The more we refuse to get involved the more the system takes its own political landscape. Politicians actually count on the majority of people not showing up and/or participating within the system. This is the primary reason why you can have an inoperable system year after year and nothing seems to change. People don’t ordinarily get involved until the system is close to sinking.
This is not just about the secondary elections, but almost just as true for most of our public elections. The majority of registered voters don’t usually get involved until or unless things are really going bad. That is just before the ship is almost ready to go under.
I would speculate that this entire economic downward spiral is because people were not guarding their own interest. We trust our elected officials to make the best choices for us and don’t want to be bothered with the details. It's "hands off" or "I don't have time to get involved in those details!"
After politicians do whatever it is they do, then later we complain vociferously about how badly things are operating. Who do you think is ultimately to blame for the problem? If this is a true democracy then the “will of the people” should be in control. BUZZZZZZZZZ…NOT!
How many of you know who is running for your school board? How many of you know the members of the judicial board that you elected? How many know about the various propositions such as gay marriage rights or measures to legalize marijuana? When is the next election and what is being proposed? Do you even know where your polling place is located?
If I weren’t writing this article I admit that I would most likely not know the answers to any one of these questions. Shame on me! And I am a councilperson! DOUBLE SHAME!!!
Well, folks, it is time for us to wake up and start participating in the system that is controlling so many aspects of our lives. If things aren’t going well it may be because we aren’t dictating the choices. If we have bad officials it may be because we are not using our voting power to keep them out of office or to remove them once they have proven themselves unworthy of public trust.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Essentially that means that when looking at the situation from both sides, each side carries weight.
Each choice sways the balance, one way, or the other. In many cases a “no vote” is just as good as supporting the opposing side, and vice versa. In many cases the way the proposal is worded you really don’t understand how you may be voting.
In many cases if you don’t use your vote to oppose something you lend your permission to do otherwise. A "yes" vote opposes one for “no”, while a "no" vote cancels out one for “yes.” Even the simple act of doing nothing means you will be affecting the ultimate outcome, albeit inadvertently. You must learn what the issues are and what our elected officials are doing, together and/or individually, to solve problems. Only the informed will be on top of their game!
Use your children for an example. If you do not tell them not to do something, it is almost tantamount as allowing them to do it. However, when you tell them in definite terms NOT to do something, you are going on record as opposing their doing whatever it may be. If you are oblivious to the situations that arise in any family, your choice NOT to speak up may be the reason why you so often find the situation goes against your wishes.
Folks, I think it is about time for us to wake up as a society and start paying careful attention to exactly who is “guarding the political henhouse. If we are not watching the politicians they get a chance to do what they want to do, how they want, and when they want to, with our tax money. And we were the ones that give them that right.
If there is something wrong, for the most part we are to blame. If we want to see real change we are the ones who will have to make that happen. We can only do that if we start participating in how our system operates.
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