© 2015 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. "This
is a frightening statistic. More people vote in 'American Idol' than in any US
election." Rush Limbaugh
How can anyone think they got a
mandate "from the people" when nine out of ten of their constituents
made the decision to not vote? These elections are not about who is going to be
the next councilor or mayor, they are about how people will live in our little
slice of heaven in the next generation.
The decisions that are made in the
next few years will not be widely known by people fifty years from now. But
those people so very far in the future will either live better or worse lives
because of the actions of politicians today. People who are not born yet will
prosper or not because of our votes to elect differing people.
People talk about the "Get out
the vote" efforts. Personally, I do not care if people vote. If you have
to be told to vote, I do not care if you do. If you are just pulling levers for
the sake of pulling levers so we can say a higher percentage voted, please do
not vote.
More so, if the difference between
people running for office is cosmetic rather than a test of policy, again, stay
home and vote for American Idol. We should not spend our time trying to get
people registered and to the polls. We should spend our time getting people to
care. That starts with getting people of character and integrity to run. If potential
voters believe in those running, they will register and vote.
What do I hope for this election? I
hope that the people of character and integrity in each race win, regardless of
party affiliation or if they are the incumbent. I hope the will of the people
triumphs over voter fraud, regardless of who wins.
I hope that the next generation of
leaders tackles the problems of the local community in an effective way so that
long-term solutions work. I hope whoever is elected understands political
solutions only work for political problems. They should never use political
solutions for anything else.
After the votes are counted, I hope
that the animosity that is so unbecoming of our society is lifted. Vote if you
care. If you do not care, please stay home and watch the stars dance
I started watching elections when
Kennedy and Nixon ran. I was just a kid. Then there was Goldwater Johnson. On
election night we finally had a television that I got to stay up and watch. On
the Nixon Humphrey election night I was a freshman in college and sat in the
lobby of the dorm watching television and wondering what the future would
bring. My first chance to vote was Nixon McGovern.
Somewhere in a box I have an "I
like Ike" button that represents one of the high points of my political
life. Ike was admired by my Mom and Dad so I admired him, too.
Some of the people I have the most
respect for are politicians. Elections are like West Point, about character and
integrity. The service academies concentrate on character development and
personal integrity as should our elections.
We have spent quite a bit of time on
what swag the politicians will give us for our vote. We do not really know what
challenges our next crop of leaders will face. Therefore, this election is not
about solutions to things that have already happened. It is about the future.
We know that people of character and
integrity will do better in moments of crisis. We know that there will be chaos
and crisis during the next several years. We know that, for the sake of our
country, we should vote character and integrity.
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