9.17.2008

Election season

We won this handy kit at the Mardel's back to school sale, and I've procrastinated a while putting it up. Seemed silly to put it up before we had definite candidates. Then one thing after another. Emily finally tacked all the pieces up.
Funny thing is that I remember my first presidential election, right after I started college. I was so excited, thrilled even, to be able to cast my opinion into the world. Apparently 1992 had one of the highest voting turnouts ever. It seems to me that people who are interested in politics are optimists. As they are looking at candidates, they are calculating how that person will change the future of our country. And if they believe strongly enough in a candidate, it is because they firmly believe that this person CAN and WILL make a change. Not just a change, but one for the better. I just don't believe in it anymore. I guess I'm not longer Republican or Democrat, but no one has quite developed the Cynical party. I don't think either candidate is best for our country. I don't think any of the independent people are best for the country. And almost everyone I know is voting for the least of two evils (Ok doesn't allow third party candidate). How sad is that? In 2000, less than 40% of registered voters actually got off their duffs and voted. A writer named Edoro said that "(disillusionment) is the result of consistent failure of government, term after term, to fulfill the hopes and yearnings of its people."

I don't care who you vote for, just VOTE. People fought and died and struggled for each one of us to have the right to vote. Started a few hundred years ago with a few men saying that they would not tolerate someone else making choices for them (and taxing them on top of it). Then, by the grace of God and the blood and sweat and tears of many, former slaves were given the vote, then women. So please, just show up and vote. Vote your conscious, vote your heart, vote your logic, or just close your eyes and take a stab.

1 comment:

hahamommy said...

This reminds me of the Kerry/Bush race, I had a big electoral map (free to homeschoolers that year, I'm gonna have to look for that resource again!) and we kept track of who one which state and how many votes. Very fun way to get the kids interested and involved :D