Doing My Civic Duty

The economy is about to take another hit in three weeks when all the PACs and the Koch brothers will have nothing more to spend their money on until the next election cycle. I would imagine that most people feel the same as I do about robo calls, flyers on my doorstep and incessant posturing using glib sound bites that are repeated so often that I doubt if the politicians even hear themselves speak.

However, I did spend a couple of hours in line tonight to get free tickets to hear a former president speak on campus. Had it been a concert or a sporting event, fans would have been cursing and throwing things. Standing for well over an hour to get the line moving, then having only one computer to "register" folks for the ticket, and THEN starting 20 minutes late...well, you can imagine what the crowd's reaction would have been had we been tailgating prior to assembly. Steven saved my night, though.

We had beent here for what seemed like an eternity when a staffer offered us a chance to move to the front of the line with the promise of volunteering for the party at some point. Steven, a self-proclaimed philosophy major and third-party devotee replied, "So you expect me to do something for you just because you're holding a ticket over my head? What if I say "yes" then don't help"? The young lady looked positively affronted and said, rising to the challenge, "We'll keep calling" to which Steven said that he could turn his phone off.

"Well, if you're THAT kind of person," was all she could muster before moving off. It's ironic, but I was thinking the same thing...what a clever marketing tool/devious way to defuse a long wait. Steven became ny friend at that moment...mostly because I, too, was irritated at having an event so poorly organized: I mean the whole student union building was bulging with those who desired tickets...and on a school night!

As a postscript, having procured the desired pasteboards, I jokingly offered to sell them for a nominal fee, but college students were just too poor. A former student was at the end of the line, and I told him that if the 2,000 ran out before he got to the head of the line, I would consider lowering my asking price.

The tickets ran out.

Now, I'll have to stand in line for another chance to get into the building on the night of the event.

And me with a recently-repaired surgical knee.

What I give for my country.