☀️Vanity Sun

Friday, October 28, 2022 - Vol. 01 No. 23

Sean Higgins

Oct 28, 2022

When life gives you a treadmill, take this week’s issue of the Sun with you.

☀️Vanity of vanities, all (voting) is vanity.

I have not always voted when I had the chance. Most of the time it wasn’t because I was trying to make a point by my abdication; it wasn’t congenital persnicketyness. I just didn’t make it a priority. And that’s a problem.

Voting is only as pointless as our lives. An ancient and inspired sage once wrote, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanishes away.” This is not a lesson on nihilism, that Nothing matters. It’s a reminder that we’ve only got so many votes left. Yes, the context is bigger than politics. The truth applies just as much to those living in Banana Republics as to those in Representative Democracies. The point still stands: here you are in all your mist-o’-the-morning glory, so do something.

You can waste it. Lord knows how many ways there are to wee away our wee lives. Instead, why not care?

An even ancienter sage urged the wisdom of living before dying. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, wither thou goest.” In fact, if you’re not careful, you’ll end up in eternity with a bunch of dirty politicians.

Our own beloved WA State is historically Blue. Bah! Humbug! Even Democrats have to be having their own brand of internal conflicts these days between the price of gas and supporting Tesla. Governor Inslee (D) declared emergency executive powers on February 29, 2020, and that “emergency” finally ends this coming Monday, October 31; that’s 975 days. Though his seat isn’t on the ballot this November, we could at least — Deo volente — vote some other legislators into positions to make it so that we will never be lorded over like this again.

“But my vote doesn’t make a difference.” Local turnout in the August Primary (less than 38%) suggests that it’s citizens who aren’t making a difference. An un-cast vote is a kind of vote, but not a very useful one.

“But elections aren’t fair.” I appreciated a comment by Mark James, who is running for WA 38th Position 2, regarding election integrity, at least in our state systems. He said that if he didn’t have confidence in the counting, he wouldn’t bother running. We should put the counters to work.

Our life together is a res publica, a “public affair.” We live in a Republic, and that comes with the responsibility to mark our ballots. It’s not just insanity, but futility, to keep doing the same nothing election after election and expect different results. May your life-as-vapor be viscous and your votes be vermillion.

☀️November 2022 Midterm Election Recommendations

by Ben Smith (see a short bio of Ben with voter’s guide he provided for the Primary in the Sun No. 09)

Time for the Midterms...again. We're casting the votes, tallying the checkmarks, looking for names we recognize, and checking for that all-important letter after the name. Because, let's be honest: who really feels good or godly about voting for any candidate in WA State who has a (D) next to their name on the ballot after everything that's transpired after the last 2 years? Or the last several before that. Or the last few decades? Have you READ the Democrat Party platform?

So, as I am in my own right and sound mind, and am acting in my own volition, in my way of thinking (take that as you will), I recommend that you go out this year and vote Republican (R/GOP) as if our sweet shining-eyed kids' and grandkids' lives might someday depend on it. Not that I'd make a different endorsement any other year in Washington, in all honesty.…Definitely prepare to do the same in 2024, too.

That being said, TO BUSINESS:

US Senate - Tiffany Smiley (R)

US House - Vincent Cavaleri (R)

WA Secretary of State - Julie Anderson (NP) *

WA 38th Position 1 - Gary Kemp (R)

WA 38th Position 2 - Mark James (R)

WA 38th Senate - Bernard Moody (R)

WA 39th Position 1 - Sam Low (R) *

WA 39th Position 2 - Carolyn Eslick (R)

Snohomish County Prosecutor - Brett Rogers (R)

Notes:

* Secretary of State: As you may have noticed, I recommend voting for Julie Anderson (Non Partisan/NP) for WA Secretary of State. The Democrat, Hobbs, is a very extreme individual, and Anderson is certainly less so. No Republican made it through the jungle primary unfortunately. For many years the Secretary of State has stayed Republican; it is the last firewall we've had preventing complete Democrat statewide executive control over the levers of WA State policy.

* WA 39th Position 1: This is a race between the two Republicans (Sam Low and Robert Sutherland) who made it through the jungle primary, in this case, eliminating Democrat candidates. I am recommending going with Sam Low. He'd be really effective at winsomely peeling away the best Democrat legislators from supporting the worst positions and bills in Olympia to instead vote responsibly, in a similar manner as here in Snohomish County on the County Council.

☀️Miscellanies

There were twenty votes in last Sun’s poll about Halloween in Marysville. That’s a .08% reader participation percentage, but 95% of those who participated don’t want to get rid of the holiday but think it could be even better.

How about a new poll? The Sun reported on May 27 that Elon Musk was seeking to purchase Twitter. The deal is done; it’s starting to sink in. What do you think?