Holy shit, this voting thing is nearly over! Starting tomorrow all those half-truth-selling political mailers (from both parties) can finally be put to good use: heating up fireplaces in NJ and NY for those still without heating or electricity. At any rate, as an educated and likely sarcastic United States citizen (everyone else can just start watching Karl’s segment), it is your responsibility to vote. Yeah, neither Romney or Obama are too great after all, but keep in mind that no matter how painful this presidential election has been or however overblown the difference between the two main candidates has been made out to be, you also are voting for a host of Senate, Congressional, and local representatives and possibly some ballot initiatives. That’s where you’re really getting the bang for your voting buck.

While I’m not here to endorse any candidates, I would implore you to consider one issue in particular when you vote today: energy and environmental issues. This has been the first presidential campaign since the 80′s where climate change has not been talked about by either candidate (thanks, unemployment!), and climate change acknowledgement and policy action has changed from something candidates competed to address more intelligently (McCain vs. Obama) to one that is a strict party-line divider. Climate change has serious potential to fuck with your ski season, whether you live in the Northeast or out West, with temperatures set to rise and more snow to fall as rain, meaning fewer pow days, screwier snowpacks, and a shorter season. Kinda sounds like last year, which blew for most people.

Assuming you enjoy skiing and would like to continue doing so into the future, keep your elected officials’ positions on environmental, climate, and energy issues in mind. And award new thinking. Taxing and regulating businesses and individuals to hell is not going to save the environment for its human utility, nor will it engender much support from a majority. Trading a hit on entitlements or payroll taxes for a tax on carbon emissions, after ridding subsidies for all sources of energy, is an ingenious and more free-market-minded idea that would spur innovation in energy and efficiency measures without all that “picking winners and losers” worry that conservatives have attacked Obama’s renewable energy policy over. Just as important, support candidates who’ve been able to work “across the aisle” and are independent thinkers. We’ll need people who can sensibly address these issues regardless of their party affiliation.

Once you’ve done all that, watch Karl Fostvedt’s segment from this year’s Poor Boyz movie. Lame talk about skiing with friends being sweet aside, Karl throws down some heavy, heavy tricks that you will all definitely enjoy. Now we just have to wait and see if they release Leigh Powis’ segment, and if ON3P can manage to hold onto Fostvedt with all his newfound fame. Happy voting, nerds!