Indulge me for a minute.

When Europeans invaded North America, it held an estimated 220 million acres of wetlands. In the intervening years, approximately half of that was lost to development, “reclamation,” dredging, poor land-use practices, and, more recently, drought and climate change.

Wetlands are one of the most ecologically productive habitat types on Earth, providing a multitude of benefits to humans, including economic boons like billions of dollars in flood damage prevention and a place for the vast majority of commercial and recreational fish to spend some of their life (multi-billion dollar industries), not to mention millions of waterfowl and shorebirds. Five percent of the lower 48 states’ land area is swampland, and more than a third of all threatened and endangered species live only in swamps. Wetlands also filter and store water (a finite resource) and store one to three times more carbon per acre than forest or prairies – a significant fact given the current climate and its crisis.

This is a minuscule fraction of wetlands’ value, but it is enough to create the question, “What makes sense about draining the swamp?” Only foolish, short-sighted people would suggest such a thing.

What we need is a flyswatter.

Eliminating parasites (think mosquitoes draining lifeblood and introducing malaria) that inhabit the swamp would solve the problem.

And that is what voting is all about—one swat per person.

Full disclosure, I could not vote in the 2016 election because I moved and changed my address after the registration deadline (unknowingly, or I would have waited, but really, who could imagine the outcome?). So, this year, I encourage all those who did not, could not, or would not vote in the last presidential election to get out and swat some parasites. They suck.

p.s., November 3rd is not only election day; it is also my Birthday! Yay! I want a new president, please. And, thank you.

p.p.s., yes, I already voted.