I personally am a firm Independent (some might say Constitutionalist) and I’m extremely jaded to the very partisan nature of our political system. All the more then I feel the responsibility falls to the voter then to do the research themselves and decide on their own who the better candidate is. I also feel that the responsibility of the voter is to vote what is best for the nation, even if there are some aspects of that choice which might impact that voter negatively. I make this argument because I feel that if the nation is prospering fully then each individual has better opportunities to proper as well. So what might seem as a potential negative impact to that voter will actually benefit them, given some time.

That said I will come right out and say I have no doubts that Obama is the president that the United States needs at this time.

So, I went to my local polling place first thing this morning to take care of my civic duty. I manged to go at a good time. Just after the initial rush and before the second wave showed up so I only had to wait in line about 10 minutes. I cast my ballot for Obama/Biden and then walked out of the polling place with a smile on my face. I felt good. The weather was and is beautiful here today. It feels like this will be a good day.

A couple notes about Michigan proposals. I voted in favor of medicinal marijuana and for additional stem cell research. For the first proposal I feel that the law was structured in a responsible way and further more I am against the criminalization of most all drugs. That’s not to say I’m personally pro-drug, I just feel that there are more constructive ways of dealing with people who have drug abuse problems than the criminalization of it. For the second I rather strongly feel that stem cell research is an important area of medical and bioscience research that has wide reaching implications for the future. Michigan of all places which needs to move (quickly) to an inovation based economy needs this to pass.

And while it’s 50 (a heatwave compared to how it was just a couple weeks ago) I still want more. This little preview of full blown Spring and Summer has got me impatient for long days, shorts and patio furniture. Still even this is great. We’re past those 3-4 months of weather suck and on to the truly great weather that we can have here in Michigan. Sure the summers might be a little sticky, but then again at least it’s not Houston. (Sorry Andy.)

But it just means the Spring will be that much more welcome. A favorite memory of mine from college was going on long drives with my buddies in early Spring. The trees just starting the bud and the ground throwing off the shroud of salt. The sun shining brighter than you remembered it could; flip-flops in 55 degree weather. And of course finding a random pub off the beaten path at the halfway point, signaling that it’s time to head home with the stomachs full.

These last four weeks of Winter are the hardest to put up with.