Op/Ed: VOTE.....VOTE......VOTE!!!

Well everybody...its down to the wire. This time tomorrow night we will be finding out who will control congress this time around...patriotic, decent, God fearing Republicans or patriotic...decent, God fearing Democrats. The smearing of both sides has gone on way too long and neither side is innocent. The nuts and bolts of political differences aside...both liberals and conservatives love their families, their communities and their country and want what is best for all of them.


As everybody should know by now I am a dyed in the wool liberal and have serious concerns about the direction this country seems to be heading. My friend Semperfortis is a bottled in bond conservative and has serious concerns about the direction this country seems to be heading. These concerns, though articulated differently speak volumes about how we feel about our home. We differ in solutions but often see the same problems and that is alright so long as we abide by the old 19th century saw..."I may disagree with what you have to say but will defend to the death your right to say it." An ideal sorely missing in today's politics and sorely needed.

Tomorrow we vote...me for the liberals I believe will bring some sanity and decency back into our body politics, and Semperfortis will probably vote for the conservatives he feels will best serve the needs of our community and that is how it should be.

Tomorrow we vote and unless there is a great reversal of recent trends less than 50% of registered voters will bother and that does not bode well for the political health of our country. The fewer the people who vote the easier it becomes to stack elections and the minority who do vote end up imposing their will upon the majority who do not....and little by little our democracy is whittled away.

It really doesn't matter who you vote for tomorrow but what is important that you vote so I am urging all of you who can to do so, even if you feel you have to wear a clothespin on your nose to do block out the stench....to fail to do so is far worse.

As long as we make the effort it is still our country...when we stop caring, we will lose what we love.

VOTE!!!

[edit on 6-11-2006 by UM_Gazz]

OUTSTANDING...

Very well worded and heartfelt...

I could not agree more...

Go Out and VOTE!!!!!


Semper

I'll be most likely voting the straightline Republican ticket but I live in a blue state and this is turning out to be a blue year, so I doubt anyone I vote for will win, but I'll do it anyway since I view it as a civic responsibility.

I still haven't gotten my mail in
I guess they rely don't want my vote or
I'll just have to go to the local place.

Not being locked into a rigid ideology, I very well could split my vote in some of my local and state races. I know one thing, I will probably vote for any woman that is running against a man, reguardless of party affiliation. Maybe it's just a personal trust issue.

I have an active interest and participate in my local and state elections, but sadly I feel that the national elections have been hijacked by the electronic voting machine companys, with their loyalties tied to corperate interest.

I will still vote even though I feel it is an exercise in futility.

The concept of free and fair elections is a myth perpatrated by the "shadow govt" that plays the electorate like a $10 fiddle.





[edit on 7-11-2006 by whaaa]

Originally posted by EvilBat
I still haven't gotten my mail in

I guess they rely don't want my vote or
I'll just have to go to the local place.

That sucks. Everyone don't forget to vote tomorrow.

I'm not voting tomorrow..

Because I already voted a week ago, since my state has
decided to do mail-in-ballots for the majority of the counties,
I got my ballot two weeks ago, we just had to send it in
by today.


But yeah, everyone VOTE!

Since you can't have a democracy if no one votes.

In my opinion, if you don't vote you lose your right to bitch about what's going on

Even if the thing that you're bitching about is the voting system?

I'm gonna commence bitching now...

You know what bothers me the most about this situation?

The picture that's painted only gives voters two options! They're told that they have to choose between two equally ludicrous extremes.

Where are the third party outsiders when you need them?

What this country needs more than anything is to flush the co-opted politicians out, and install some uncorrupted individuals who are not beholden to any big-money special interests.

We desperately need a third-party revolution, because the two primary parties feed at the same trough.

[edit on 7-11-2006 by WyrdeOne]

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
The picture that's painted only gives voters two options! They're told that they have to choose between two equally ludicrous extremes.

Where are the third party outsiders when you need them?

What this country needs more than anything is to flush the co-opted politicians out, and install some uncorrupted individuals who are not beholden to any big-money special interests.

We desperately need a third-party revolution, because the two primary parties feed at the same trough.

It is a shame that it's either Democrat or Redpublican on most
things.

I'm glad I live in the state I do, even though on the lesser elec-
tions it was Dem or Rep, the Senate race had Democrat, Republican,
Independant, Green and Libertarian on the ballot.

Don't Vote

Now after speaking with a brother, who has met the man personally, I am not so sure. My reason for voteing, was to keep the senate intel com, seat of power in Michigan, I may, (note "MAY" still) but am not 100% as I was before.

Just at least check out the above linked site and make your own choice.

Great post Grover
It is probably obvious I am Republican for the most part but I do agree with what some of the other have said. Until we take the election out of the pocket of the media we will never have honest people in office because as of now it is whoever pays the most.

I will be at my local polling place bright and early tomorrow morning and I urge everyone who is registered, to vote too. It's maybe the most important and meaningful thing that any of us can do, as an American. If you can't in good conscience vote for someone in the two mainline parties then vote for your Independent cadidate or another party, but vote!!

Good post, grover.

Remember, if you don't vote, you're doing exactly what they want you to do.

More independent, libertarian, and Green Party candidates are are the ballot. It's a start.

Get out there and vote!

Thanks.

I truly wish our system was different...that 3rd party candidates actually had a chance...the one and only one I have voted for was John Anderson for President in 1980 and I learned then that the powers that be love 3rd parties that don't have a snowball's chance in hell because they siphon away voters from their "opponent". The only way we can ever have a real chance to elect a 3rd party candidate for president is when there are 3rd party governors, and representives and Senators on both the state and federal level.

The way I see it the best things we could do to renew voting in this country is to:

(1) Federally fund ALL candidates (Republican, Democrat and independents of every stripe) from dog catcher to president and make it so that they become eligible after they have gotten X number of signatures on a petition...the more important the office the larger the number of signatures.

(2) Ban ALL other forms of fund raising or contributions to eliminate as much as possible the buying of candidates.

(3) Put a time limit on campaigning. 3 months is plenty of time...and that the nominating convention should be held immediately after the last primary and start campaigning immediately thereafter.

(4) Arrange it so that ALL of the caucuses and primaries are held over the same weekend so it is done all at once and taken care of...that would make planning conventions easier too....none of the s---t---r---e---t---c---h---i---n---g it out over months...get it done and over with. This perpetual
campaigning is for the birds.

(5) Move election day to a weekend, spread it over a couple days and make it a national holiday, and not a weenie one like President's day or Columbus day but a serious one like the 4th of July in which businesses actually close...how many of you have actually tried to leave early or go in late to vote? It is tolerated, barely, or at least that has always been the case in the restaurant trade.

(6) Repeal the Reagan law that did away with equal air time...so much of the poison that has infected the body politic can be traced back to that one act. And this has to include independents as well because if they cannot get their voices out there how can we ever have a real choice?

(7) There should never be a repeat of Florida in 2000 or Ohio in 2004...if the person in charge of voting is involved in a campaign of a candidate they should be required by law to recuse themselves or to step down...Ms. Harris and Mr. Blackwell may or may not have been guilty of rigging the votes in their states in favor of their candidate but their behavior certainly made it look like they did.

(8) Statewide and nationwide automatic runoffs should be required by law, no ifs ands or buts, if the election is closer than a set amount, say 1%. It shouldn't be an option some politician chooses, it should be a mandate and if there still isn't a clear winner, vote again until there is one.

(9) There should be a none of the above on every ballot and if none of the above gets the clear majority the parties should be required by law to go back and nominate somebody else, and continue to do so until a suitable candidate is chosen. This matter of choosing between evil of two lessors has got to stop.

(10) PAPER TRAIL...PAPER TRAIL...PAPER TRAIL. While they can still be burned out on the ranch like LBJ did in 1947, its still a hell of a lot better than nothing and trusting some companies word that their machines are safe and secure. Electronic ballot machines should never be bought but always rented so if some damned fool CEO of a company that makes them announces that they are committed to making sure so and so is elected (or re-elected as in the case of Diebold), their machines automatically disqualified for rental that election cycle. Better yet...arrange it so that the company that makes them is nationalized and a non-partisan federal oversight board is placed in control of it.

(11) And most important...put a media ban on ALL election results nationwide until the last and least polling station has closed.

I really think those proposals would go a long way to making our election process better...maybe not perfect but then anything is better than how it is done now.

[edit on 7-11-2006 by grover]

[edit on 7-11-2006 by grover]

[edit on 7-11-2006 by grover]

This is our chance. Admittedly not much of one but the only one we have. Please use it. The stakes couldn't be much higher.

Then there's this independent rogue leaning on Libertarian, that thinks no group has cornered the market on wisdom, dislikes only having two flavors and hopes for Baskin Robbin days on a smaller Capitol hill.

United We Stand

Vote and know the desire to achieve mutual goals,
should always outweigh the desire to beat others.

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” ~ John Quincy Adams







[edit on 7-11-2006 by Regenmacher]

I can't believe that someone would actually vote for a woman based only on that fact. So you are saying that no matter her stance, you'd vote for her because she's a woman? What is this country coming to?

Grover, I have to say your Op/Ed made me rethink my position. I will get out and vote and its all because of you.

I DEMAND A CHANGE. How can I possibly demand a change and not get out and vote for that change?

I dont know if my vote will count, or yours or anyones. I guess that's a chance i will have to take.

Things will get worse, much worse, and now is the time to do something about it.
I will vote Democrat across the board->>>>>

I've always said they have the same agenda as Republicans, but what the heck, who knows, someone might make a difference.

Thank you.

No thank you Dgtempe...I am flattered to think my words could influence anyone...I merely wrote what I feel about it.

It is only our country so long as we involve ourselves in it and it is only by voter apathy that we are where we stand today.