Election Day 2008: The Least Important Election in History

Election Day 2008 will be remembered as the climax of one of the most elaborate, expensive and visible presidential elections in the history of the United States. Too bad that it will go down as possibly the least important election in the history of our country.

Not to sound too cynical, but what are the major differences between the candidates? Sure, you might actually believe that both are truly different and would approach things in a fundamentally different way, but that's really not the case. What this election boils down to is semantics. Let me explain.

At this point in our country's progression it should be apparent to all outside observers that what makes us tick is money. $$$. The Great American Dollar. As much as people chide one another over civil rights, foreign policy and morality, what people actually care about is how much money they can blow this Christmas on plasmas and PlayStations. The end result of this election is that the candidate who wins will spend more than this country has, which will just hurt the voter's bottom line in the long run.

Some people actually believe that the issues are what is driving our country. That's not really the case. Whether or not abortion is legal or not isn't going to change whether or not I go to school tomorrow, or, for that matter, whether a 17-year old is going to get pregnant from her 18-year old boyfriend. Whether or not public graduate schools accept under-qualified minorities to fulfill racial quotas didn't affect my decision to apply to and attend grad school. Whether or not the US ever invades another sovereign nation won't change whether or not TNT over-hypes the NBA's Eastern Conference for the 10th straight year. Sure, all of these issues might rile someone up, but they don't affect how we actually live our day to day lives. Whether or not we can afford to buy groceries, on the other hand, does.

Money means autonomy in America. Despite the "big brother" fear that McCain has instilled in his followers, the simple truth is that Americans want to be able to make their own decisions. The second a candidate says that the government will tell you what you can buy with your money is the last day he will be a viable candidate. We need to feel that sense of control - whether or not our money is devalued, whether we have enough money for non-essential purchases and whether or not we can even afford what we see for sale - as long as we know that we can do whatever we want to with the money in our pocket, we are able to confront another day.

Don't get me wrong about the issues - they are very important and affect many, many people, but that is on a micro scale. Some people will decide to enter the military based on who is the commander in chief and some people might use birth control if abortion clinics are closed down. Some people might even decide to start a business based solely on whether or not they would be required to pay health insurance for their employees. Then again, some people live their lives according to their daily horoscopes.

Americans tend to do what they want to with little regard to what anyone other than close friends think. Legalizing gay marriage won't make more people comfortable with homosexuality and increasing payroll taxes won't mean the end of small businesses in America. People adapt and move on, often indifferent to the policies and affairs of Washington. Until Congress actually passes a law that, in effect, eliminates a choice (such as, for example, charging a 50% tax on all small business) of a lifestyle, people will just get up and move on. Sure, some will blame Congress if their business fails after a tax hike, but the truth is that any increases in tax, unless drastic, are only a drop in the bucket of the daily dealings of any business. For every "blame" put on the government, there are countless other factors that are glossed over. As long as the government exists, though, it will always be a great whipping boy.

So, then, why doesn't this election matter? Because both candidates will have the same bottom line on the majority of American's pocket books. Both candidates want to spend, spend, spend. Both Obama's and McCain's health plans will cost over a trillion dollars over 10 years. McCain might spend more time in Iraq, but Obama will pour more money than the military uses into social welfare and affirmative action. Obama will raise payroll taxes and McCain will defecit spend. McCain's policies will benefit a few and hurt a few. Obama's policies will benefit a few and hurt a few. The vast majority, though, will keep doing what they are doing. Some will live and die in poverty. Some will live and die in riches. Some will work their way up and others will work their way down. Neither president will change what drives a man to greatness or despair.

Obama is a limousine liberal fighting for the ill-defined little man (who apparently comprises 95% of Americans). McCain is a Washington insider who knows how to work the system (in both the pejorative and positive sense). Obama's "change" is nothing more than lip service and a catchy press campaign. McCain's "experience" is nothing more than a devotion to an oversized federal government. Both misrepresent their own policies as well as their opponents. Both believe that the only way to "change" America is to start from the top. Both believe that they will lead the country to a new level of greatness, without realizing that they are both simply stepping in their forebearers footsteps. Whoever wins, the country gets the same.

Someday a candidate will run with a platform that actually espouses a plan that will change the way our government works from the inside out. McCain and Obama both simply promise to dress the outside in blue or red. Inside, we're still going to be the same where it counts.