It’s obvious that during any election year we are overly saturated with debates, political rhetoric, and campaign ads. By the time November rolls around we are all just anxious to vote and get it over with so we don’t have to hear another slam ad! But this year is particularly disturbing, no, perhaps, annoying? Hmm, wait I believe the best description is ridiculously embarrassing with a few laughs sprinkled in to help us through our shame.

Allow me to begin by stating that I am an independent, I refuse to affiliate myself with either party. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have done much since I have had the right and privilege to vote, which has swayed me to support either party. I believe in a middle ground, a coming together to compromise to try to do what is best for the largest portion of the population, knowing full well that you will never please everyone. I am intelligent enough to know that when campaign costs are akin to the gross national product of a small country, you are going to owe favors, favors that cloud your judgment and your ability to make decisions that are in the best interest of your citizens and constituents.

All that having been said, this election season has certainly held some entertaining surprises. This week’s was by far my favorite and most definitely surpasses my interest in Hillary’s email scandal. Maybe because I am a dirty old bird, or maybe because at least this fabulous stunt has caused the world to laugh with us, rather than at us! I commend the P.R. person at the NYC Parks Department for their brilliant press release. I haven’t had a reason to smile at all during this election season until yesterday my daughter texts me about the naked Trump statue in NYC and the subsequent response. Lo and behold, as I am watching the 10 o’clock news, I see that there are several statues “erected” (yes, I am laughing, but so are you!) in several cities. He turned up in Los Angeles in the Los Feliz neighborhood, yeah, you know, the Happy Neighborhood. Not sure I would be particularly happy to have Trumps naked image, or Hillary’s for that matter, hanging (no pun intended) around my neighborhood.

All laughs aside, I remember living in a country that had a certain dignity about it, a country that presented itself to the world with respect and honor. We were once looked upon as a beacon of hope whereas now we are the butt of an international joke. I don’t know how we got to where we are now? To where the conversation around the water cooler consists of people flummoxed about whom to vote for because neither candidate is worth voting for. I personally am still contemplating writing in Ryan Gosling so that I have something nice to look at for the next four years seeing as I don’t foresee this situation getting any better any time soon. But vote I will, because if you don’t vote you have no right to complain. I want my right to complain, it is after all the American way.