Tomorrow is primary election day in Illinois. Lots of candidates, from Governor on down to ward flunkies. Illinois is a deep blue state with deeper corruption. The last two governors went to prison. A fascist turd disguised as a Democrat is Mayor of Chicago. The State’s pension system is a shambles. Illinois’ bond rating is nearing “junk” status. Wink wink, nod nod is a parliamentary formal sign of procedure in the legislative chamber down in Springfield, where a particularly rancid brand of political sausage has been getting ground out for decades now. The stench is reminiscent of Chicago’s “hog butcher to the world” days, though the end product is political pork for the pinky ring set.

Ah, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln, inarguably one of our greatest Presidents once practiced law in Illinois and ascended to the White House from Springfield politics . What would old Honest Abe now think of the state of affairs in the state that displays car plates with the slogan Land of Lincoln on each set? Hey, did I say Illinois is a blue, really blue state, as opposed to a  red state, which is dominated by Republican legislatures? Well, our former  governors of this blue state may be making license plates that tout Abe’s former residence here, but keep in mind, Mr.Lincoln was a Republican. But that was 150 years ago.  Republicans getting elected to high office in Chicago or Springfield these days are about a rare as a Chicago Cubs winning season.

All of these remarks lead to a robo-call I received today. It was someone from the Illinois Education Association (I’m an educator/union member) urging me to vote. Teachers and their unions tend to prefer blue over red, politically.  Me? I’m a Green Party/Independent voter more than anything, locally or nationally.  I expected the mechanically reproduced appeal on the robo-call to encourage votes for Democrats who, corrupt as they may be in this state, still largely refrain from union-bashing and scapegoating of teachers and other “public servants” as part of our economic problems. We teachers (and firefighters and cops) somehow are a special drain on state coffers, according to the Paul Ryan/Tea Party mantra for Republicans far and wide. Government workers are parasites. Leeches. Blah blah. Okay. Fear appeals. Please engage brain before reacting to such. Back to the recorded appeal. The message  was to vote, alright. To vote…for…one…of…the…Republican candidates running for governor! Most teachers union members are democrat-leaning, but for primaries, a voter can ask for any ballot, be it for blue, red or green candidates. . The appeal was for democratic voters to ask for the republican ballot in order to vote for the underdog candidate, not the front running guy. Why? Because the Republican primary candidate with the big bucks and the lead in the polls promises to go after our unions as part of a free-market utopian agenda. See above, Paul Ryan.

Well, I personally don’t want a republican governor who seeks to reduce my wages and strangle my union and destroy public education.Privatizing public education turns it into a for-profit operation. Talk about corrupting!  However, I am psychologically, emotionally, intellectually and even physically incapable of voting for a republican. Ever. And I’ve felt that way since long before the Tea Party wing-nuts hijacked the GOP. If I voted for a republican, even as part of a “Trojan horse” strategy, I’d feel filthy, and another kind of stench would fill my nostrils. Hell, I’m asking for the Green Party ballot, okay? Democrats are not what they used to be either, and I don’t mean for the better. Third party, anyone? Fourth, fifth party?

The irony. From Abe to this. 150 years ago, I’d have likely voted for candidate Lincoln. I’m sure I’d have  liked his platforms and proposals. Today’s GOP would run Abe out of town, though. Not conservative enough. Free the slaves? Abe, it’s free markets, not free slaves, understand? But other than climbing into a time machine and with a clean conscience actually being able to vote for an Abe Lincoln, I’m never, ever, not a chance, voting for a republican for any reason whatsoever. I’ll find that Green Party hopeful and again cast a protest vote. If the IEA wants its members to prevent big money from buying the governor’s seat and launching attacks on public servants, it’s just more evidence of how bad things have gotten. Ask the democratic rank and file members to demand campaign finance reform, not a republican ballot. If republican-leaning voters want to vote for a wealthy one-percenter even though 99% of us don’t benefit from such candidate’s ideas, then stupid is as stupid does eh?

The voters of Illinois–remember, it’s a Blue state– have been dumb enough to elect the same corrupt democratic office holders over and over, then bitch about them when they rob the pension systems while feathering their own nests. The public gets what they deserve. It’s a national case of voter apathy and/or idiocy. I’ll vote my conscience, okay? I’ll never live to see any substantive change, but at least I can walk out of a voting booth having thought for myself, and not bought into cheap fear mongering and pleas for me to vote against my instincts and informed opinions.

Honest, Abe. This state is brain-dead. Maybe the entire country. Is there a Zombie Party? There should be! Their members are on the scent of that fetid political sausage and somehow are sustained by consuming it. The rare healthier fare on the ballot just doesn’t whet their appetite. How could it?. These zombie/citizens  have really, really poor eating habits and dysfunctional olfactory systems. And tomorrow is one of their banquets.

Better stock up on the antacids.