I changed my party affiliation to "Independent" last year, and New York State runs a closed primary system. There's no vote and no voice for anyone who doesn't declare affiliation with a political party, and there's no political party in New York State that I'd care to be affiliated with.
Speaking of which...
A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one option is offered, and one may refuse to take that option. The choice is therefore between taking the option or not taking it. The phrase is said to originate from Thomas Hobson (1544–1630), a livery stable owner at Cambridge, England who, in order to rotate the use of his horses, offered customers the choice of either taking the horse in the stall nearest the door—or taking none at all. (Wikipedia)If the horse in the nearest stall is worn out or diseased, sometimes you're better off walking.
If the two-party system were a horse, we'd have to shoot it.
I will vote in the general election, to be sure.
In the meantime, I'll try to grab some pictures from the New York Giants "tickertape" parade on Lower Broadway. It kicks off, pardon the expression, at 11 AM, about a football field's length from my office.
(The old traditions get harder and harder to maintain. Most of the newer buildings downtown have windows that can't be opened, and tickertape hasn't been used on Wall Street for two generations now, though the concept of a "ticker" is still very much with us in electronic form. The City is providing newspaper shredded in 12-inch strips as a substitute. You'd really hurt somebody on the street below if you tossed a Bloomberg terminal out the window, assuming you can even open it.)
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