I don’t like to talk politics. It’s up there with religion on “topics to avoid if you don’t want to end up in a fight with someone.” An intelligent and fact-driven conversation very rarely happens.
However, I will say that ever since I was old enough to vote, its something I’ve taken seriously and appreciated about my country. Even when, for whatever reason, I did not vote in an election, I appreciated that I had to right to vote, along with the freedom to not vote, should it just not work out.
I’ve never been a fan of voting along party lines. I’ve always believed you vote based on your beliefs and what is best for the country. Do your homework on the candidates. Know what they stand for individually versus just knowing their party.
(I wish the people in office voted this way a lot more as well — based on what is best for the people who put them in office versus what their party expects of them. But, that’s a rant for another blog post that will probably never happen.)
Our ancestors went through a lot of strife for us to have this right. Voting is our chance to have a say in our government. It’s the one time the majority is heard loud and clear. It’s when the candidates are reminded that its the American people who are their bosses. It’s the American people who decide if they still have a job or if they get a new job.
I will be at the polls today. I will proudly cast my vote and have my say. It’s my right… it’s your right, too.
Thank you. I and my large family have cast their votes. I agree with you. Our founders founded a country unusual for the time in letting people decide. Yes, we need to do our homework on candidates and issues. It is a privilege we have to choose.
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Great post. I am not happy with how some things turned out this year in the election, but I cannot complain as I did not go vote (been a long week). I voted straight-party once, in a fit of frustration, in a local election (weren’t very many contested races at the state or local level at the time). I will probably never do that again, but never say never. I miss the time when those elected truly were the best fit for the area. Where it didn’t matter which party the candidates belonged to – the person just had to select a party to get on the ballot. I don’t think we’ll ever get to that place again, but I sure do appreciate how people ran campaigns and how everything was run back then. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose!
Well, you have a point. Never say never. And I can’t say its not a viable way to vote. I just hate it when people close their eyes and ears to all things and vote for a party like lemmings. Politics has changed a lot since we were in high school and learning about government, etc. It’s… weird, and I really don’t like it. All we can do is make the best of it, though. I guess.