This fine country of ours is having a major election today. I’m pretty sure that hasn’t escaped the notice of most Americans.
I voted early here in Indiana. It looks like about 1/2 of registered voters in Colorado have already voted according to a report on CNN today.
No matter who you support, it is important that you don’t take one of the biggest privileges we have for granted. One of the things you haven’t heard pundits and politicians talk much about, in this or any election, is the responsibility that Americans have in the “way things are.”
No one wants to point the finger at the citizenry when they depend on our votes. But I have no problem doing it since I am not running for anything! It is important to vote, but it is also important to do something tomorrow and several days between now and the next election. And the next.
We are all good at complaining.
We’ve mastered the art form. But most Americans take our roles in government and shaping policies for granted. We want to elect someone to take care of everything for us so we don’t have to worry about anything.
When governments are allowed to conduct themselves virtually unchecked, you get the kind of problems we have today. Voting is just the first step. Continuous involvement in keeping up with what they are doing once they get into office is required by the people of any free country in order to make sure the power we’ve given them doesn’t go to their heads.
Lord Acton put it best: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Voting someone, anyone, into office means that you must also follow their actions and make sure that they are acting on the mandates and promises. This is even more true if the person you vote for comes up short and the other guy gets in.
I have always been amazed at the lack of interest Americans have in politics and government except at times like these. When everything is apparently going fine, no one seems to be active. When things are going badly, everyone has a complaint. And yet, most still don’t get involved in any meaningful way beyond pointing fingers.
When things are going well is almost always a precursor to things turning for the worse. Nothing will stop this cycle other than the people being more involved. Not just on election day. But regularly checking up on your representatives in government to see that they are not being corrupted by the power you’ve given them.
Some people think that voting doesn’t matter. That no matter who wins an election, things won’t change. I’ll tell you this: That is a self-fulfilling prophecy!
The process we’re going through today is a reminder of how this country was founded and has thrived since its creation. It’s a big deal, as millions of new voters are proving today. Take nothing for granted. Not your vote. Not your government. Not your rights and freedoms.
Doing so by most Americans is exactly what has brought us to these bad times. Politicians can be blamed, and many rightly so, but the ultimate responsibility for how our government works, or doesn’t, rests in the hands of the citizens of this country.
We have much more power than most in Washington would be comfortable with if they saw us using it.
