In our country today, there is a big issue that drives us to and become intolerant citizens, even to the point of un-friending people on social media. The issue rolls around every four years, and every four years I mourn the loss of reasonable discussions among people who use common sense. Yes, I am talking about the drama of choosing a president. I am not one for political commentary, but I just feel that a few things need to be said.
Whether your parents gave birth to you in the good old USA or you chose to live here, you are subject to the laws of this land. It is the same if you live in any other country. We have a document called the Constitution that people just want to throw away or change according to their whims. Every four years we suddenly believe every word that comes out of “our” candidate’s mouth, and that he or she is an angel sent by God to fix all our problems. We also believe the “opposition” candidate is a dirty rotten liar who is going to blow up our government and bury it in a landfill somewhere. This is the case no matter which party we belong to. I would like to share a bit of wisdom with you—They ALL are lying about something!!! They twist their own words and actions and those of their opponents to suit their own agendas. They show us only what they want us to see. They are politicians, which means that they are experts at hiding behind some of the masks the rest of us are trying to shed! Unfortunately it seems that every four years we are dumb enough to trust them. But it gets worse; we treat people who believe in the other candidate like a sworn enemy! We get all upset with one another, the election happens, and guess what? The world keeps spinning. The government goes on. All the celebrities who claimed they would move if the other guy won are still here. Sadly, though, some of us have hurt people who we once called friend. I admit, I put up some political posts now and then, but a word of advice for us all, our county won’t ever heal if we treat others disrespectfully because we disagree with their beliefs.
Another thing that frustrates me this time of year is that everyone complains about the government, that we don’t get the healthcare we deserve, that some people should get “free” money and others shouldn’t. We argue whether a baby has the right to life in the womb. This election season we’re up in arms over whether emails, tax returns, birth certificates and so on should be turned over for public scrutiny. But only 57.5 percent of the eligible voting population voted for president in 2012. Heck, in my opinion the midterm elections in 2014 meant more, because they were for local government seats that directly affect how we live, and they had the lowest turnout since WWII. At just 36.4 percent of eligible voters turned out.* In direct contrast to the number of posts and memes on social media proudly proclaiming who and what we support, most people can’t find the couple of minutes it takes to vote. My father has said many times that if you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain about how the government is run. Wow, it would certainly reduce the number of political posts on my Facebook wall if only people who actually vote were posting. You might be asking, “What does my one vote count for?” Maybe not a lot, I agree but 42.5% more votes could make a big difference. Bottom line: Voting is a right that was important enough to fight for by many in our country’s history, and around the world people are willing to die for it. So no vote, no complaining!
Finally, and this one I admit is hard. After the election, when the “other guy” wins, we make fun of, belittle and speak harshly about the newly elected. We have a right to free speech and we can mostly say whatever we want, but that doesn’t mean we should. Sometimes we need to remember the old saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Mind you, I do believe that if you voted, you have the right to express your opinions about our laws and changes you would like see made, and whatnot. That is the beauty of our government. We can effect change if we work together and speak out. But we need to express our opinions without disrespecting our elected officials. Whether we like it or not, they are authorities over us. We need to respect them within the office they hold, even if we do not respect the people they are. On that note, I will say that I am not a huge fan of President Obama’s. I actually have a hard time listening to his voice for some reason, so I read the transcripts from his speeches because he is still my president and I want to know what he thinks, even if I agree or disagree with his positions. I try very hard to teach my children that it’s less important to speak about him as a person than it is to talk about things he does as a president. Not everybody plays that way, and the disrespect we show toward our public officials is teaching the next generation a terrible lesson. We wonder why there’s so much violence, corruption, and civil unrest in our country today, when we teach our children by our own actions to disrespect and buck authority and ignore or break the laws of the land. And while we praise them for being disrespectful themselves and others we hate the way they treat us as parents.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that as we get closer to election day we ought to remember that we are citizens of a great nation. We have an election process for a reason, and if you are not going to take part in it, don’t complain about the outcome. We must respect the office regardless of how we feel about the person in it, and no matter which candidate you believe in, it’s un-American to disrespect or dishonor anyone simply because they feel differently than you do.
*United States Elections Project, run by Dr. Michael McDonald