:: KipperCat :: =^. .^=

:: Monday, August 11, 2003 ::

:: posted by John ::

Never too Early

Ok, all you fellow baby-boomers; and the “x’s & y’s” behind us; it is time to get up off our duffs and get with the program. You know, the one that your school system inflicted on you a long time ago called “Civics”. Yes, that’s the one where we were told how our government worked, separation of powers, Executive, Legislative & Judicial, the Constitution… yes, I am beginning to see a dim light back there. Some of you remember at least having something about that on your high school credits when you graduated.

Now it is execution time. For the next fifteen or so months, we as a nation are going to see the increasing “gearing up” process that attends every presidential year election. This year, I am going to make a few suggestions toward the process in a hope of making the entire process a little more meaningful for us all.
I am NOT going to push anyone toward any party or candidate; my purposes are different than that. My purpose is to put a little more emphasis on where you, dear reader, fall within that process and why it is important that you understand your roll.

If you are twenty-one years of age, not currently or previously incarcerated for a crime and a citizen of the country; you are most likely eligible to vote. First, you must register. If you have not; do it and do it this week. Don’t put it off and don’t make excuses. Of the many rights and privileges accorded you under our system of government, this is perhaps the single most important – your say in the entire set up. So, don’t put it off. If you are in doubt as to “how” to do this; speak to your local post office or contact either of the major political parties. You will find them all eager to assist you in becoming registered.

Once you are registered, your life should become somewhat more complicated. I say “should” since empirical evidence seems to indicate that most voters regard our election process as a large-scale equivalent of the old high school student president process and never seem to really believe that it is NOT a popularity contest between candidates or parties. What is involved is how the government (from your city, county & state through the Federal government in Washington) is going to be run and who is going to run it. Each party and candidate wants your vote and will do their best to tell you “why” you should support he or she and/or their political party in their pursuit of election. Listen to what they say; but if you really want to get a close on look – read what they say! Read their speeches, go on-line (if you have no access of your own, the library is open most of the time… and they have computers for you to use too!) and see what their political party says about the candidate and the parties stand on issues.

It is easy in our busy world, to let others do our thinking for us. Newscasters will tell you right after a speech, what a political figure said. I don’t know about you, but I have always regarded this as an insult. While not a genius, I like to believe that I have enough intellect to know what some one said while I was listening to it – I don’t need someone else to tell me what I heard or what it means and neither should you, dear readers. I can not a bit if you are liberal or conservative (or somewhere in between) Democrat or Republican (or a third-party supporter); you should have enough sense to know what you hear and what it means to you! And, if you are in doubt, go back to the printed or on-line resources. Read a “hard copy” that you can make notes on; find out what is being said and decide for yourself if you agree or not.

You’re too busy, right? You don’t have time to sort out the issues and candidates and what it is all about. It is easier to listen to the t.v. or radio and get the take on what is going on that way and then go to the polls. Or stay home, if you have decided that either (a) you don’t like anyone running or (b) your vote is not going to change anything so why take time out of your busy schedule over a “done deal”?

In this third year of the twenty-first century, we as a nation have become somewhat cynical about the political process and the new media. The press is either too liberal or too conservative and in any case all they are interested in is getting you to watch the news (or read it in the papers & magazines). As has been discussed elsewhere on this blog; there is no doubt that the news media has bias and want you to be influenced by them. Still, if you bring your brain to the table with you; you can start sorting out what is going on; like buying a care you don’t have to buy but you can listen and read. Myself, I prefer to read my news; it is easier for me to discern what the writers bias is and how it is slanting what I am reading. For the same reason, I rarely listen to speeches. I would rather read them. Reading a speech allows you to “digest” what a person said and what they are trying to persuade you to believe or accept.

But my vote really doesn’t matter. I hear that a lot. The nice thing about the last presidential election was how very close it was and how it boiled down to several thousand votes in Florida. That’s right, several thousand… that means a very few votes were being contested to decide “who” would be elected our president for the next four years. Your vote does count, and you should use it as often as you can; from election of the local dog catcher to your national leaders. But you don’t like any of the candidates. O.K. neither do I; I have been at odds with both the major political parties for about twenty years. You can either vote for the “lesser” of two evils, or select a third party candidate that comes closest to supporting those issues close to your own heart. If you vote the “lesser of two evils” method; always remember he or she will be coming back for re-election and if they did not deliver what you expected, you should try to put someone else in their place.

I will pontificate more on this as elections and primaries come closer. But for now, go and register and start educating yourself about what the issues and candidates are. That, my dear readers is YOUR responsibility in this system. To be an “informed electorate”. If you want more details, I would suggest the United States Constitution as a good starting place.

:: -- John 8/11/2003 08:51:18 PM [+] ::
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