Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater
A Futile Gesture
RECEIVED Mon., Feb. 12, 2018
Dear Editor,
In "The Tides of March" [News, Feb. 9], Mary Tuma wrote, "And let's not forget non-voters, the most troubling faction of the state's political landscape. During the last gubernatorial election, only 25% of the voting age population bothered to cast a ballot. Less than 3% of eligible Democratic voters showed up for the primary ... you know the adage: 'Texas isn't a red state or a blue state, it's a non-voting state.'"
Actually, in the most meaningful sense of voting, Texas is chock-full of voters who stay away from voting booths. Think about it – how many votes have you made in your life in a voting booth where your vote was the deciding vote? Almost certainly none. You personally have no power to make a change there.
But, how many people in Austin voted with their feet and moved from somewhere else with a more oppressive government to here, in order to get a better life? You do that, your vote has a 100% chance of changing your life.
I did that. I moved from Hawaii to Austin, in part because I was dismayed at the corrupt, avaricious government there, and the poor job prospects caused by all that. I don't vote at the ballot box here, because I don't want to waste my precious moments on such a futile gesture. If the handful of y'all who trust politicians too much manage to fuck things up here, I can just load up and move again.
So, contrary to Mary Tuma's assertion that us alleged non-voters are the "most troubling faction of the political landscape" – we're a big part of why Austin is a vibrant, great place to live. We vote in the most effective way imaginable. We voted to live here.
In "The Tides of March" [News, Feb. 9], Mary Tuma wrote, "And let's not forget non-voters, the most troubling faction of the state's political landscape. During the last gubernatorial election, only 25% of the voting age population bothered to cast a ballot. Less than 3% of eligible Democratic voters showed up for the primary ... you know the adage: 'Texas isn't a red state or a blue state, it's a non-voting state.'"
Actually, in the most meaningful sense of voting, Texas is chock-full of voters who stay away from voting booths. Think about it – how many votes have you made in your life in a voting booth where your vote was the deciding vote? Almost certainly none. You personally have no power to make a change there.
But, how many people in Austin voted with their feet and moved from somewhere else with a more oppressive government to here, in order to get a better life? You do that, your vote has a 100% chance of changing your life.
I did that. I moved from Hawaii to Austin, in part because I was dismayed at the corrupt, avaricious government there, and the poor job prospects caused by all that. I don't vote at the ballot box here, because I don't want to waste my precious moments on such a futile gesture. If the handful of y'all who trust politicians too much manage to fuck things up here, I can just load up and move again.
So, contrary to Mary Tuma's assertion that us alleged non-voters are the "most troubling faction of the political landscape" – we're a big part of why Austin is a vibrant, great place to live. We vote in the most effective way imaginable. We voted to live here.
Jim Henshaw
