I'm Glad It's Over

I understand the importance of voting. I do. If you don't believe me just because I say it, let me tell you what voting means to the nation. As a democracy, the government power is vested in the people of the United States of America, either exercised directly by the community or by people that the community elects. Being a democracy, the United States is built on the principles of social equality and respect for each individual. Obviously, the notion of social equality is not completely satisfied, but for the most part it is the foundation upon which this nation stands. As a result, electing people to exercise the power of the populus when it is not feasible for the populus to use it wisely is the single most important right that is granted a democratic nation.

When I speak of rights of a nation, I do not mean the rights of each individual. The rights of the individual include every right that the Consitution grants, as well as the basic human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The rights of a nation are not as broad. They are also not as easy to quantify. Despite this difficulty, I think that it can be agreed that some rights of the populus of the United States are the right to peacefully assemble, the right to vote, and the right to be protected from domestic and foreign threats. As I have already written, I believe that the most important right granted the people of the United States of America is the right to vote. This right allows the populus to essentially mold the government that will uphold and modify the rights and laws that control, legally, everything.

The only people who run for elected office on the state and federal level are politicians, probably because these are the only people that possess the required skills, knowledge, and experience to satisfactorily do the job, regardless of whether they actually do it after elected. Unfortunately, I do not like the politics that come with politicians. I am tired of the ads, debates, and campaigns that focus on defaming the opposition. I am disheartened by the fact that a significant portion of the term of the incumbent is spent on trying to hold office by running commercials that try to mislead the viewer instead of concentrating on doing a good job at doing his or her job. I am amused when candidates insist on assuring the public that they are good, upstanding individuals and who deserve being elected when a large part of being a successful politician is being able to manipulate situations and often sidestep controversy. As a consequence, it is difficult as a voter to become informed and give the importance of voting much rational thought.

I admit that, because of all of the obstacles I presented in the previous paragraph, I believe that it would take me entirely too long to come to a rational conclusion regarding which candidate deserves my vote. Perhaps if the candidates made an effort to run a campaign with integrity I would make an effort to become informed. And, since I believe that voting should not be taken lightly, I do not vote. However, I respect the voting process and will accept whoever wins the election without complaint. Despite my lack of desire to vote, I encourage whoever reads this to consider voting and take the action seriously. The time that you can exercise your right to vote, and that I can exercise my right to ignore all political discussion, is quickly approaching.