Do you know what today is? It's Election Day in the United States. And you know what that means!
That's right! Less than 24 hours from now we won't be attacked by political ads everywhere we turn! I'm excited. Are you?
But in all seriousness, if you're a U.S. citizen, have you voted yet? No? Well, go ahead. I'll wait here until you get back.
Oh, you want to go later? Well, that's okay too.
Did I vote? Well, not yet, but the polls don't open til 7:00 am, so I'm hoping to have voted by 10. Who am I voting for? Well, I'm a federal employee, so I can't tell you, because that could be seen as advocating for a particular candidate. I'm not voting straight ticket though. I like to vote on each candidate's platform. And I think that's something that everyone should do. Read about the candidates and propositions on the ballot. Choose the ones that appeal to you. Don't choose the ones that your friend votes for or the guy with the cool signs in your neighbor's yard.
I think Americans are too quick to take their voting rights for granted. It's important to remember just how lucky we are to get the opportunity to vote. Sure, your preferred candidate might not win. But you had a voice. All too often, I meet people who complain about an elected official and then I find out that they didn't even bother to vote in the last election. People! You can't complain if you were given a voice and chose not to use it.
So what if you have to stand in line? Big deal. We can all handle standing in line for a while. Bring a book. Bring a newspaper. Bring your kids and teach them about the electoral process.
But you know. If you don't care about how your county, state, and the country are governed, if you're not worried about taxes or your job or the educational system or the environment or the economy or foreign relations, then no need to worry. You don't have to vote.
But then you can't complain when you don't like the results.
(Ok, now go vote!)