Arrrgh! Just after I praised (mildly) the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for a good commentary, I find this piece of drivel by Neal Starkman -- You can't beat going to the polls. A (hold your nose) sample:

[D]on't you find it somehow empowering to see your neighbors voting? Isn't it a good reminder that we're all in this together? I've always thought that the polling station is one of those few places where you can actually see democracy working in its pure form.

Our lives are so complex. Shouldn't we at least keep a special day with a simple, distinct ritual that symbolizes the system we're proud of?

I think we owe it to ourselves to do that.

Earlier, he says:

When it [voting] becomes a matter of course, like balancing a checkbook or paying a bill or responding to a questionnaire, then it loses its significance.

Uh, earth to Neal ... more than half of the individuals eligible to vote in this country don't do so already (and if you'd like to roll around in the numbers themselves, the snoops at the Census Bureau offer a page full of voting and registration data -- checking out the reasons for not voting [XLS file] was informative).

So much for significance. And no way, no how do I want to be "all in this together".