When voting, do necessary research
My Country, ‘Tis of Thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. How long will this be our anthem? For how long will it be free?
Many of us are guilty of taking America for granted. We act as though our freedoms are etched in stone and can never disappear. Well, guess what? We are allowing America’s future to become so cloudy that it’s as one of Russia’s leaders, Nikita Khrushchev once said, “If left alone, it will all disappear on its own.”
We just assume the smartest of the smart, the right person, will be elected to public office. When was the last time you checked the background of the person you voted for as president of this great country? ‘Never’ is probably the answer most of us would give.
Too many people vote by party affiliation, listen to biased people or vote for the one who will give them the most in benefits. Too many people just listen to the news and end up being swayed to vote for the current, most popular nominee.
You are important! Your vote is important! We are all just members of the family of American citizens. We owe loyalty to this family to do our best in being informed before our vote is ‘bought’ through someone else’s prejudice. We need to become knowledgeable, to think about what our vote will do to elect the one who will lead our family.
As such there would, of course, be expectations of us.
We shouldn’t be able to be bought by the one who is richest; who is best looking, who is most popular; who belongs to a specific party. We should spend our valuable time investigating the background of those we elect to any public office. We should spend time talking to the knowledgeable, the wise. We wouldn’t take a school test without first studying, then why then don’t we do more studying before doing such an important thing helping to elect a leader for the greatest country in the world?
We complain about the politicians, we act as though the country is just on automatic and all our needs will be met by those who run it. We actually give very little back for all we get. Few of us have suffered the pain of a parent or family who has lost a loved one to war. Few of us have less than those of our older parents who ‘made do or did without.’
We should be so proud of being an American that our love is as deep as that of one who has fallen deeply in love with the person of their dreams. Just imagine how one would feel if the person they love the most would die. Well, our country could come to that fate if we don’t pull up our big boy pants and begin giving back a bit more.
What can the individual do to repair our mother country? I propose we each begin small, on our home turf. Have you ever discussed the greatness of our country with the family?
After doing that, when the mayor’s job is up for grabs, investigate the background of each candidate. Have they ever done anything exemplary? Are they just popular because of the money they have or that special name that just rings a bell? Do their attributes outweigh their faults? Then will you vote for the one best qualified for the job?
Follow this up by doing the same thing for your state’s governor, your senator, your representative, your president.
As I said before; we are all family. Who would you pick to best represent your biological child? If your mother was ill, wouldn’t you do all you could to heal her? Why not do the same for our mother country?
YOU are important. Your vote is important. You are the example some look up to. YOU have an obligation to work to find the strongest, the smartest, the most upright , the most connected person to represent America to the world!
They are watching. We have long been the example for many to follow. Many look to us for leadership.
Let’s not waste valuable time complaining. Instead begin being a smart voter, after a thorough investigation to elect the best person to lead us on every level. After all, if one is a complainer of all we have, why not do as the country song says: "If you don’t love it, leave it.” NUFF SAID!
Faye Harris is a former Lenawee County resident who retired from North Adams Schools. She can be reached at fayeharris77@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: When voting, do necessary research
