So Vote Already!

©2018 by John LaTorre

Well, it's time to put in my two cents on voting. My advice: do it.

It's amazing how many people just don't vote. Not all of them are in the hospital, or working two jobs, or otherwise too caught up in life's troubles to vote. A lot of you, I'm afraid to say, just don't care.

Some of you think your vote won't count. That's exactly what the people in power want you to think, folks. They say that because their careers would be over if people actually voted them out. That's why they go to great lengths to make it as difficult as possible for people who don't look or think like them to vote.

Some think that the issues aren't important, or that they don't apply to you. But listen: do you breathe air? Do you drink water? Do you eat food? Do you use roads to get around? Do you, or others who are dear to you, get sick? Do you want justice if you ever get in trouble with the law? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," then this election affects you right between the eyes, because all of these things are at risk right now, or will be in the near future. There are no innocent bystanders in this fight. If you don't make these decisions and vote your interests, somebody else will vote their interests, and you can't be sure that they will be your interests, too.

When you vote, you stand with the people who have been beaten senseless, or had fire hoses turned on them, or were killed, because they wanted the vote and didn't have it. You stand with all the people who proudly display their purple thumbs to show that they voted, even when that simple gesture makes them enemies in the eyes of the state where they live. But here's the thing: you can stand with these people even when you have absolutely no personal risk, because they've made it possible. All you have to sacrifice is a few hours of your time every couple of years to look at the issues, make your decision, and fill out your ballot.

Are you still too busy to vote? Do you still think it's not important? Then you'll get exactly the government you deserve. The problem is that I'll get that government, too. I won't stand for that. I'll vote.

Note: This blog entry was preceded by one with one that explained the need for a Voter's Bill of Rights. That essay can be found here:

http://jayeltee.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-voters-bill-of-rights.html