I was reminded that once there were two kinds of railroad tracks in the country.  Narrow gauge was the only available kind of track at the beginning of the use of railroads for they were in difficult terrain and old cities with narrow streets.  Later, with the success of steam-driven engines capable of pulling long lines of cars plus a caboose across the country, the wide gauge tracks actually made this country.  But the allusion to and the use of two different size tracks only points up the size of democracy on a smaller local scale to the democracy on the very large scale in countries and the world.  We have State systems, county and city systems and down to the smallest variety, the kind of “democracy” you find in the self-managed condominiums in apartment buildings and school boards.

I had the opportunity to speak with a newly elected member of our condominium and mentioned the meeting that will be held tonight.  This lady was reelected to the Board of Directors and grimaced when I mentioned the name of the President.  I saw this and said that this President was not automatically elected for another year term as the Directors were.  The Directors elected the officers including the President.  The Board may have been automatically elected because there were nine of them for only nine threw their hats in the ring.

The thought of the present President claiming the right to again be the President was distasteful to her and to others on the old Board.  There was, however, no plan to replace him with a better or different officer.  Anyone may run for that or any other office.  Democracy on a small scale or on a narrow gauge is unfamiliar to us.  We think in terms of the political machines of the Republicans and Democrats that are on wide gauge tracks and run at full speed through the venues that will have the power to influence the way the U.S. election will go.  It is obvious that elections are influenced by early results and these, along with the aid of partisan media manipulation can elect someone the majority of voters did not want.  This was true in 2001 and who knows what will happen in 2008?

What is distressing is the lethargy of people who want others to do the work for them.  It is almost too much to ask them to think about, much less do anything about it when election time comes.  They are influenced by innuendo, actual lying and rush to get on board the loudest band-wagon around.

Narrow gauge elections are just as stupid and ineffective as wide gauge elections on a national scale.  Conventional wisdom is just as wrong in both instances.