I failed to vote once in an important U.S. election several elections back and I felt guilty for months afterward, not because of the outcome of the election, but because many wars have been fought for the privilege to vote for someone who wants to help all Americans in their “pursuit of happiness,” even if that’s the World Wrestling Federation.

What is the current air quality in Chapala? I don’t know. And neither does Chapala. The local government does not keep air sensor data, according to people who keep air sensor data.

Mexicans, and I’m guessing people in many foreign countries, have a way of recognizing American tourists from the moment they are heard saying, “Hey, how ya doin’?”

Part II

In 1933, the United States entered the depths of the Great Depression. To create jobs for native Americans, U.S. Secretary of Labor William N. Doak thought it would be a great idea to deport illegal immigrants.

Mexican immigration issues began around the end of the Mexican-American war in 1846. The war was over Texas, which had declared its independence from Mexico to become its own “Lone Star” republic in 1836.

Misanthropy is a real thing. It’s not bigotry or any of the “isms” associated with bigotry. It’s a generalized dislike of unlikable human behavior that lacks empathy and respect for other people and rejects their legitimate ambitions, needs, sensibilities and abstract thinking.