In a fairly new democracy (less than 20 years), in a twisted Balkan world where, according to the famous quote by a French minister of foreign affairs "tout est pris a la legere" (nothing is taken seriously), elections are not what they should be. Or, what other democratic nations consider them to be. Electing a mayor, a local councilperson is not a mature choice of how one wants their community to fare, it's more like, who throws the best pre-election party. It is more comic in the rural area (amounting to about 60% of Romania's population). Villagers take advice from the priest, the publican or the present mayor as to whom they should vote for. "XY is givin' away plastic barrels and a drink at the bar for the elections. Sure I'm gonna vote for the fellow", says one of my neighbours next to my cottage in the country. In the busy, cosmopolitan capital of Bucharest, things are just fairly better. People vote chaotically, making up politically incompatible local councils, and putting an even more incompatible mayor to rule them. "I like the fellow, he's a real tough guy. He doesn't take nonsense from anybody." It doesn't matter that the fellow is a liberal, and the council is made up of an assorted collection of democrats, and social-liberals, with a few representatives of the minorities in the bargain. The point is the fellow is a tough 'un, a city hall Rambo, wrestling every public facility contract at gun point. Plus he invited the coolest band to sing last Sunday in Constitution Plaza. We sell our dreams cheaply, for a plastic barrel and a free concert. We choose our leaders without judgment and "enjoy" four years of endless complaints against our chosen ones. On the other hand, living without complaints would leave us sort of poor, and frustrated, obliged to see our own faults and having no one to blame them upon. And that would be no fun at all. So everybody, vote for Rambo the Garbage Menace, and The Generous Plastic Barrels Giver!