Today, if you are an inhabitant of the United States (or its dependencies, I imagine), is Election Day.
So go vote.
If you have already voted via early voting or mail in voting, thank you. If you have not, today is your day.
As I rule, I try not to discuss politics here - so I do not care who you are voting for. Just vote.
I know all the old canards: it does not really matter, we only elect different versions of the same fools, I never believe the results, etc.
Go vote anyway.
Much like any other participatory activity, if you do not participate, you do not get a say or criticism in the outcome that follows. To quote and paraphrase Theodore Roosevelt, only the man in the arena gets a say, because if one does not, one's place is "with the cold and timid souls, who neither know victory or defeat."
Do not feel like you can vote for everyone? Just vote for the ones you know or care about.
But Vote. A great many people expended a great amount of effort so that you could do so.
(Note - and apologies I have to mention it at all: Comments will be moderated today. Please mind the rules and remember, the people that come here are not always in agreement on a great many things political. I try to keep this a place where discussion can be had in an open atmosphere, but we are not doing politics today anymore than usual. There are many other fine blogs one can do that on.)
My wife and I voted early so have no long lines to contend with. Vote and make your voices heard.
ReplyDeleteThank you for voting. I actually vote early (as New Home is in a state that allows such things) to avoid the lines as well.
DeleteWe take for granted too often that we actually have the right and power to do this. I suspect if one asked anyone that lived either under a non-voting system or a single party system, they would look at you crazily if one said that had the opportunity to vote but chose not to do so (or were too lazy to do so).
Have a cleaning lady who constantly complains about politicians. I used to work at the polls and made a comment and she said oh, I don't vote. Handed her a voters registration card, also tenants gets one with their lease, and said register and vote or quit complaining.
ReplyDeletePerfect GL. That is exactly the way it is to be done.
DeleteI guess I rarely encourage people to vote. If someone asks me if they should vote, of course I tell them yes and the reasons why, especially the one listed above that it gives you the right to complain about whom got elected. But if someone doesn't ask, I don't encourage mainly for one reason.
ReplyDeleteIf they don't care enough to vote, I would rather those elected represent the majority of those who did care enough to vote. They made the effort and therefore should be rewarded.
I did make the effort and voted though as usual, most of my choices will not be elected or enacted. I've always been a minority when it comes to politics. If someday I find myself in the majority, I'll start to wonder if I've drank the proverbial kool-aid or become brainwashed.
Ed, I do not disagree with anything you have said. My only thought (and complaint) is that people who regularly complain about "the system" do not use the one constitutional remedy given to us to address it. Instead they shout from the sidelines or propose wildly outlandish and sometimes terrifying things as a way to "Fix the problem" (this happens on both sides). I would prefer people vote - even if it is against everything, even if - to follow the suggestion of the estimable Claire Wolfe - one votes for "Attila the Hun" as a write in - and build that as the social habit and norm than what I, at least, perceive to be a pernicious cancer on the body politic: to complain and then, when the opportunity is given for the one thing that we are guaranteed to be able do, turn aside.
DeleteOne thing that does bother me is that I feel national politics get so much focus and local races, that probably affect my life ten times more, get so little focus. Many of my voting peers just leave those races blank or go based on name recognition. The local school board spends about 75% of my property tax dollars and yet is usually decided by somewhere around 10% of the voting electorate on a presidential election year. In an off year, it may dip as low as 5% of the voting electorate.
DeleteIt is the same here, Ed. I suppose things like "high level issues" and Federal taxes are easy to get excited about; local spending less so (for the record, I vote "no" on virtual every spending bond that comes across my ballot).
DeleteDid my civic duty this morning, good turnout there also.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nylon12. Good turnouts mean an involved citizenry, which is always a good thing.
Delete"Much like any other participatory activity, if you do not participate, you do not get a say or criticism in the outcome that follows."
ReplyDeleteBullshit. If you are a citizen and pay taxes, you have a say and a right to your bitching, whether you "participated" in that great circle jerk election or not. Not voting is just as much of a valid political statement as voting for someone. People who claim otherwise are just as evil as the political parties who push that nonsense. It's fine to advocate voting, but it's inherently hypocritical and ignorant to criticize those that don't.
Mind Your Own Business - I am in receipt of your comment. You somehow overlooked the request above about being kind and the one below about not practicing profanity. These sorts of things do not move forward, at least here. Again, there are many places one can be both unkind and profane. Just not here.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a state where I don't think much cheating goes on. I think this is far from the norm.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I have no idea what happens here. 100% of poll workers I have interacted with for my entire voting time have been conscientious and responsible people (it is the sort of civic service I can see doing someday), so if there is cheating, it has to happen higher up the food chain.
DeleteThat said, both parties are culpable here. The fact that - as I read yesterday - Brazil knew their election results in three hours post poll closing and we are being told "weeks" is embarrassing. It is obvious, at least to me, that both sides benefit from a system that has the potential for "flexibility".