With the Nov. 2 elections fast-approaching, I’d originally thought to title this week’s column “cynical-and-sarcastic-musings-on-the-ridiculous-and-potentially-destructive-rantings-and-political-rhetoric-of-various-candidates.”

In the end, I decided that was just a touch long-winded, even for me.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting just a little sick and tired of the casual (and not so casual) mudslinging which seems to accompany each and every election, on nearly every level, year after year. If nothing else it’s become pathetically predictable, morally ambiguous (at best) and downright pointless. It accomplishes nothing.

The majority of my friends and acquaintances are fed up with it as well and if you’re not, I don’t know what I could possibly say to convince you otherwise. It’s no wonder other countries find us laughable, especially when election time rolls around. All you have to do is look at many of our political leaders, the ways in which some came to power and what, if anything, they’ve actually accomplished.

To put it simply, much of their behavior, especially leading up to Election Day, is quite childish.