The 2010 mid-term elections are less than two weeks away. To me, it is not “just another election.” It is much more than that. We have federal government spending that is out of control, and has been for some time now. We are having morals foisted upon us that we do not like. In Pennsylvania, we are getting rid of a governor that has no clue of anything that is going on in the state outside of Philadelphia. We have seen several state officials brought up on charges of corruption. It is time for change both on a national and a state level.
As Abraham Lincoln noted, our government is “...of the people, by the people, and for the people…” Apparently, our officials in government have forgotten this little nugget of information. Over the past year or so, we have seen two elder Democrats in the Senate pass away. And in both instances, the response was the same – “Who is going to take over Senator Kennedy’s seat?” or “Who will take over Sen. Byrd’s seat?” Apparently, the media and party officials forgot that these seats were only filled by these men. The seats actually belong to the people of Massachusetts and West Virginia. Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) lost in the Republican primary in Alaska, but apparently she feels that this was an unjust loss, so she is running as a write-in candidate. She believes that the people in her party were wrong for voting her out of office, and she is trying to force herself on the people.
So what do we do with this type of arrogance? What do we do with officials that think we, as the electorate, the people who put them into office, are too stupid to know better? What do we do with officials that are constantly trying to pull the wool over our eyes? How do we make them understand that they do not dictate to us, but that since they work for us, we dictate to them?
The answer is that we vote them out of office. By our votes, we tell them that we need a change in direction. We need to get back to the fundamentals of good government – spend within your means, abide by the Constitution, allow religion to exist and be practiced freely. By our votes, we tell them that we do not agree with the direction that this country is going, that we do not want socialism in our government, that we believe the President is leading us in a direction that we believe is not good for this country.
Unfortunately, there are those who will vote to have the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Charlie Rangel back into Congress (and since they are in relatively safe districts, they will inevitably win). There are those who are happy with the status quo. They are happy with what the government is doing for them, as individuals. They fail, however, to see the big picture and where this path of destruction is taking us.
So, to that end, I have come up with a list of several different things that we, as voters, need to do on November 2.
1. VOTE. Don’t sit at home and think that your vote does not count or that the outcome is already decided, so your vote is not needed. I believe this is the reason that Steven reed is no longer the Mayor of Harrisburg – his voters became complacent, thinking that his re-election was inevitable. Your vote matters. Voting is a tremendous privilege, and unfortunately too many people do not care. The people of Iraq and Afghanistan face violence when they head to the polls, yet they go out and vote, because they understand its importance. Here in the U.S., they make it very easy for us to vote, yet so many people do not take advantage of the privilege afforded to us to vote for the people who are going to represent us. If you would take the thousands and thousands of people that use this excuse every year, and take them to the polls so that they can cast their vote, the outcomes of the elections might be quite different. I am reminded of a quote - "Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote." - William E. Simon. This says it all.
2. If you do not vote, then do not complain about the outcome of the election. If you did not think it was important enough to vote for the people that are going to represent you and make decisions that will affect you, then why did you decide it was important to care about the outcome of the election? Until you participate in the process, you had better not complain about the results of the process.
3. Don’t pay attention to polls. A couple of weeks ago, many pundits had the Republicans overtaking both the House and the Senate. Now, the pundits are showing polls that the Democrats are closing in on the Republicans. Keep in mind that polls are not news – they are a picture of public opinion at a certain point in time. Also, polls are misleading. They rarely reveal the questions that were asked. The pollsters know that if you ask a particular question in a certain way, then you can get a conditioned response. What they are doing is trying to manipulate the news and the election by suggesting to us what they think the public opinion is. Don’t pay attention to them.
4. Don’t pay attention to the media. Most of the media has 1 goal in mind – make sure the Democrats keep both majorities (the House and the Senate) to that the President can do whatever he wants. They have no real interest in minority or women candidates, unless they are running against Republicans. Their goal is to drive a wedge between as many groups as possible; after all, that is what makes good news programming. The media has a bias, and it shows. They will try to discourage you from voting for conservatives, and they will want to embarrass you into voting for a liberal Democrat. Ignore them.
5. Encourage others to participate. Our vote alone cannot get people elected. It takes a concerted effort by large group of people to get someone elected. Encourage others to vote. Go with them to the polls and give them moral support. Explain to them why their vote matters. Explain to them the importance of the elections and how it will affect them.
6. Do your homework. Don’t pay attention to political ads. They all contain some element of truth, but that element is probably taken out of context. This is done by all candidates, regardless of party. The internet is a wonderful thing. Look up the facts for yourself. Don’t take the ads at face value. Political voting guides are a good tool, but they can also be skewed, depending on what group distributes them and what that group’s goal happens to be. Don’t go to the voting booth, and tell yourself that you will make up your mind when you get there. Prepare in advance and know who you are going to vote for.
7. Pray for wisdom. This would apply to only those of you who would pray for guidance and wisdom. Elections are not a matter to take lightly. If you are struggling with who you think is the right candidate, pray about it.
8. Pray for our leaders, regardless of who wins. We need to pray for our leaders, that they make good, wise decisions. We are to do this whether or not ‘our candidate’ wins the election. Just because we are not happy with the results does not mean that we should forsake this duty that we have been given. After all, everyone needs wisdom, but many people are not praying for it. They are relying on themselves or people close to them for the necessary wisdom.
It is important that we vote, not just in this election, but in all elections. It is our responsibility to be a part of the political process. Just because I am a Christian does not mean that I cannot, or should not, take part in the political process. The elites may not like Christians to participate in the process, but we have just as much right to do so as they do. Let your voice be heard. Go out and vote!
