Voting. Why don’t we do it? I’ve got a question I’m still looking for an answer to. Why don’t Americans seem to care about the future of our country? We’d rather exchange recipes on social media than read “one more damn political post.” I get that. I get tired of it too, especially as the liberal left leans more and more toward socialism. But that’s just a symptom. When did Americans stop caring about the future of their country?
Here’s something we can’t relate to. You likely didn’t hear much about it, but Pakistan had its first elections in decades back in July of last year. Elections turned violent during that time as an explosion at a polling place killed 31 would-be voters. About 50 percent of that country turned out for the first democratic election since 1947. They cared enough about the future of THEIR country enough to risk violence.
We likely won’t have to ever face that kind of a threat at American polling locations. At least I hope not. The problem was summed up well in an article on the website enidnews.com. “The problem is “our grasp on representative government is slowly slipping away for one reason: We simply don’t care enough about our system of government to keep it.”
Remember the 2016 election when Trump ran against Hillary? The media had us all up in arms about the importance of the election to the future of our country? Only 55 percent of our eligible voters turned out to vote “in the most important election of our time.” Seriously?
Just FYI: I didn’t vote for either of them. For the first time in my life, I voted for a third-party candidate (Gary Johnson) that I knew didn’t have a shot to win. He was still better than both candidates from the “established parties.” The reason I did that? I did some research. Johnson was twice elected governor as a Libertarian in Massachusetts, a MILITANTLY liberal Democratic-leaning state. Not only was he elected twice, he left the office in better financial shape than he found it. It’s called research.
How much research did it take for my state (Minnesota) to send someone like Ilhan Omar to the House of Representatives? You’ve likely heard the rumors that she married her brother and committed immigration fraud, right? I’m going to teach you a little something about journalism 101. If there’s enough smoke (stories out there that seem to tell the same story), then there’s likely some fire (truth to the accusations).
For example, an article on the Fox 9 TV website in the Twin Cities looked into what the Congresswoman said in explaining the “miscommunication.” The TV station found some “discrepancies between Omar’s stated husband and marriage certificates that are on file with Hennepin County and the state.” How was she still elected? And why didn’t anyone push the issue farther? There are enough questions here that should have immediately disqualified her from even running.
What’s done is done, now.
She’s just one example of numerous people that likely have no business being in office. Don’t get me started on AOC out of New York. How many Republicans have spent DECADES in office? If we don’t hold our elected officials accountable with our voting, we deserve whatever happens to our country. And don’t kid yourselves, the extremist left in the Democratic party want to turn this country socialist as soon as possible. If you look at social media threads, you might be shocked at how many Americans don’t seem to have a problem with it. Its right here in their own words.
And don’t think I’m on an anti-Democrat kick. Amy Klobuchar and Collin Peterson are just two Democrats I’ve voted for in recent elections. I don’t agree with everything they say and do but there’s enough common sense that I have no problem voting for them. Hell, I was a registered Democrat when I became old enough to start voting. As I got older, I switched to Republican (White privilege kicking into effect?). After that, I’m an independent voter and will stay that way for life.
Just checking off a series of candidates under either “Republican” or “Democrat” just because that’s what you’ve always done is foolish. Have you noticed how much the parties have changed over the decades? Do you really believe either one “cares about the little guy?” They don’t. It’s Republicans and Democrats that have gotten us into the situation we find our country in. Divided. Rudderless. Broke (we are). Meantime, we just keep voting to send the same people to Washington, D.C., because they’re in the party we’ve always voted for?
The article on enidnews.com lays it out. We Americans are “pitifully unprepared when we head to the polls, and that’s where the greatest threat to our republic lies.” We’ve got little hand-held computers with us that link us to the collective knowledge of the human race. “But, by and large, we use it to chase click bait that affirms our preconceptions, leaving us collectively ill-suited to guide our own nation.”
“We gorge ourselves on only those information sources that confirm what we want to believe, because we don’t feel any incentive to put in the work required to form independent, informed policy preferences. We pick a team, we let it speak for us, and we only listen to reporting that echoes our team.” For those that only vote “Republican” or “Democrat,” does that sound familiar?
“it’s just another damn political post on some random dude’s blog.” If that’s what you’re thinking, maybe you’re right. I don’t have all the answers. But I’m not convinced that America is so far gone that it can’t come back. Maybe keeping the phone lines open to our elected officials and expressing opinions is a good start? Then, actually doing research every couple years and making an informed choice? That’s an even better idea.