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I've already written several political posts about the US presidential race, which is several too many for a blog which is supposed to be technology oriented. I sincerely hope this is my last, but honestly I can't promise it will be.

Even without the recent financial crisis (and I do not mean to belittle it in any way), and even setting aside for a moment the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (of course a ridiculous thing to suggest), we are now at a historic crossroads. That seems like an obvious understatement given the rise to power of China, the reemergence of Russia, and the uncertain influence of the EU. Then there's the increasingly precarious position of the US, which is not rooted in recent problems but a misguided educational system, an increasingly corrupt government, and a willingness on the part of the people of the country to buy into partisan politics, supporting political parties the way we do professional sports franchises, blindly and without considering any factor other than the uniform they wear and the likelihood that they will achieve some measure of success.

For all of the complaining about fallacious political ads and bias in the media, it is certainly true that we have never had better access to the candidates than we do with this election. The information you need to make an informed decision is available, you just have to be willing to pay attention for longer than a 30 second sound bite or particularly outlandish quote pulled out of context.

If I could appeal to everyone who has a vote this election, I wouldn't try to convince you to vote for my candidate; I'd simply ask you to pay attention to what the candidates themselves are saying and doing, both the good and the bad. Ignore the political ads or take the time to investigate any claims that are made. Try to identify the flaw in the arguments being presented. If you're of the opinion that one of the candidates is completely right, then you're probably not considering the issues carefully enough. The issues involved are complex, there are no simple right answers. Finally list all of the issues that are important to you. Now prioritize them. OK now, ask yourself who you would vote for if you ignored those issues entirely. Impossible you say? Then you're not considering what's at stake. This election, is bigger than any one issue.

If you expect politicians to ignore the lobbyists, special interest groups, and the sort of back alley politics which are personally beneficial in favor of making decisions which are in the best interest of the country, according their best judgement and considering all of the relevant facts, then you must be willing to do the same thing. Unfortunately we all have our own set of talking points and we reward politicians who tell us what we want to hear. This is the explanation for the ridiculously facile slogans and flimsy promises, on both sides.