Majority Rules..

When I was a kid,the very first thing I learned about the concept of Democracy was that simple phrase,..'Majority rules'.

It's instantly understandable to even the very young,and perfectly elegant in it's fundamental fairness.

'Those that choose 'A'..raise your hands'.

'Those that choose 'B'..raise your hands'...

You may or may not have been delighted with the final tally,but you took comfort in the fact that your views had been acknowledged,and whatever the outcome,the majority of the group would be duly served,and cries of 'No fair!' would be rightfully abandoned.

When you're young,the consequences of the end result are generally benign.

..'Either we all go to the movies,or we all go to the beach'..Like that.

The second thing we learned about Democracy was the practice of 'Drawing straws'.

Leave the final decision to the whims of chance..

The prospects here,while 'fair' in their basic execution,tend to exclude thoughtful considerations,and are pretty much always far less appealing.

'Which one of us is gonna go in the crazy lady's back yard,and retrieve our baseball?'..

I think it's safe to say that anyone over the age of ten years,recognizes that 'Drawing the short straw' universally sucks.

Well,..we're all grown up now,but those two Democratic processes still apply.

We can get out and vote tomorrow,and actively participate in deciding which direction our Democracy is headed,..or we can opt to just stay at home,consign our future to the apathetic finger of fate,..and draw straws.