The Election

Well here we are just a few days until the election and the ugliness continues. I had kind of hoped that with all the devastation and destruction that has happened over the last couple of days that perhaps the media and the politicians themselves would tone down the rhetoric a bit to lend some air time to those who desperately need it at the moment but alas that seems to be too much to ask. I understand that we are close to the election but really who do they think that they have to convince anymore?

So which side of the aisle am I going to endorse? I’m not telling.

Back in the dark ages, before the internet, people didn’t really discuss who they were going to vote for. I grew up in a small town in Maine and most everyone, in my family anyhow, were democrats, but no one talked about it. Sure folks would talk about the issues of the day and what was going on in the world but no one that I can recall ever spoke about who it was that they voted for. You would hear the candidates  spouting off at the gums about each other and what they were going to do to change things, but I never once recall a political argument at church or a social gathering or anything even remotely close. Just like the taboo about talking religion, politics was considered a personal thing you just didn’t discuss it.

Today you have a much different political environment; everyone seems to have an opinion, right wrong or indifferent, and they are willing to share with everyone even to the point of getting nasty. The media feeds us half-truths and distortions and the internet is filled with conspiracies, riots and destruction, if one candidate or the other gets elected. Is this what it’s really supposed to be about; Hatred and the threat of violence?

What ever happened to the thought that no matter who gets elected that the idea is to do the will of the people and to do what is right for the country?

The fact of the matter is that this should not be about a party or who sits in the Whitehouse. It should be about creating jobs; it should be about fixing an out of control economy. It should be about becoming energy independent so we don’t waste our time fighting wars in the Middle East. It should be about improving our infrastructure and our school systems so that we can compete in the world as we once did. It should be about ending our wars and taking care of our seniors and the disabled. It should be about helping those in need get a helping hand until they have the skills they need to survive on their own, and it should be about holding politicians feet to the fire and putting an end to all the corporate influence in politics.

I realize that there is more to this list, many of you have other priorities that are just as important to you, but the one thought that should be in all of our minds, as we vote next Tuesday, is which of the candidates, in all levels of the election, are going to be the ones who really serve the needs of the country and the people. Don’t just go by party affiliation; look at their records and then decide, not just from a personal point of view, but from a national view, then make your decision.

So there you have it. See you at the polls.