Rock the vote

Well, it's pretty clear that the two major players in the upcomming election are going to be Bush and Kerry. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: "Who's this guy think he is? Kucinich and Sharpton are still in the race, and the primaries are nowhere near over." But, I'm still gonna go out on a limb and stand by my prediction. Just a gut feeling. Other than Nader, I'm not sure who all else will have their hats in the ring. And that presents a problem. You see, there's no way I want Bush in there for another four years . . . he's already screwed things up enough and another term under his "leadership" will likely just lead to more imperialism or drive us into a full-on depression. But I really don't see Kerry as being any better. Now, I take my voting responsibilities very seriously . . . I believe it is not simply our right, as citizens, to vote but our duty. And if you don't vote, you forfeit any right to complain, IMO. Unfortunately, every four years our choices get worse.

Before the 2000 election, I vowed that I would no longer limit myself to the "lesser of two evils" approach. Up until then, I felt that I had never actually voted for a candidate, but rather against his opponent, and I was tired of that. So I resolved not to do that ever again . . . that even if it meant writing in a name, I would only vote for someone that I truly believed was qualified and deserving of holding the highest office in this land. Sadly, of the 10 (yes, ten!) candidates on the ballot, not a single one inspired me. And this year doesn't look any better.

Anyway, I want to encourage everyone to vote their conscience. Not just in the Presidential election, but always. As long as we let ourselves be duped into believing that we must limit our choices to the two major Parties we'll just be subjecting ourselves to more politics and usual . . . no progress, no change, no improvement. Don't fall for the "if you vote independant, you're throwing your vote away". If everyone voted their conscience, and voted for who they truly believed was the best candidate, instead of just the least bad, we'd see some real change in this country, and most likely for the better. At the very least, if enough folks vote "third party" it'll make the Democrats and Republicans stand up and take notice that we're tired of the status quo.

So, find a candidate you actually support. If that candidate happens to be a Democrat or Republican, fine . . . just make sure you're following your heart and not the rhetoric. Just don't vote for Nader. He's a putz.