The Final Days of the Fall Presidential Campaign

To vote or not to vote? That is the question

Whether it is nobler in the citizen, to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous political commercials,

Or to take umbrage at a sea of insults, and by turning off, end them?

To run--to hide

No more;

And by hiding to say we end the shallow arguments, and the thousand petty pleas the registered voter is heir to: ‘t is a consummation devoutly to be wished. To run--to hide--to hide! perchance to dream until this election’s over--

Ay, there’s the rub; For in that turning off what dreams may come,

Of nuclear war and deficits and dictators and hunger,

Must give us pause.

The spurns that patient waiting for a discussion of the issues takes;

When Bush and Dukakis both might their quietus make with applause from the electorate.

Who would politicians bear, to moan and groan under the incessant drone of non sequiturs,

But that the dread of something after turning off--

The unfulfilled potential, from whose loss recovery may not come troubles the voter,

And makes him rather vote for those we have

Than fail to vote, inviting other ills we know not of?

Thus duty doth make cowards of us all

And thus the native hue of patriotism

Though sicklied o’er with the pale cast of candidates

Doth drive us to the polls--

America, in thy dreams that “cease beyond the years”

Be all thy voters blessed.

With apologies to William, the Bard

GAIL FUNARO

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