I had some time this morning to think about the difference between voting and placing an order on amazon.com.  Here are some of the things I noticed.

1. I do not have to wait in line for 40 minutes to place an order on Amazon.
2. I do not have to get up at 5:30 AM and drive to an unfamiliar location to place my order before I go to work.
3. I am able to use familiar tools, like my computer or my smart phone, to place my order, instead of having to use a special machine that I only see every two years and is unlike anything I would ever choose to use in the rest of my life.
4. After placing my order, I get a confirmation that my order went through.  I don’t have to worry that it went into a black hole and will never be found.
5. As part of my confirmation, it lists the items I ordered.  I do not have to wonder if there was a malfunction that led to me ordering the wrong products.
6. If there is an issue with the Amazon system, they have a way to communicate that issue to all of their customers.  They don’t just announce it in a loud voice to only those in line that can hear, and then leave the rest of their customers to find out about the issue when it comes up again.
7. Finally, and most importantly, if I don’t like my experience with Amazon, I can simply shop with a different vendor.

So how is it that my government, whose sole purpose is to serve me, does so much worse of a job than Amazon, whose sole purpose is to “increase shareholder wealth?”

Now go vote!