It’s an election year again, and every election year, many of my politically hibernating friends start to contemplate whom they think best represents their stance on the issues. Of course, when I say contemplating, I mean they look at the candidates of the party with which they associate and proceed to revere them unconditionally. I have one bit of advice for them and anyone else preparing to exercise their ballot skills. If you are not thoroughly informed about the candidates and their issues, every side, don’t vote. Making an ignorant choice adds nothing productive to our country.
I remember the lessons taught to me and my peers in public school. Voting is your right, you have to vote for democracy to work, men fought and died for you to be able to cast that ballot. Never once was it argued to us that we should become well educated in the political landscape before making choices about things that would affect not only us, but our fellow citizens, and posterity. We were not taught to understand the constitution as the straight jacket for government, just that it is framework from which the system grows. Why would the modern government want us to be educated anyway? When voters are able and prepared to think for themselves the party system falls apart. If you think for yourself, they cannot think for you. Casting a vote without a clear understanding of our constitution and government is unacceptable.
Voting after only watching the alphabet soup news networks and the debates is not acceptable either. It is paramount to buying a vehicle based on the best salesman, not the quality of the product. You are seeing what the different (hardly) campaigns want you to see (though it is hilarious to watch the debates and see the candidates slip up and smudge their artful lies). Normally I support a person’s right to make wrong decisions, but in the case of democracy, we all have to ride in the car. And while one might like to peacefully opt out of this trip, the last time some folks tried that two million blue-clad feds invaded.
If you have paid no attention and have taken no heed as to what is happening in our country politically, walking to a voting booth and casting a ballot on election day won’t absolve you of your willing ignorance. The fact is you are just compounding it.
July 21, 2008
