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| November, 2012 |
As we all know (or at least those of us who don't live under a rock), the 2012 Presidential elections are coming up this Fall (November). At the moment, we are seeing President Obama take the place as Democratic candidate, and Mitt Romney holds the Republican slot for candidacy. Obviously, in any election, there will be candidates running that have a lot of really good ideas and points, while they also have a few ideas and opinions that you strongly disagree with.
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| Mitt Romney Republican candidate 2012 |
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| PresidentBarack Obama Democratic candidate 2012 |
Every election anywhere throughout history is just the same as the next and the last. Unfortunately, we don't truly have too much say over who is to be the winner in each election because of the ways and regulations of the electoral house and the way every office below the President is run. Yes, we all have the freedom to vote, and yes, our 'voices do get heard' - but just because we are heard does not necessarily mean that we are taken into consideration. Our votes overall prove to be the popular vote. Let's face it; most of the people who go to the polls to vote only vote because they really like the way one candidate thinks on one singular topic, or they only vote based on party becasue they've 'always voted democrat/republican' or they only vote because a friend or co-worker is voting for that person. The most recent reason to vote for a candidate is because of their gender or race - and don't tell me how it wasn't, I kept up with the polls and stats that year seeing that 53% of women who voted for McCain voted because Sarah Palin stood behind him, while 93% of black voters voted for Obama and 67% of those people said it was because of race. No one really seems to understand, nonetheless care, about what each candidate stands for as a whole. They focus on one issue debated and make up their mind. Based on the reasons of which most of our lazy generation votes, we get candidate after candidate into office for all the wrong reasons and we end up paying for it in the end. Think of where we are right now????
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| White House Washington, D.C., Unites States |
This makes me wonder how many people have been brought into office to which their opposer would have done such a wiser job with our country - notice I said 'wiser' not 'better.' No matter who comes into office, they will always do something that a lot of people won't like. The difference comes when they make a decision based off of what is best, rather than a decision that will put them down in history as a hero. Heroes have often resided in the White House - only the good ones were remembered as heroes because of the good they did to help the country as a whole, rather than win the hearts and money of a select few to advance his own ambitions. And then there comes the complaining of the People who did or did not vote, and we all realize that we helped to make the bad decision, but won't admit that the mistake is in part our fault.
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| If you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain. |
Marginal complaint: if you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain about who's in office because you didn't even make an effort towards trying to make a difference. If you do vote, truly figure out who you want to vote for for legitimate reasons, not just because you think the candidate is smart, or whatever. If you vote - you have a right to complain about who is in office and the decisions that are made. Otherwise, it really irritates me to hear a bunch of lazy whiners talking about how much more they deserve when they did nothing for themselves, nonetheless anyone else.
Alright, so where am I getting at with this post?? I am about to give my opinion and inform you all of the decision I am beginning to lean towards in this upcoming election. I understand that people advise against sharing who you are going to vote for, and while I respect that advise and claim it to be wise, I am going to put it aside for the time being and explain my reasoning behind the decision (I have not finallized but) I am leaning towards. It is easier to say it straight rather than beat around the bush and hope you understand.
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| Write-in Vote |
As an American citizen, I have the right to vote once I am 18 years old and over. I am 20, and this will be my first Presidential election. I understnad that President Obama and Mitt Romney are the lead candidates for the next term of presidency. However, another right that I have as an American citizen and voter is the choice to vote for one of the leads, or to do something called a 'write-in.' Yes, a write in. I have been following each of these candidates for months in their respective campaigns, checking and balancing their words and also what they stand for. I have learned enought about their personally history to understand them as people, and I have learned a fair portion about their stance in politics as to understand who they are as politicians. As I said earlier, there have been elections that really just aren;t that great for one reason or another, and the people in charge of the polls discourage you from writing in a third party becasue "it is a wasted vote." A write-in - as long as it is taken seriously and not abused - is NOT a wasted vote at all. A wasted vote is either one not made, one made for the wrong reasons, or one not taken seriously. Otherwise, a vote is not wasted if it truly represents you.
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| President Barack Obama (D) |
I personally feel that, with my knowledge and basic understanding of each candidate standing, my vote would be wasted if I voted for either of them. Too much corruption and personal gain seems to be on the agenda of each, and I really don't stand for much that either of them stand for. One of these candidates has me very worried about any future choises he could make because he's so wishy washy; why is he like this? To gain votes. He doesn't seem to understand what he really stands for. The other has too much pride in his political past. I fell personally that he would advance his own ambitions for the sake of making a mark in history, while taking those down who truly need change and help in the process of his gain. If neither of them (Obama or Romney) stand for what I feel strongly about, then I'm not really sure how I can trust either one of them. Of course, I understand that these men will be the President of the United States, not the President of Jessica, so to be against them for personal reasons like agreeing with me on most issues rather than working to please the whole - is stupid. I know. But that is not what I am saying at all.
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| Mitt Romney (R) |
We the people have the opportunity to decide whether or not we want someone in office that will truly make the best and wisest decisions based on beliefs that we agree on. If we don't take advantage of this and enable the corruption to continue, then we will never see the fruit of anything better.
My growing choice is to write-in a third party whom I think would do a job in office that upholds what I stand for, while also standing up for the right reasons to make the right decisions. I, in reverence to the advice given to not share who I am voting, will not share with you which third party Iam writing in. However you should know that I am probably not going to vote for either the president or for Mitt Romney. Maybe my vote won't necessarily be counted, but at least I know that, if 'our voice is truly heard' I made a difference without giving either one of them gain, and also making sure that I am understood in where I stand. I will not fall for the whole "a write-in is a waste" thing because it's not if I intend on using it wisely. But if I am an American citizen, free to vote for whomever, I will exercise my right to do so.
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| I don't encourage you in particular direction, but I encourage you to do something. |
For those of you who either don't know who to vote for, aren't sure why you are voting for a particular candidate, or just plain don't want to vote, I encourage you to consider your options. I encourage you to learn about the man (or woman) who could possibly have the most say over our country in terms of social order, economic strife, and international relations. Who out there best represents you? You are the individual that helps the United States stay in existence. Yes, you are one person, but imagine: if you decided to leave, another will follow, and another, and another, and if you started that trend of just walking out on our nation, the United States would hardly have anything left worth surviving for. That's extreme, I know. But your vote is the same way. I do not encourage you towards or against one candidate or the other, and I don't encourage you to write-in like I might. However, I encourage you to do something. Learn about our issues, and listen to what everyone has to say. Make your decision. I do encourage you to vote, however, because otherwise, I don't want to hear you complain. We have the coice to do this, we have the freedom to do this, and we can take on these opportunities respectfully, demanding the respect we give and striving towards true representation of us - the people - and away from representation of the personal agendas of those who will never care to know us.
That is all.
©2011
Jessica, this is AWESOME!!! I have always said if you don't vote don't complain. I think you should sent this to the editor of the Messenger and I think you should send it to the Journal. Standing up for and sharing your opinion on voting is amazing, so many young people do not take the role they play in our country seriously. I am very proud of you for posting this and I hope everyone has an opportunity to read it!
ReplyDeleteThank you Miss Bonnie! :D Thank you for reading! Maybe I should condier sending it in to the newspapers. This is important stuff and I finally get to vote for the president! I want people (especially my generation) to start taking it more seriously! Thank you for sharing it, too, by the way :)
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