Stressed and Frustrated

Stress has been defined as the confusion caused when the mind overrides the bodies desire to choke the living shit out of someone that desperately needs it.

I'm feeling a bit stressed today.

I hate politics. I hate the political process. Everything would be much better if I were dictator of the world for life - and could make all the decisions. But that won't happen, so the next best thing is democracy (or at least the democratic republic we have in the US - it isn't a true democracy, but close enough).

I'm tired of not having candidates that I can support, of being forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. (Which is why I so love the 'Vote Cthulu' bumper stickers - why choose the lesser evil). I'd love to point to someone and say "I want them to be elected."

On May 8th, we have yet another election. This one is actually about something I care about. It is a school levy vote - to provide funding for our schools. I don't like the school board, I don't like the way they are doing it, but I support the schools and don't have a problem paying for them. (It was so much easier when I lived in an apartment - vote yes on every tax on those frickin homeowners!)

The school board says that all extra-curricular activities will be cut if the levy fails. For us this means marching band. This is a big deal for my boys, so I don't want to lose it. So I'm pushing for it to go through - even got a yard sign last week, and worked the car show on Saturday for it. We are also putting out postcards in support of it. If it fails, then minimum is no band camp. It may come back in August, but by then it would be too late for the kids to go.

Today I get an email from someone I know who is against the levy. Actively against it. Campaigning hard again it. I don't know if it is him alone, or if there are more as well. I've talked to him before, and I can respect his differing opinion. I respect a lot of what he has to say, and I'm not sure he is wrong about some of the funding requirements. The web site he put up shows that the schools need a levy next year (so why is he against this one I don't know). What he needs to do is run for school board, so he can put in place the changes he wants.

I don't believe the school board can just say 'never mind' if it fails, and not make the cuts. If they did, then they would lose any credibility at all. So if his side wins, then band camp is gone. And I don't have a good feeling about it, because I don't see much of a push for the levy.

Thus, I am feeling a lot of stress right now.