Yep, I know this entry is long, but, if you read nothing else of mine, please read this. This is not a Rant about Democrats or Republicans, it is meant to be totally unbiased as to party affiliations...
It’s election time in the USA.
And once again I am really pissed off. There should be a class you
HAVE to attend before you are allowed to vote and if you haven’t taken the class, well, no unemployment, no social security (over the age of 18), no benefits at all until you do! There are too many idiots in this country that don’t have a clue what voting even means!
"WAIT!" you cry, "I know how to vote!" And you know what, maybe you do! So, will taking 5 minutes to read this do you any harm in case I say something that you never thought of, or is closing it the best course of action? Up to you...
So, you chose to continue;
Listen carefully…
We
do NOT live in a democracy, we live in a
REPUBLIC. While oft you heard it referred to as a democracy, it isn’t… “…and to the Republic, for which it stands…” do you know the difference?
You are supposed to vote for the
people who best represent all your views, NOT because someone has the cutest ass!
You have a
MIND, don’t vote a straight ticket because “My Dad/Mom has always voted Democrat/Republican and so will I.”
Do NOT vote for some guy because your newspaper endorsed him. They have an agenda just like every other special interest group in the USA.
Voting is neither a right nor a freedom, it IS a RESPONSIBILITY!
You know, over the years I have heard many excuses why people don’t vote or the reasons they vote the way they do. The act of voting is not a freedom, despite what you may have been taught. The act of voting is a responsibility that we as citizens must hold dear in order
to protect, prolong and promote our freedoms. The cost of our indirect democracy/republic is voting, which is paid for by thousands of men, and women who have given their lives for over two hundred years.
Before I go on, I implore you to refresh your memories on how our government works. You can find a great little “Reader’s Digest” version called Civic 101 right here;
http://www.citizenjoe.org/civics101.php
Now that you have refreshed your memory, I am sure that some of you believe
not voting is the same as a protest, as if there are some census takers whose job it is to register everyone who did not care enough to decide their future. There are not.
If you don’t vote, I assume you are too lazy to give a rat’s ass what happens to you, your family, friends and most of all, your country.
People who are given the opportunity to vote, to make a difference no matter how small, and who choose not to are not citizens, they are livestock; those who would be herded by the rest of society into whatever situation becomes them… then have the nerve blame the rest for their pitiful situation.
Then there are people who would tell you that it does not matter who you vote for, so long as you vote. While this is a commendable position taken to escape the partisan nature of casting a ballot, it is also very false. It is better than not voting, obviously, to vote no matter whom is chosen. But doing less evil is not the same as doing right.
If you don’t know who and why you are voting the way that you are, stay home, because it is more than likely you are a fool doing more harm than good.
Further, there are the people who will vote Democrat because they are “Pro choice” or Republican because they are “Pro military” or are the “Family morals” party. Hey, my daddy voted this way so it’s got to be ok for me. I was actually at an event once and a woman had come from the polls and announced, “
I voted democrat because I am Pro-choice.” and another woman spoke up (later I heard it was the first woman’s sister) and said, “
And I voted Republican to cancel out her vote.” This also, while worthy that you are voting for a cause, leaves an extensive breach in actual help to our country. Can you not see the
stupidity in this logic?
Unfortunately, with responsibility comes a little bit of work. Is it so much to ask that once every 2 years you sit down for 2-3 hours and do some research? There is a huge list of things in this country that need fixing, not just one or two. Find a candidate that MOST fits YOUR wishes. There is no perfect candidate, there is however a candidate that matches your thoughts more than another.
Voting a straight ticket (all democrat or republican) is a copout and tells me that you don’t get it!
So, with all that said, let me give you a few of my thoughts on voting (
and please, feel free to disagree below in the comment section!);
First, think about the issues in America. There are many of them. Here are a few to get you started;
Write them down along with your own.
Business/Industry
Community
Crime/Justice
Economy/Taxes
Education
Energy
Environment
Health
Jobs
National Security
Religious Issues
Society Issues
Now think about
who is most likely to FIX the issues most important to you.
Let’s take education as an example. Who is most likely to fix your schools, the federal government or your local Board of Education? Don’t waste your vote on a U.S. Senator who is running on an education platform, YES, he MIGHT throw some money to your state for education, BUT, if the nimrods you vote into the Board of Education are more interested in a new football field, it’s going to do squat. Let me also remind you that, even if you don’t have children, someone you know and care for DOES. Think about them and our future. Most of you, in fact, the majority of you have no idea about who you chose for your Board of Education, County Commissioners and/or local government officials. Now, I used schools as an example, but, it goes for any issue!
Place your votes where they will do the most good!
Ok, so, you know what is most important to you and have ranked them most to least important. Great job.
Now, go to your state website (www.state.##.us where ## is the state’s initials where you live) and find the elections link (or search for it on that site) and find the list of candidates. Got it? Good. While you are there, get the list of “Ballot Questions” for your state also!
Research.
Don’t just go to “Your party’s website” and say, “Yep, I agree.” Go to
BOTH people’s Website and read, what you see may surprise you.
IGNORE all political ads on TV. 95% of everything you hear is
twisted facts. Use Google and see what others are saying (not the passionate blogs, I mean the political writers.) Look up the new stories (keeping in mind that most writers are NOT impartial.) However, take these two opening paragraphs from the Washington Times from last year for example;
“Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.
Such attacks against the first black man to win a statewide election in Maryland include pelting him with Oreo cookies during a campaign appearance, calling him an "Uncle Tom" and depicting him as a black-faced minstrel on a liberal Web log.”
Do you agree with that? Racism is OKAY if they are a Republican? What about if they are Democrat? Sometimes the way a candidate and a party acts can influence your decision also, and it should have some bearing on it.
Usually between 1-2 weeks before the election, your regional newspaper will run a special copy where the candidates have the chance to submit a comment or blurb about themselves and their views to the readers. It will also have a place where the ballot questions have a pro and opposing view.
Make sure you read this issue! Call your paper and ask them when they will be putting out this issue!
Once you have the facts that you need, check your candidate off on your list. Make sure to also decide the ballot issues because the condensed version of the ballot questions are often confusing and misleading in how they are written.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, take your list with you when you go to the polls! In some states there are close to 100 different candidates on the ballot and you can’t possibly remember them all. Leaving some blank (unless they are unopposed) is just apathetic. 
