This is the topic that actually made me want to start this blog. Well, honestly, I've wanted to create a blog for a while now, since I have a ton of thoughts and ideas that I don't have a great outlet for. I guess voting will be the catalyst for me creating this blog.
Today, I read an article by Russell Brand outlining his thoughts in regards to voting; I posted the article on Facebook and attached those beliefs expressed in that piece to my page and my professed beliefs, telling my friends on Facebook that I concurred with a lot of what he had to say.
I have never voted once in my life. Truth be told, up until this past year's elections (Obama vs. Romney), I haven't really cared about politics or voting and was generally too lazy to get out and vote. Whenever someone would question my ability to make statements about the state of our country (ie, "You can't complain if you don't vote"), I'd simply point to my status as a US Army veteran and state that I most assuredly DO have the ability to complain since I've given up a lot more for this country to be where it's at.
However, after spending a couple of years up here in Washington, DC, it's nigh impossible to not care at least somewhat about politics. I've learned the meanings of the terms left, right, liberal, conservative, Democrat, and Republican since moving up here, none of which I knew beforehand (I told you I didn't care...). I learned that I tend to lean to the left, to the liberal side as it pertains to social issues (same sex marriage, social equality, economic floor) while leaning right on gun control (honestly, if someone wants to kill people, taking away their gun won't stop them; I'm sure these will be future topics on this here blog). As I watched more and more coverage on the campaigns, I realized how much I didn't trust or like Mitt Romney.
Whatsoever.
I felt the need to do my part to keep him out of office; I decided to vote. I'd register and place my vote for Barrack Obama.
Remember how I said I'd never voted before? Well, I didn't realize how far out the deadline was to register. Long story short, I missed the deadline to register in Virginia by a week (or less, I don't remember at this point) and didn't vote in the election.
Well, you know what? I think that was a blessing in disguise. I'm glad I didn't vote. You all should be as well. Let me explain:
I didn't LIKE either candidate. There was nothing I particularly liked about Barrack Obama, and there definitely wasn't anything I liked about Mitt Romney. The only reason I cared at all was that I severely disliked what Mitt Romney REPRESENTED, not necessarily his positions or his declarations of what he'd do in office. It was an emotional reaction that blocked out logical thought.
I was voting based on which turd smelled the least.
Thinking back, why should I have voted? We've been indoctrinated from a young(ish) age that it is our responsibility, our DUTY, to vote in every single election with every chance we get. We're guilt tripped into it by being told that other countries don't have this same luxury, that others would kill/die for this right, and that people have died so that we could have this right. We're essentially told that we don't have a voice and that our opinions won't matter if we don't adhere to the unwritten rule of American society and vote.
After realizing that I couldn't vote due to my error, I started realizing how happy I was that I didn't have to vote. Again, I didn't like anything about either candidate (let's be honest here, this is a two party system and voting for a third party at this point is the same as not voting), so what was I voting for? I truly didn't want either in office because I had no clue what their merits truly were. One came into office bashing everything the previous president stood for, mainly the wars that Mr. Obama kept going and Guantanamo Bay, a facility that is still open to this day (not saying I agree with his sentiments, just that he's not a man of his word). The other flipflopped so much on the issues that it was difficult to even get a grasp of where he stood on a day to day basis.
I didn't like either, I'd rather neither got into office.
And yet, when I relayed this sentiment, I was told, essentially, "Yeah, but you need to vote. You have to. To not vote is unamerican!"
What?!
"Yeah, at least vote for a third party or send in a fill-in ballot. Don't skip voting!"
So what you're saying is, all I really need to do is vote? Regardless of the actual point of an election (to get our chosen elected officials into office), I need to go and either 1. vote for a terrible choice or 2. essentially not vote (which, I could have saved a ton of time by not coming to a polling center and waiting in hours of lines and sat at home all day) as long as I showed up and took part in the system.
Well, you know what? The system is fucking broken. If the system worked, we wouldn't have a political system wracked with indecision and inability to function solely based on the desire to achieve partisan goals. The desire isn't to make the government run to the optimal benefit of the society they're chosed to protect and serve, the desire is to progress selfish/partisan goals while making sure they don't burn enough bridges at home to maintian their constituency.
The reason the system is broken is this foolish "YOU HAVE TO VOTE!" sentiment. Until we can get past a two party system, this "you have to vote" sentiment is going to keep pushing this country further and further down the drain.
The reason is that, when politicians KNOW that you're going to have to go to the polls (due to the persistent guilt-tripping from the moment we can vote), they know that they don't have to show/prove that they're worthy of your vote based on their morals/merits but rather that they only have to show you that the other person is bad enough for you to not want to vote for the opposition. They just need to get you emotionally invested in the situation, they want to elicit that emotional reaction that I had during the Obama/Romney election season since, once you hate that other candidate, they don't have to worry about you anymore. You're not going anywhere, since it's a two party system and they've gotten you to turn from "that other party" (and, again, you HAVE to vote).
It's not about coming up with something better, as I can address that some other time. What I'm saying here is that, if we're not just mindless drones who flock to the polls regardless of circumstance, then politicians have to do more than just make us hate the other side. They can't depend on a dumb public flocking to the polls and getting a decent chunk of that apathetic group to punch their side of the ticket; if we finally open our eyes to the reality of how this works, and we finally stop blindly showing up on election day, think about how that will change politicans and their methods.
For one, they'll see the polling numbers go down. This would be the first step. They would realize that less and less people make it to the polls. This isn't to say that someone wouldn't still win, but that would be the point. There would be a loser in the race, one who would have to regroup and take stock of why they lost and how they could do better. The collective voice of those who abstained from voting based on the same old bash-ads and "don't vote for that guy; I won't tell you why to vote for me, just don't vote for that one" tactics and lack of substance would be heard loud and clear.
Because the only place where our "voice" can ever be heard or ever matter is at the polls.
When the loser takes stock of the loss, they'll have to change their tactics. Spending a ton of money to bash opponents but getting no results, they'll have to actually figure out why people aren't coming out to polling stations anymore. They'll get the answer they want, that people are sick of the same bullshit. They'll have to change to a plan that involves actually providing the public with real answers, a real plan, and real accountability.
When the public sees that from one side and not the other, the tides will turn back to that party.
You can see how the domino effect would go down.
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As I said, the only place where our voices matter is the polls. While the powers-that-be have used this to say "see? you have to vote!", I disagree vehemently. Think about that for a second: the people in power are trying to guilt you into supporting the system that keeps them in power. Do you really think that they're an unbiased observer?
If we don't buy into the system we all seem to claim is broken, this would require those in power to be accountable for their actions and their words. They would have to actually mean what they say and say what they mean.
Unfortunately, they know that as long as they can get people to buy into (then, subsequently, sell themselves) the notion that they have to vote, they don't need to actually please the public. Even while in office, you'll notice that they never care about actually doing what they say they're going to do nor do they care about pleasing the public since about 6 months before election day, they can just put their happy faces on and bash the opponent.
"Bash, bash, bash, he's crappy, don't vote for him."
Seriously, how can you ever complain about what your elected officials do when that's the ticket they're campaigning on?
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Since it's getting late, I'll wrap this up. Basically, until we show our politicians that they can't just act however they please and expect us to show up at the polls, we can never expect to see real change. Think about it, regardless of your views: do you think the government works? Are you really naive enough to think that its all "that other party's fault"? Whatever "news" channel you watch, they have a vested interest in this as well; they're basically campaiging 24/7 using the same tactics of "that other party is crappy, vote for anyone but them". Seriously think about it for a second, you can't HONESTLY believe that all of the blame lies solely on the side of the aisle that you don't sit on.
With that being said, answer that question: do you think the government, as it stands right now, is working? If you're a normal human being with a working brain, you'd say that no, it isn't. Think about how our consent to the current system is contributing. I'm not saying I have a better solution right now, but if we're not all blindly standing in those hours long lines to punch one side of a ticket for no other reason that "we should", politicians will be accountable, something that they're not right now.
When the system's broken, why would you consent to using it and/or buying into it. I won't buy into the system until it's fixed and/or an honest person runs for office. Unfortunately, I just don't see either of these things happening anytime soon.
For those of you who are going to, go ahead and call me unpatriotic and unamerican. Tell me that when I've just spent time typing out my reasons, which are the improvement of the system in order to improve our country.
Get your mind and head out of your ass, stop blindly listening to what others tell you ("VOTE OR DIE!!!!!1!11!!one") without stopping to think about it yourself. You may end up doing more good by doing nothing rather than what you're currently doing.
Michael
