I guess many of us felt that this night would never come. Indeed, after a campaign season that has pervaded and intruded on our very lives for the past twenty-two months, after a primary season that feels like it began practically a whole year ago, it is just mind-boggling to think that at long last, it is now the evening of November 3, 2008, and that we are now preparing to make the decision of how we can take our country back and make it ours again.

This election is without a doubt the most important election since 1932. It doesn’t take a partisan person to recognize that in these past years, our country has slid into the crapper–the vast majority of our country agrees. This is the most critical time for us to come together and decide which bridge we are going to cross, because if we don’t start seeing some real change in Washington, we might not make it to the next election in 2012.

I wish I could vote in this election, unfortunately, I don’t turn 18 for another eleven months. However, for all of you who are 18 and who have registered to vote, please don’t neglect to take some time tomorrow to cast your vote. It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re Democratic, Republican, or Independent, everyone has the responsibility to get out and have a say in the future of our country–that’s what a democracy is about. Many people, from soldiers to average everyday ordinary heroes, have given their lives to ensure that everyone, regardless of race, sex, creed, origin, color, or religion, has an equal right to vote for the leaders that represent them. We owe it to them to exercise the right that they gave to us.

I began my first blog four years ago prior to the election of 2004. My blog wouldn’t evolve into Webmacster87.info for a few months yet, but I opened my blog with a message about the importance of exercising the right to vote, and imploring the likely-nonexistent readers that I had to vote in the election. Now, four years later, the candidates are stronger, the lines will be longer, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Please take the time to go vote and encourage everyone you know to do so. Yes, the lines may be long or the machines may be quirky, but please make the commitment to exercise your democratic rights tomorrow. The future of our country depends on it. If you don’t vote, you don’t count.

I’m working at the polls again tomorrow, and I’ll be back on here on Wednesday with my responses to the election results. Hopefully we will have more solid results on Wednesday than we had in 2000 (knock on wood).

Tags: campaign, election, Election Day, rights, vote

You don’t see me bragging very often about being a United States citizen, mostly because I’m not a big fan of many of the things that the United States is doing these days. But, man, I can’t stop bragging about being a Californian, because California is flat out awesome. (Yes, there are a number of things that California has problems with, but we’re much more awesome than the feds at this time.)

One of the ways that California has been awesome is that in California, it is illegal for merchants to set expiration dates on gift certificates/gift cards, or to charge fees on them. Now, granted, some merchants have found loopholes to get around that limitation slightly, but they still mean that when you give someone a gift card, it’s much more difficult for that merchant to count it as extra money for their pockets.

Well, for whatever unusual reason, I was watching our local news on TV tonight (something that I almost never do), and they had a special report on a new law that went to effect in California on January 1, 2008 dealing with the issue of low-balance gift cards.

Have you ever had a case where you didn’t fully utilize a gift card, and didn’t feel the urge to keep spending with it because of how little was left? Consumer Reports recently found that merchants last year made $8 billion from unused gift card value. Well, the new law states that any gift certificate/gift card with a cash value of less than $10 can be redeemed for cash equivalent to its cash value, and that merchants are required to give you cash back if you ask for it. Again, this is only a California law, but this is absolutely sweet.

However, there isn’t a lot of teeth on this law, and most merchants won’t offer it to you. The news station apparently went under cover to try to get cash back at a number of stores, and a number of these stores refused to give cash back. So if you’re a Californian, you have a right to get your cash back, but you should probably be sure to inform them that it is California state law. My news station made a special gift card with the law on it that you can keep with you.

What if that still doesn’t convince them? Well, I did some Google searching for some answers. Apparently, the recommendation is to try to call or e-mail the merchant’s corporate offices to inform them of the law and what happened. But, if that still doesn’t work, you can apparently contact the state Attorney General at the following address:

Attorney General’s Office
California Department of Justice
Attn: Public Inquiry Unit
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550

Or you can call (916) 322-3360, or the toll-free number (in California): (800) 952-5225.

Know your rights, and take advantage of them, so that you don’t let merchants take advantage of you! (And yes, be glad that you’re a Californian and have this right!)

Tags: Attorney General, California, cash back, gift cards, gift certificates, law, merchants, rights, stores