I’ve been able to vote in 13 Presidential elections. Yes, I’m older. I like to think of it as “advanced middle age”. Unfortunately, most of those elections I voted in were nothing more than a choice of the lesser of two evils. Two or three were actually great candidates who did get elected and did some really good things for our country.
However, over the last three or four election cycles I’ve seen a really sad trend in my fellow country men and women. Especially in the 20 to 40 year old group It’s like voting for the senior class president in high school. It has become nothing more than a popularity contest…you remember how it was….the candidates were sorted not by what good they could actually do, but for their wit, charm, good looks, smooth talk and outlandish claims of what they thought they would like to accomplish and do for your high school. This is not a good way to elect a President of the United States of America. We need to be more focused on the ability to get things done that are good for our people and good for our country.
I know we are all busy. Careers, kids, sports, leisure time are all consuming. And….those smart phones we all like to stare at way too much and way too often. Here’s an idea, take some of your screen time and actually use it to research those running for office. Not just the Presidential candidates, but local and state races too. Check out the past job experience, education level, how they voted on critical issues, what issues are they campaigning on. Compare their voting records to the promises made when trying to be elected. Look at the character of the person.
With all of the information we now have at our fingertips, you would think it would be a snap to get information on candidates. While the information is plentiful, good, solid, truthful information is rare. This brings us to today’s “word of the day”….Discernment. Read and watch from many different sources. Listen to many points of view. Ask questions. And for crying out loud, THINK. Out of all the animal kingdom, we humans have the power to reason, to think logically, discern the truth from falsehoods, and make decisions that are morally and ethically sound.
Point number two. Quit listening only to your feelings. Try using your head too. Develop critical thinking skills. Look at the big picture. Consider the common good of all people. Let me put it this way, would you rather have a jerk that takes care of business and gets things done or would you like someone who make you all warm and fuzzy while screwing our country into the ground?
It’s our choice, everyone. Time to get involved. Act, think, do. Wake up America!
The New Editorialist 