my token political post

I'm excited for tomorrow. There's something that always washes over me when I go to vote. The sense of national pride and belonging to a nation that I feel when I stand in endless lines of people to make little, seemingly insignificant marks on a piece of paper. Most people don't know this about me, but one day, my goal is to work for the government. Maybe this contributes to my love of participating in elections. During the months leading up to the key November day, I hate politics. I hate the nothing statements and the broad, unspecific dreams that are painted, with no practical ways of fullfilling them. This is one of the reasons I want to work for Washington. I want to be a part of working for the fulfillment of those promises and ideals. But once the votes are cast, the real agendas and character comes out. I love this transition. Who knows if it's good or bad, but integrity starts to enter the scene on election day. We have actions to match up with words and see what's really being said. I love it.

That being said, I'm also thrown back to where I was during the last Presidential Election. I was still in high school, and spent 2 months being berated by faculty about why voting for Bush is the only choice that lines up morally for Christians, and if you vote for Kerry you're an awful Christian (to be fair, only one person made this statement outright). Even though I wasn't able to vote, in nurtured a rebelliousness in me. Now I'm in medical school, where most people's number one issue will be healthcare reform and other related issues. I'm in a place where it's the assumption that everyone's voting for Obama. It's a pleasant place to be. I usually choose not to engage in these discussions, but it's fun to listen to people talk knowing that my opinions are actually the majority.