Dear Pissed off Adults of America
For the love of God people, would you
VOTE. I know the arguments. I do. And they are valid. We have a
two party system that not only is dysfunctional but is barely
distinguishable. The two sides are like two people who have way to
much in common. They bicker about near trivial differences as if the
world rides on them, and meanwhile they sell us all down the river to
whomever can buy the best legislation. It's like two frat boys
debating whether or not to go at the passed out girl missionary or
doggie style. Meanwhile our country is the passed out girl wondering
why that drink was so strong (it was rufies). We are afforded as
individuals a relatively paltry selection of avenues to pursue when
we have grievances against the government. You don't protest an
election by not participating, especially as an individual. If you
don't vote because you don't believe in the merits of the candidates,
NO ONE WILL CARE. You have chosen to take what little voice you
have and silence it. What's more you are showing your ignorance.
Elections are not just for Presidents,
or Senators, or Representatives. When you go to vote there are a
plethora of races being decided. That's why the ballot is like three
pages long. Every two to four years on the first Tuesday after the
first Monday in November, all sorts of races get decided. Most of
the time these are races that will have much more direct effect on
your life than some national election with a billion dollars pumped
into it. Your county board often has a lot of control over roads and
land usage. Your city council makes decisions over your property
taxes and zoning laws. Your state reps handle your highways and
infrastructure. Your school board decides what techniques and
curriculum educate your kids. These races are all much closer to
home than some macro policy about how we decide to sanction Syria.
These races also deal with a smaller electorate so each vote means
more.
Beyond the direct results of your
locals elections, it is important to remember that the people who
hold these offices are burgeoning politicians. Many of the most
powerful men in our country right now, began either as political
activists or in local elections. Barack Obama began as a state
Senator. Mitt Romney started at the state level as a Governor. These
lower votes help decide who will decide in years to come. Through
this you ultimately can have an effect on the national scale.
Financial regulations spent twenty years being dismantled before the
financial collapse, so the people who were coming up in politics
entered an arena where that was the norm. This is so much the case
that now, in light of glaring evidence and the admission from Alan
Greenspan that self regulation is a fallacy, you still have people
claiming it as gospel.
I get it if you don't want to vote for
the President. In the end, both sides will cater to the same
corporate masters that fuel their campaigns (it's like a weapons
dealer selling to both sides). I personally think a protest vote is
a more effective measure. All ballots have the option of a write in,
and writing down the name of the guy who you want to be President at
least means someone has to bother to process the vote. But if you'd
rather not say anything, I get where you are coming from. There are,
however, plenty of other things being decided on voting day. If you
don't have the will to take the time to show up because of that, then
you don't have the time to bitch about how this country is failing
you
-Sincerely
-Zach Johnson-Dunlop
