A final word of encouragement to those intending to vote today – yes, the lines will probably be long for the greater part of the day regardless of where you are.  Yes, the process is slower than it should be, and in many areas voting equipment was built around the same time you were. 

The privilege of voting is one of the most unique things about our country, and despite the complacency with which most Americans view the right to vote, that very right is respected and even revered in much of the world.  One of our board members sent me this link and quote this morning – written by Dr. Helen Szamuely, head of research at the Bruges Group and co-author of the EU Referendum blog –

Having said all that, I need to add that whoever wins today and however long it will take to get the results, we can still salute the process. Let me remind all our readers: the people of the United States get to choose their government which, in all its various branches, at federal, state, country, city, district level, is responsible to those same people. When was the last time we could say that about this country?

Could this be the sort of envy for the reality of American democracy and American freedom as well as a sense of impotence as far as our own politics are concerned that fuels that insane anti-Americanism we have all witnessed in Britain?

It doesn’t feel like our elected officials are very “responsible” to those who voted for them at times, though here’s a highly educated woman, author and editor, researcher for the House of Lords in Britain who might just understand the power of a vote in our democracy better than the greater majority of the US populace. 

The entire team here at Redfish implores you to vote today, and vote with considered wisdom and care.  Every election in our country is important, no doubt, though you’d have to have been hiding under a rock for the past eighteen months to not understand that there are issues and philosophies being discussed and debated in this election that challenge the very bedrock of our society and nation. 

We’ve received yet again this week a flurry of emails requesting a formal endorsement of a candidate by our company; we’d rather share what principles we as a group think are important to support.  In a meeting earlier this fall with our staff and the majority of our board, we spent some precious time sharing our thoughts and concerns regarding the upcoming election. 

To the person, several points were very clear and unanimous among the group – we truly love our country, and think now, and have for many, many years think that America – warts and all – is a great place to live and work.  We’re proud of our nation’s history, noting that many mistakes have been made by those in leadership over the years, yet find that American freedom and opportunity are second to none in the world.  We also believe the constitution of our country was written by gifted and inspired men, and is a document that is unique in the world, and more than adequate to ensure fairness and opportunity; we’re frankly puzzled (and gravely concerned) by those who opine the constitution is not adequate to the challenges of the day. 

An overwhelming majority of our team favors an environment of low taxes, restraint in government spending, self responsibility as opposed to a nanny state, a strong national defense, less regulation (properly enforced) as opposed to more, and minimal government interference in personal affairs. 

An overwhelming majority of our team finds the current political environment distasteful, emotionally polarized, and destructively dividing despite the themes and claims of the current candidates. 

Finally - a thought for tomorrow.  Taking into consideration the historical inaccuracy of pre-election polling data, logic would suggest that tomorrow there will be a great number (in fact close to the half) of our nation’s populace somewhat to bitterly disappointed in the outcome of the election.  Some of that disappointment may indeed by quite rationally and intelligently grounded.  You’ll be able to learn a lot about the character of people and groups watching how they behave the day after – pay attention. 

On the other hand some of the most gifted and intelligent investors that we deal with routinely have in fact been structuring different operational plans for the next year or two based on who might be in office.  Sure, there’s a great deal of conjecture involved with such planning; they’re thinking through the contingencies and defining options to help them make the best of whatever might come down the road.  The road, regardless of who might be driving the political bus, still looks pretty bumpy, and the roads they select will determine to a great degree how uncomfortable the ride will be for the nation. 

Ed, one of our board members whose insights we truly enjoy and often share, offers this bit of advice and encouragement –

No matter who wins this election, the sun will still rise and set, you’ll get up and eat breakfast, and life will go on.  I’ve lived though the terms of some of the best and worst presidents and congressmen you can imagine, and while the bad ones tend to make things worse for a while, people get fed up and then real change happens.  You have to make good decisions during the time the incompetent leaders make things worse, but as a nation we’ll eventually get fed up and vote the bastards out of office.  Life goes on, and you have to go on making good decisions, making good choices, and adapting as the rules change.  And maybe it’s time for a third party who really wants to change the way things are done in Washington…….

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