Game Theory - Throwing The Election

I voted Saturday. This election matters. In fact, every election matters if you happen to enjoy things like democracy, accountability, and not having your tax dollars treated like someone else's casino bankroll.

I don't care whether you're a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or a member of the "Leave Me Alone, I'm Organizing My 45s" party. No politician is above the law, and elected officials work for us, not for their political parties. If you're a crooked politician, you should be shown the door. If you're buying votes, you should be escorted through that door at high speed. Integrity shouldn't be a campaign slogan; it should be a job requirement.

So that's my public service announcement: Vote. More importantly, vote for integrity and not fabricated issues to distract us from the real issues being dumped on us. Now, back to another subject that inspires fierce loyalty and occasional heartbreak: records.

I recently wrote about how much I love Game Theory. I bought this LP brand new when it came out and was genuinely bummed when the band called it quits. "Throwing the Election" was always one of the standout tracks for me, though honestly the entire album is fantastic from start to finish.

Fortunately, Scott Miller went on to form The Loud Family, and I happily followed along and became a devoted fan of that chapter as well.

When Omnivore reissued the Game Theory catalog, I purchased this release with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever. Because that's what collector geeks do. We spend years hunting down original pressings, then happily buy the reissue anyway, just in case there might be one bonus track, a slightly different liner note, or a photo we've never seen before. It's not a hobby. It's a highly specialized form of rationalized madness.