Vote, But don't "JUST VOTE"

Vote, by all means, Vote! I want you to, your Country needs you to! Vote! It is your DUTY. It is something hardly anyone does anymore. Your countries leaders are being determined by 25% of the voting people at best. In some places(here) it can be much lower. So go vote. Tell your friends to vote. Tell your co-workers and anyone you can spark up a conversation with. The checker at the grocery store. Teach your kids how important it is. Tell everyone!

Wait! Not yet! Don't go running off just yet. What are you going to tell them? Will it be a regurgitation of of a popular campaign and you tell them "Just Vote!" No no no, that won't do. What do you tell them? "Vote Republican" or "Vote Conservative", "Vote Democrat" or "Vote Liberal." NO! That won't do either.

"Just Vote" is one of the worst campaigns ever. It may have got a few to the poles sure, but to "Just Vote" is more of a discredit to your country than not voting at all. "Vote and Vote Informed" is what I say. I tell them to listen to ALL the media. The majority Liberal media and the fringe Conservative media. If you are voting for a candidate, then research the candidate. See what they are for and what they are against. If you don't understand those subjects then look into them until you do. If you are voting for a Proposition or researching a Bill, then read the whole thing. Read the interpretations as given and ask questions about those you don't understand. Ask who sponsors the bill to explain it to you (they will.) Ask their opposition to explain why they oppose it (they should.) When it comes to electing a judge or other official, check and see how they ruled on the issues you care about. AND THIS IS IMPORTANT. If you could not explain who the representative/official is and what they stand for, if you can't explain the bill/proposition and why you support or oppose it to a 9 year old in a manner that they can understand it then YOU don't understand it well enough. You need to research it more. That's right, the responsibility of voting is not a small one and you can't decide who you are going to vote for or what you are going to vote on while sitting at the breakfast table the morning of the vote. You don't act like a child and vote for the guy you think will win just to be on the winning side either. You are not a child. Don't act like one!

Now you may not have time to research everything. That is OK, I am a very busy guy, but I make the time. I still don't have enough time to know all the issues and candidates sometimes. So I choose which things are most important to me and research those in that order. Whether it be a candidate, Ordinance or whatever, I prioritize them. Hopefully I learn them all. As I learn some the order might change as I see hints of one item on the list that may cause me more interest. Knowing the issues as they arise helps. First, you can contact your current representatives and let them know how you feel. Second, when it comes to voting for candidates you can look at how the current representatives voted and gauge for yourself how they did quickly because you already know the issues.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT STEP. Once you have done all the research you can and know how you are going to vote you actually have to go do it. And when you get there and see all those items on the ballot don't get vapor lock, don't vote the (D) or the (R) just because that is your party. Stick with your research. Vote what you know. More importantly DON'T VOTE FOR WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. That's right! This isn't a Scantron test at school where you are better off guessing than leaving it blank. You leave it blank. You don't risk voting for the guy who will not represent YOU. YOU LEAVE IT BLANK. You will be counted on all the items you vote for and abstain from those you don't by simply leaving it blank.

SO "VOTE INFORMED AND IF YOUR NOT INFORMED...LEAVE IT BLANK!!"

Wake up America. If the current financial situation isn't enough to get you fired up to do the research than what will?