I started this blog in order to say something about my brother running in Nebraska's 2nd back in 2008. While Jim is no longer running for office,
Tom White is picking up where he left off in an attempt to unseat
Lee Terry .
This
article from CNN prompted me to write this post. I think people do not realize how important their votes are. Not only that, they don't understand how important an
EDUCATED vote is. I would never never EVER recommend voting party line, this is how people like Lee end up and stay in office. I would also never recommend voting for someone you don't know anything about. You CAN leave spaces blank on a ballot. People do not care enough about voting, yet feel it is ok to complain when their government does not work the way they want it to. I do not get this attitude. Having worked in politics, believe me, I have heard your excuses and I have a counter response for each of them. :)
WE NEED TO CARE ABOUT WHO REPRESENTS US. And this is the trick, we do not need to care about:
- How many kids they have
- Marital status
- Color of skin
- Their stance on abortion (because unless they are a Supreme Court Judge they can't do anything about it... so it's a moot point...)
- What they do in their private lives, because let's face it- no one is perfect. (We all make mistakes; just be sure to practice what you preach... AHEM!)
What we should care about is:
- Their stance on issues that their political position can actually effect: http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government
- Their ability to work with others and ADMIT when they need to work with others. (We are not electing gods and goddesses people, you will not find the perfect candidate, but you can find someone who can actually leave his or her ego at the door occasionally).
- Who contributes to their campaigns (the richer the hand in that pocket; the more forceful that hand's directional shove will be) : http://fec.gov/
- If they make sense when they speak (please refer to all things Sarah Palin).
- Are they passionate about the office they seek?
- If they are running for re-election, what did they do with their time in office?
I love living in America. I love being from Nebraska and I am really excited for Nebraskans- especially now. I think there is an opportunity to see some real improvements happen!
I have to say, I was very sad to see
Senator Hagel go from the political scene. He was a man with a backbone. He did not do what his party always said, and I think that is VERY important in a politician. I am sure many people re-elected him because he had the red
R attached to his name. but he actually made me hopeful. He was a what you see is what you get type of guy, and those are few and far between in politics, which is probably why so many people are disenchanted with politics. I live in Chicago now, so yeah, I see my fair share of all things unethical. Oh Blago...
But you know, if we all could get a little more educated about who is in office, who we vote for and why voting is important, I think we would all realize the potential our voices have!
We are in a pretty bleak spot in history. So really the only place to go is up. Will a person sporting a
D or an
R make difference? Not unless that person is willing to work with someone from the opposing letter!
It's all about kindergarten. We need to work together, we need to share. If you support something, be willing to talk about it, be willing to debate, be willing to take a stand, EDUCATE US! This is a two way street. I challenge people to figure out what is important to them and fight for it. I also challenge you to vote in a logical way. Did you know you can order your ballot to be delivered to your house? That way, you look people up as you vote and make sure you are in fact voting for the right person. You can have your ballot (depending upon the state you live in) for around 30 days before election day and vote at your leisure. I know it's a bit early for all this, but I am guessing we all have some homework to do. I Know I do!
