They say you should never talk about politics or religion if you want to keep your friends – at least not until you know what their personal views and opinions are. Well – I am about to break that rule and I hope you won’t give up on the web site or me.
But then I do not want to try to get you to vote one way or the other. And I am not going to try and convert you to my religious understandings about the issues or give you some sort of “divine insight” or “call” to vote one way or the other. I am going to urge you to look beyond much of the rhetoric and personal attacks and struggle with me to discover what each pair of candidates believes about the various problems and concerns that face our nation today and in the days ahead.
I say struggle because I am having trouble find out what it is that they believe and in what direction they wish to lead us. That not only frustrates me but saddens me.
Perhaps some of you are old enough to remember POD classes in high school Problems of Democracy classes were basically Civics classes that taught one how to be a good and informed citizen. I studied the Constitution and Bill of Rights, what our 3 branches of government are and how they function, as well as the history of both the Republican and Democratic parties and their predecessors most of which no longer exist. I was taught that one of the important strengths of the two party system is – or is supposed to be – that for every issue, every question, every problem, every decision that needs to be made there would be two perspectives, two answers, two solutions, and two directions offered. The task of the leaders was then to take the best of both and blend them into a final form that would be better and stronger and more likely to succeed than either of the plans or positions from which they came. They no longer teach POD in schools (probably because there are no questions from the curriculum on the standardized tests – but that is another article) and it shows.
The issues, questions, problems and decisions that need to be addressed are extremely important for this nation right now. They may very well be the MOST important ones that we have faced in several generations for the world, just since the turn of century, has changed dramatically and at lightening speed.
You and I hold the key for we hold the vote. Yes, I am still naïve and idealistic enough to believe that my vote counts and is important. And that means that YOUR vote counts and is important. I would love it if you vote exactly like me. But it is OK if you vote the exact opposite of me. All I ask is that your vote be based on the basis of what each candidate is offering in the way of a perspective, an answer, a solution, a direction and not the color of their skin, their age or gender, how well they can crack a joke, the kind or price of the clothes they wear, or whether you “like” them. We don’t need someone we can like. We need someone with perspective, answers, solutions and a sense of which direction is best for ALL the people of this great land.
Study, learn, struggle and decide. Then do the most important thing any American do – VOTE!
