I am really going to miss all those signs..........

   I am really going to miss those campaign signs along the side of the road now that the election is over. They added such color to the scenery and lots of distraction to my driving.... all for expressing the true spirit of democracy in  local towns and cities. In reality, the signs represent the new democratic process, the election process where money can and can not influence  voting. I have no idea how much each candidate in our state spent in this year's election, nor do I really want to know.The figure would be scary.  I  expect the amounts would be staggering. I can only imagine how some of those dollars might have been used toward  some worthy local cause or  a local food pantry.

   I am really going to miss the daily phone calls, especially the ones around dinner time. Do these people ever eat? Have you tried to ask a question or ask to be placed on a 'do not call list.' The voice on the other end just keeps talking. Oh! Wait! Those are automated calls. There is really no one on the other end of the line, it's just a recording. I especially like the ones where the recording is obviously done by someone 'from away.' Can't the candidates at least find a person with a bit of a New England accent instead of someone from Alabama or Georgia, or from over seas, a person who knows where Maine is on the map?
   Just as aside, the night before the election two calls came to the house, all recorded in French. Now I know my last name can have a French twist, but.... come on folks. French! 

   I am really going to miss going to my mailbox to collect the piles of print advertising  deposited each day. Toward the end of the campaign it seemed as though I was getting two or three pieces of the same material from the same candidate on the same day. They must have had some leftovers. Now the only pieces of mail in my mailbox are the monthly bills and the Christmas catalogs, lots of them. Ah...transitions!

   I am going to miss people banging on my door, again usually around meal time, asking me to vote for the candidate they represent. I  never did see an actual candidate. If they really want my support, it might help if they didn't come around at lunch or dinner time. If they really want my support, they could pick up the extra rake and help me rake the leaves for a few minutes or help to shovel the snow from the early winter storm.

   What I will miss the most, however, are the endless number of ads on television and in the newspapers. If there is that much commercial time available, perhaps the television producers could see to add a few extra minutes to the actual show. It would be great to have a few extra minutes of "The Blacklist" or "How To Get Away With Murder" instead of the candidates berating each other in what was suppose to be their negative-free campaigning. But, silly me. (Speaking of how to get away with murder....)

   One does not need to be an expert in political affairs to know this may go down as one of the most expensive campaign seasons ever in Maine. One does not need to be an expert to know that the real winners in this election or any recent election for that matter are the advertising agencies, the printers and media specialists and the consultants hired by the candidates for their political party. Whether a candidate wins or loses, they still get paid and depending upon their success, a win  might insure future work for the next election.

   While both political parties and  candidates, along with a few independents, talk of improving the economy and job creation, it seems the biggest job creator is the American political system itself, with its skyrocketing cost and what now seems like an endless campaign cycle. Already, with election day only a few days behind us, many are already getting ready for 2016.
   Can we just get through the holiday advertising season first!!!!!