in making it more difficult to trace guns used in crime.

Even more puzzling is another choice mentioned in that same article: (often) women choosing to purchase guns for others (often men), a practice referred to as a "straw purchase." Of course, these men are not legally allowed to purchase guns in Maryland, which is why they approach someone to be an intermediate. Of course, the question I ask is why you'd choose to remain with someone who asked you to buy a gun in the first place!

This isn't only a question of criminals getting their hands on guns illegally, as these guys, I believe, are testing the loyalty of their girlfriends. I say this because such guys can easily go to Virginia and buy a gun at a gun show themselves, as these venues are, unfortunately, still unregulated. It seems they're trying to find out if these women are "ride or die" chicks. The question is why any woman would choose to be one.

The choice, this or that, a question posed by the rap group The Black Sheep years ago in their song, The Choice is Yours.