Yes, this is a late post. Partly because I had things to catch up on earlier today, and partly because I was originally thinking that I should say something about the upcoming election. And then I thought, Why? I presume almost all of you have already decided who you are voting for, and nothing I say will change anyone’s mind. Those of you who know me know what my political stance is, and I imagine most of you can figure out where my votes are going. So, I am not going to talk about candidates or issues or any of that. And even if I wanted to, the best thing for me to do would be to post links to blogs and articles that say it all far better than I can. I am just going to focus on one thing:
Vote. Whatever your political affiliation, whatever your ideology, whatever you believe or don’t believe about the political climate right now- just vote. Because it DOES matter. Your vote DOES count. Yes, we have a major election this year, but that’s not the only reason to vote and certainly not the only place where your individual vote really counts. Because, in the end, at the highest levels, politics is politics. It has always been thus, and it will be for a long, long time to come. Perhaps forever. No one will get everything, compromises will happen, politicos will be happy or unhappy. We, down here in the everyday, will think things are better. Or not. But the politics will go on.
So, why bother, then? Because there is a lot more at stake out there tomorrow and every election than the national picture. And that’s where your vote counts even more. I’m not saying it doesn’t count in the national contests. Of course it does. But your town, county, and state elections and ballot questions are the ones that affect you everyday. And the ones that will impact you soonest. Want to change the way things are in whatever direction you think they should be going? Start locally. Because that’s where the movement really begins- at ground level, and then you can start to work it upward. Top down ain’t gonna work, folks. Give as much, and perhaps more, thought to your local ballots as you do to the national ones.
And vote. Vote for whoever and whatever you think is right. Whether we agree or not, I support everyone who goes out and votes. Or who already have, if you took advantage of that option. Congratulations. You are making history, on both large and small scales. And it’s the small victories that eventually lead to big ones.
I will leave you with something my Dad, who taught me how important voting is, used to say: “If you don’t vote, you got no right to complain after.” And, as usual, he was right.
And So On... 