Tuesday, November 4, 2008

V-O-T-E

Happy November 4th. I was discussing this with a friend of mine and I was wondering why this isn't a National Holiday. We could call it, oh I don't know, Election Day? We already celebrate the 4th of July, our Independence Day, and what did we fight for? The ability to vote. Just a thought. 

Well I'm excited. No matter what happens today we will be facing change today. A huge change. You look at the international pulse and all eyes are on us. Within the next Presidency lies all of the answers to all of the United States current quandaries. Will a solid economical plan stop us from falling further into a recession? Can the impact of Bush's "No Child Left Behind" be turned around? How much longer will we remain in Iraq? What's going to be our next response to the violence in Afghanistan? Will further steps against stem cell research be made? Yet while all these positives are coming out of this election I'm certainly glad this race will be over soon. 

Seeing the amount of money and smear tactics used towards the end of the race has sickened me. Obama has spent nearly $230 million dollars campaigning, but who can blame him when the McCain campaign has resorted to use outright lies against Obama? Obama is the better choice of the candidates in my mind, and is how I'm going to vote. But should Obama win tomorrow night was it because of his superior policies, or because of his superior running tactics? Did morality or commercials sway the public over in the end? 

My worry is that we're too swayed by the advertisers opinion, and not enough by our own morality. I want the reason people vote for their selection is because they are convinced he/she will be a good an just leader and not because they will raise taxes and doesn't have a military background. Certainly I'm being cynical here, all in all I think the system is a good one. I think people who believe in a righteous cause will donate time and money to the campaign, and make the entire machine run efficiently. We've even seen corporations and religions donate funds into the policies they believe in. And while I like seeing 711 and Starbucks getting people to vote with coffee, it worries me that establishments such as the Church Of Latter-day Saints try to use their influence to sway the public opinion.

My only point here is to think for yourself. Don't let flashy commercials sway your opinion unfoundedly. The research is out there. It's your right and your duty to research the propositions and the elected. Be informed through research when you step into the polls today. 

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