On Tuesday, Americans across the country go to the polls to vote. The issues to be voted on should be pretty familiar to most of us by now: the War in Iraq, Stem Cell Research, Gay Marriage, etc. Every person should do their part to get out and vote, Republicans and Democrats alike. Personally I hope more Dems than Repubs turnout but that’s just the partisan in me. Like the title of this post implies, we must vote as if our lives depend on it because in a way, they do. This is our chance to stop the bleeding, so to speak. This is our chance to make our voices heard by those elitist men and women in the hallowed halls of Congress. This is our chance to once again prove that ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
For the past 5 years we have seen right after right, civil liberty after civil liberty trampled under the feet of those who currently hold the majority in our government. We have seen, in these past five years, an unjust war begun based upon unsubstantiated intelligence, the writ of habeas corpus suspended, the sanctioning of torture, and the warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens with no Congressional oversight. We have seen well over 2800 of our nation’s finest young men and women fight and die in a foreign country. We have seen thousands of our nation’s poorest die in one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit this country. We have seen state legislatures across this great land attempt to legalize discrimination. We have seen our nation’s elderly become confused when trying to understand Medicare Part D. We have even seen some of them no longer able to pay their premiums because they hit the “donut hole”.
Every one of these issues in some way affects our way of life, and in the case of our elderly their lives themselves. I’ll be one of the first to tell you that Democrats don’t have all the answers. Nor are they as squeaky-clean as a freshly mopped floor. But the current crop of Democrats running are the best bet for turning our country around and getting us back on the right path. On Tuesday, we have a chance to break the Republicans grip on 2 (3?) branches of our government. As Gordon points out, now is not the time to vote for 3rd party candidates. As harsh as that sounds, it’s true. A vote for a weak 3rd party candidate is one less vote for Democrats and one more vote for Republicans. That could potentially mean that Republicans retain Congress.
So I’m begging you, get out and vote Democrat on Tuesday. You don’t like some of the ballot initiatives in your respective district, don’t vote for them, but please, if you still believe that we can be the greatest country on Earth, vote for Democratic candidates. Vote as if your life depends on it!
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