Friday, October 24, 2008

To Vote Or Not To Vote?

If you have not yet decided whether or not you're going to vote, perhaps I can help. Time is running out. Although this may seem like an easy decision to make (it is for me), it may not be so easy for everyone. As you know there are some very serious issues this time around. We're fighting 2 wars, though the media is not discussing this much lately. Our economy is bad, and it seems like it can't get much worse. A lot of people have lost their jobs, and many families are suffering. It's depressing. I think most people will agree that our health care system is in dire need of improvement. It is actually worse than many other civilized countries. And something needs to happen regarding caring for our environment better (whether you believe in global warming or not), including our use of energy. So there are certainly enough things that need to be fixed, or at least addressed.

Now, many people who voted last time may feel that your vote was wasted because you didn't get the guy you wanted. Those of you who did get the guy you wanted, may be unhappy with his performance the past several years. And then there may be folks who want to be loyal to their party, but are not happy with that choice. So my suggestion is simple. If you want things to be different, vote for the person you believe will make things different. (If you don't want things to be different, please read the first paragraph again.) However, if your guy doesn't seem like the one who's going to fix things, and you don't want to vote for the other guy for some reason, then I think it's ok not to vote. There, I said it, and I believe it. I think it's ok not to use your vote if that is your informed choice, and it seems like it may make things worse. However, consider this statement that I read in Men's Health Magazine recently. "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. (Andy Warhol)"

One last thing. Linda and I went to vote last week. We agreed that it was a momentous experience.

And thanks to those of you who have made comments on my recent postings. I really appreciate it.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I voted last Saturday even though I had to stand in line for 2 hours in the sun (with other Boynton Beach patriots) AND IT WAS WORTH IT!!! Sometimes with all of the media bombardment and overwhelming dollars, time and resources estimated to dig this country out of it's hole, it can make a person feel overwhelmed and ineffective and that feeling may be strong enough to keep you from doing anything to solve the problem. But once you vote, you feel empowered and seeing others at the voting location makes you feel a little better that you are not the only one who wants to make things better. So "..I made freedom count and voted" Si, se puede!!