Ben & Shae Cecka's family in Gilbert, AZ

This past week I’ve felt extremely drained. It’s as if all the energy from my mind, body, and spirit has been sapped away by some inexplicable force. I’ve got post-election blues.

Clark County decided to vote against a proposition that would have restored public transit service from the cuts that were previously made a few years ago. They saw it as another tax increase (.03 on $10), where others saw it as a necessity for survival. Now the service will be reduced to a mere fraction of what it was a few years ago. Every week I ride the bus the school and visit with the elderly and handicapped who preffer not to drive. At least once during the week somone in a wheelchair or electronic scooter uses a bus I’m on (all of which are equiped with kneeling hydrolics). Everyday in The Columbian  I read articles from readers that urged voters to consider the elderly and disabled when they voted on this. I thought it was a sure foot-in, and I excitedly looked forward to January when all routes would run one hour later. I never dreamed that people would be so insensitive, so selfish, so ignorant. But they are.

This week, as I ride the bus, I feel shame when I look at the other passengers; not because I voted against it, but because I couldn’t do more. Democracy fails when the people under it stop looking out for each other, and focus on themselves.