Probably a one-of-a-kind post

I was talking to someone today about the subject of democracy, the voting process and the general decline of both. It's probably the most in-depth I've thought about those things since US Government at Monta Vista, a class in which I literally laid down on the floor and slept through.

The question posed was, "Why do Californians complain so damn much?" referring to the ridiculous amount of separate referendum elections we hold. Most other states hold those only in conjunction with annual elections or federal matters, so what makes us so different/special in our own minds?

The answers I could think of - a spoiled/selfish and uninformed electorate, a disproportionate amount of people below the poverty line and those wallowing in their own wealth, an inept bureaucracy, a sense of entitlement at being "the liberal state," a sense of having to live up to being "the liberal state " - could all really apply to other states as well. Even the last two; every state creates something of a self-fulfilling prophecy by buying into it's own reputation.

So what's the difference between California and other states? My uneducated hypothesis settled on the fishbowl effect. It seems to be an unspoken fact that as California goes, so does the rest of the nation. Californian politicians seem to be acutely aware of this, and over-exaggerate matters to gain further prominence. And then the citizens follow suit, believing this activism to be the crux of a well-oiled democracy... oh by the way, elections are expensive as hell and they basically come straight out of our pockets.

This led me right back to a solution that I've been championing in hypotheticals since high school - the benevolent dictator. Replacing a democracy with such would be great for efficiency, corruption, speed, action, you name it. Democracy is like a recliner with a toilet within it, it's a great theory but in reality is seriously flawed. Yes, so is a benevolent dictator, but I guess I just like imagining being the dictator.

Also, I was doing the laundry today and a couple of thoughts occurred -
1. The vast majority of my huge load was workout clothes and socks.
2. I haven't washed my jeans in quite a while because I only wear real pants 1-2 times a week, tops.