From Sea To Shining Sea...

Peace to your household...

The Texas Primary is over.

It is astounding and pathetic of the number of people that didn't bother to go vote. I'm speaking statewide, but it's likely true right here in my hometown.

The upcoming general election is one of the most important, most historic presidential elections of all time....in my time, anyway. I know none other that equals it.

I have been stressed out and unhappy with the choices that have been given, but at least I have a choice.

We can all do our part to move things in the direction we desire. We can vote for better (if not good) candidates. We can fight the excessive influence of campaign spending. We can give third-party candidates a boost. We can punish corruption and lying. We had a chance to vote in the primaries to influence who will be running in the elections.

Unfortunately, all these improvements require something at which many people frown.....TIME! It takes time to listen to the politicians and pay attention to what they're doing. It takes time to research new candidates. It takes time to learn what the political parties stand for.

So....if a person decides that he can't take the time to do this, then that person could be a bigger help by staying at home. The worse thing a voter can do is go in and blindly vote for those whose names they can recognize (who are either incumbents or have spent the most money!

If we decide we want to have our way, we have to learn what we're voting for, go in, and VOTE! If things don't go our way, then we can complain all we want. We will at least know that we did our part to make things better. And we will have earned the right to complain, and perhaps influence future voters!

On the other end of the scale, if you have the time and ability to educate yourself and vote, yet you choose not to, then please don't complain. If you are unhappy about corruption, money, bad candidates, or whatever, but you do nothing to help the situation, then you really have no right to moan and whine about how things are going.

Please don't be guilty of being one of those who respond...."Huckabee? Whose he?" But, of course, the person who made that response doesn't have to know about who Huckabee is, now that he is out of the race. If I were a betting person, I would wager that there is someone out there that doesn't recognize the names of McCain, Clinton, or Obama.

Senator Clinton, (though I don't agree with a lot of her platform) finally used a phrase in one of her debates to which I can identify; when she said "SHAME ON YOU!" (addressing Barak Obama)

I say, shame on the apathetic members of our society that have completely lost the meaning of what it means to be American.

"From the majestic beauty of an Alaskan sunrise...to the rugged brilliance of an Arizona sunset...to the sun-kissed waters of the Florida Keys...to the glistening sands of Hawaiian beaches...to the gently waving cornfields of Kansas...to the gleaming, towering mountains of New York City, we know in our hearts that this the greatest country in the world. Let's keep it that way by taking our civic responsibility of voting very seriously."

members.aol.com/MetroHope/index.html (10 Reasons to Vote)