ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” article. It is an editorial by the editor.

“Who was it that set up a system, supposedly democratic system where you always wind up voting for the lesser of two evils? I mean, was George Washington the lesser of two evils?” — The Fugs in 1968, “It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest.”

Never in my career as a journalist and political observer have I ever attempted to discourage anyone from voting. But I stand ready, willing and able to recommend everybody to pass on next month’s Michigan Presidential Primary.

I almost totally agree with the assertion that voting is the only power we, the unwashed masses, have. So it is unlike me to suggest anyone to sit out an election. But here we are.

Though I understand Michigan’s desire to have one of the first presidential primaries to attract attention, candidates and perhaps business, this political move has been foiled by the emergence of an incredibly boring and worthless exercise.

It was only last Sunday that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign. A few others already have done so as well, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson and Michigan’s own Perry Johnson.

The two still standing (but not for long) are former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the latter who’s “got no chance.”

So the Republican primary appears to be a landslide in the selection of Trump.

On the Democratic side, a voter has just about as much choice as the GOP — it’s President Joe Biden by a wide margin.

So this is the best America can do? A repeat of Trump vs. Biden? This is much worse than the repeat of 1956 over 1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower vs. Adlai Stevenson. At least those two elections featured two quality candidates.

I repeat my assertion I often make: Our political system has deteriorated so badly over the years that we’re struck with two major parties that spend all their time trying to make the other guy look bad rather than offering solutions to problems.

I will sit this primary out, which is incredibly unusual for me. Until now, I’ve voted in every presidential primary since it was established in Michigan. And I have voted in every possible election since 1970, when I first became eligible.

Things have gotten so bad that I just won’t waste my time by returning the mail-in ballot or going to the polls, starting on Feb. 17. The actual election date is Feb. 27, but I’m personally boycotting. You can only pick one from the party you choose. Regardless of your feelings, you’re stuck with either Trump or Biden.

Of course, I steadfastly refuse to vote for the mentally ill man who tried unsuccessfully to violently overthrow our duly elected government (Jan. 6, 2021). But I will vote for Biden only because he’s not Trump.

As the late, great comedian George Carlin said, “The game is rigged. But nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care.”