Watch What You Sign

A few days ago I heard a knock at our front door. I looked out the window and saw a woman with a clipboard and a button on her jacket indicating she was doing some election work. I opened the door and she told me that an election was held a last year on allowing the town I live in to begin selling alcohol. I am not a big drinker and I had some concerns about underage drinking and the type of people who might come into our town just to buy alcohol, so I voted against it. The resolution passed and we were no longer a "dry" town. Well, not what I wanted, but at least I voted on the issue. It seems that our town had annexed a parcel of land and before they could sell alcohol legally on that parcel of land, an the issue had to be voted on. Well, to get it on the ballot to be voted on, it needed a specific number of signatures. This woman was collecting those signatures. The woman asked me to sign it and I told her I always read what I sign, so I asked her if I could look at it. She said that it would not be necessary... it was just a request to get the issue on the ballot. When she handed it to me to sign, I did a quarter turn away from her and began reading it. It clearly stated that by signing the petition, you were acknowledging that alcohol should be sold on that parcel of land. When I told her I was not going to sign, she asked me why. I told her and even pointed out what the form said and she looked a bit sheepish at me and left.

Now, do not get me wrong. I was not being hard nosed. I voted against it once, I would vote against it again. HOWEVER, by signing that, I am saying it is ok to vote on the issue and since it lost the last time, it would most likely lose again.

Please do not sign just any petition you see. If it means enough to you, sign it. If the petition was to keep the parcel of land from selling alcohol (or porn or whatever), I would have signed it. I guess you tend to think of these things when you become a responsible parent.

By the way, the parcel of land was not very far from the local high school. Perfect, eh?