My Position

Re: My Position

It's always a good idea to study the people, parties and policies, make your own informed decisions and then get out there and vote.

Soldiers from nearly every western country have died so that we have the right to vote in a free and democractic manner, don't make their efforts be in vain.

People have and continue to die so you can go out there and tick the box, pull the lever or do what ever it takes to make your opinion count.

Please don't let apathy, boredom with the ads and infighting, confusion over the whole situation or the worst excuse I have ever heard "It's raining" stop you.

Getting off now, sorry about that, voting is a subject dear to my heart.

Re: My Position

I already voted. I wasn't taking any chances with this election. Too much is at stake this time both nationally and statewide for me. I volunteered to serve my country and now I'm sick for life. I am dang well going to vote and I am going to beg, badger and bother everyone I know into voting. Democracy fails when people don't vote.

Re: My Position

That is so true, the old saying that all evil needs to win is for good people to do nothing is so true. I remember having to force my mother into the car to go and vote because it was too much hassle I would always get her weith the saying that "If you don't vote, you can't bitch" she loves bitching way to much to give away that right

Re: My Position

AMEN!

I tell my best friend the first part of this all the time. Maybe I need to add the second half to motivate her lazy butt to vote!

Re: My Position

My parents always voted and discussed politics when I was growing up, so I was very surprised when my dad told me he hadn't voted since before 2000. He just didn't like the presidental candidates, so he didn't vote. Every position is important in an election. For example, we have a guy running for some kind of public health commission whose hotel was recently closed for 58 health and fire violations - all of them pretty serious. He is also in trouble with the Health Department for numerous health violations in his slum housing. So even if you don't like the national candidates, still please vote or people like this guy can get elected just by the votes of their friends.

Re: My Position

Absolutely. Especially for the national issues, like president, etc., you should have enough information by now to figure out who you want or don't want. And if you don't, then please give a d@mn enough to do a little bit of reading, or ask people questions. It's just not that hard.

And the thing that gets my goat almost as much as not voting is people who say "Well, I'm a registered *insert party name here*, so I have to vote for *insert that party's candidate here*" NO, YOU DON'T. If that were really the case, then all we'd have to do is register - they'd count registrations, and the winner would be determined that way. Think of the monetary savings of not having to run a full blown election! If it were possible, I think each candidate should be presented anonymously - no reference to gender, race, political party, or anything. Just printed words (or a verbal statement read by that movie announcer guy). I bet it would be surprising who won if we did things that way. Sadly, it's just not possible or practical to run the election that way. Things would be SO different if I were in charge.

Now, as far as some issues, I believe that if you can't make an informed decision, or can't be bothered to read the issue, then maybe not voting is better. For example, a couple of years ago, our state had a ballot issue regarding gay marriage. I personally voted against it, because if you read the fine print, it prohibited ALL domestic partner relationships, not just same sex marriage. So two folks who can't afford marriage for some reason (i.e., my aunt's kids were getting her deceased husband's military benefits until they turned 23, or she remarried, whichever came first - she didn't remarry until after they were all 23 - 10 years after her husband died) could not form a domestic partnership. Of course, the bill passed, because most people read the hot-button title and based their vote/opinion on that alone. I bet if people had read further, it wouldn't have passed.

Re: My Position

I've usually found that there may not be someone I want to vote for, but there is always someone (or some policy) that I want to vote against.

The question really isn't

"Do you prefer Obama or McCain as President of the United States of America"

It is about

"do you want the policies of the Democrats or the Republicans to be running the United States of America for the next 4 years"

Re: My Position

Maree, I think in this case, this may be the exact question some of us ARE asking ourselves as Americans this election.