Why vote?

[El Pelon]

In 1968, my wife's parents grabbed her and a suitcase as they made a break for the Austrian border. The Soviets invaded her home country of Czechoslovakia and they were the only members of her family that escaped. They got across the border by the grace of God as the Soviet soldiers let them through, for some unknown reason, just before it was sealed off. She was unable to see her family again (they were blacklisted from all Soviet countries) until the wall came down and the Soviet Union collapsed. She understands what freedom means in a way that I cannot grasp since I have grown up in the United States, where such things as the right to vote are often taken for granted. She is now a US citizen and pitty the man that tries to get in her way as she goes to the polls every single time they are open. In 2000, the election was decided on 700 odd votes out of the millions cast. Every vote counts, and citizens of every country where voting is allowed should remember that there are people all over the world literally dying for a shot at gaining that right.

Regardless of what side of the aisle you agree with, don't waste your rights and freedoms. It is the responsibility of us all to make our voice heard, even if it is just one vote at a time. Go to the polls with the attitude that it is your responsibility to cast your ballot in an effort to support the ideals you hold dear. Think of those that have laid down their lives to ensure this right is intact and vote with passion and be proud of your contribution to the process. No society or form of government in the history of the world has lasted forever. Ours is not perfect, but it is designed in such a manner that we can cause its evolution based on what our perceptions and realities are. Do your part to make it what you want it to be. If you don't, keep your mouth shut if things don't go your way, you have no say so anymore.