once an elections officer

You can take the elections officer out of the elections office, but you can't take .... or however that goes. In any case, it's almost Election Day! If you haven't done so yet and you are eligible to do so, be sure to vote.

I'm not here to tell you how to vote ... there are plenty of nasty television ads and glossy voter guides that try to do that. If you happen to be Catholic, I would suggest at some point trying to slog through the US Bishops' Document Faithful Citizenship. It's by no means easy or exciting reading, but it has some key concepts that help to sort out the puzzle of being both an American and a Catholic. For example ...

• "A renewed commitment to faithful citizenship can help heal the wounds of our nation, world, and Church. .... In times of terror and war, of global insecurity and economic uncertainty, of disrespect for human life and human dignity, we need to return to basic moral principles. Politics cannot be merely about ideological conflict, the search for partisan advantage, or political contributions. It should be about fundamental moral choices. How do we protect human life and dignity? How do we fairly share the blessings and burdens of the challenges we face? What kind of nation do we want to be? What kind of world do we want to shape?"
  
  
• "Politics in this election year and beyond should be about an old idea with new power--the common good. The central question should not be, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" It should be, "How can ‘we'--all of us, especially the weak and vulnerable--be better off in the years ahead? How can we protect and promote human life and dignity? How can we pursue greater justice and peace?"

• "Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power."