We The People

Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Some people seem very happy to just complain about elected officials; however, when asked for whom he or she voted, the answer is "Oh, I didn't vote because I didn't like either candidate."  Choosing not to vote and then pointing out all the faults of the winner is like saying you don't care what's for dinner and then being upset because you get liver and onions.  Rush sang it best with "if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." 

Some people want to vote for the popular candidate so there is common ground to speak about with friends.  Who ever said the friends were correct?  The ability to break away from the group and make a personal decision separates us from pack animals.  I don't want to say "oh please give me liver and onions for dinner" just because someone else wants it when I would prefer grilled fish and a baked potato.  I will still give my vote and have my voice heard; of course, I may end up being hungry that night. :)

I think everyone gets tired of seeing election commericals.  My 3-year-old sees them and says "change the channel, stupidhead is on TV."  Many commericals have sound bites or informative tidbits that were taken out of context and the entire meaning is changed.  Saying "I don't like liver and onions" means something different than "I don't like liver and onions for breakfast."  Voters should not take anything heard during a political commerical as fact; one should always do a little research to see how much (if any) of the information is correct, even when citations are given during the ad.

Take voting seriously.  Don't go to the polls and flip a coin. Don't believe everything you hear.  Most importantly, don't let someone else make your decision for you.  But then again, maybe you like liver and onions.