Roles of a Citizen
I met some friends at a bar tonight and, as will always happen with me if I'm in a good mood, we began to talk about politics. One of the people at the table asked me, "I don't think I'm informed enough to vote. Do you think I still should?"
"Get educated!" I said to her, raising my voice slightly. "There are two things that one must do as a citizen. The first is to get educated about the what's going on around you. Read everything possible. Then, after you've read what you think is enough to let you make an informed decision, go ahead and vote."
I sound like a campaign poster, I know. But it's how I really feel. There's not much one absolutely must do in a democracy, but two of those things are to get educated and to use that education to some kind of end.
I've been hearing one comment that infuriates me the most, especially now that we're so much nearer to the election. The comment that, "I hate politics, because all politicans are liars." While being in and of itself a facile statement, it usually rises from the same mouth that says, "No, I'm not registered to vote," a minute later.
Not participating in the election process is bad enough, but to completely eliminate even the possiblity of voting is probably the worst thing one can do as a citizen. No, this has nothing to do with anything Lee Greenwood has written. Participating in the political process, in however small a fashion, is not only the right, but the duty of a citizen.
When a person says that all politicians are liars, they lump every politician and every political action in with a handful of presidental candidates. They rarely know about the referrendums and state and local elections that are also contested on any given ballot.
The politicians are not catering to the younger voter. Therefore, the younger voter refuses to vote (or even register), and the cycle continues. We must find a way to escape from this hell of uneducated, unadvised and apathetic citizens.
"Get educated!" I said to her, raising my voice slightly. "There are two things that one must do as a citizen. The first is to get educated about the what's going on around you. Read everything possible. Then, after you've read what you think is enough to let you make an informed decision, go ahead and vote."
I sound like a campaign poster, I know. But it's how I really feel. There's not much one absolutely must do in a democracy, but two of those things are to get educated and to use that education to some kind of end.
I've been hearing one comment that infuriates me the most, especially now that we're so much nearer to the election. The comment that, "I hate politics, because all politicans are liars." While being in and of itself a facile statement, it usually rises from the same mouth that says, "No, I'm not registered to vote," a minute later.
Not participating in the election process is bad enough, but to completely eliminate even the possiblity of voting is probably the worst thing one can do as a citizen. No, this has nothing to do with anything Lee Greenwood has written. Participating in the political process, in however small a fashion, is not only the right, but the duty of a citizen.
When a person says that all politicians are liars, they lump every politician and every political action in with a handful of presidental candidates. They rarely know about the referrendums and state and local elections that are also contested on any given ballot.
The politicians are not catering to the younger voter. Therefore, the younger voter refuses to vote (or even register), and the cycle continues. We must find a way to escape from this hell of uneducated, unadvised and apathetic citizens.