VOTE!

Shannon Bohrer

(11/2012) If you have not heard, there is an election and I am offering some very good advice as to what party and what candidates to vote for. Of course, the main thing to do is to vote. Voting is not a privilege; it is your right as a citizen. Since it is the only thing the government gives you for free, you should take advantage of it. I am sure that somewhere down the road they will try taxing your right to vote. Oh wait, they already did that once, it was called the poll tax.

As to what party and candidates to vote for, I would recommend the party that will be the best for the country, the party that will balance the budget, the party that offers a strong national defense, the party that will not waste your tax dollars, the party that gives you tax breaks, the party that will reform and improve our education system, the party that will solve our energy problems, the party that will end drug addiction and hunger and the party that will make your children smarter and make you look younger. If you believe a party and/or candidate like this exists, then vote for them. While individuals often promise that if elected, everything will be fine, the fact is that both parties have promised much of what was said, for well over 40 years, so how do we choose?

A typical speech from a candidate: "This has been a long campaign and I have always looked out for the middle class, the middle class built this country and they deserve to have everything they are entitled to. I also believe in the small business creators since most new employment comes from small business, additionally we need a strong defense to ensure our safety and along with this topic I want the public to know that I support the men and women in the military. I also believe in higher education and I think this country needs to invest in higher education. We also need to reform the tax code so the tax system is fair to both individuals and business. We have the highest corporate tax rate in the world and if we are intent on attracting new businesses and industries we need to lower the corporate tax rate. It would be very helpful for growth if we could also reduce the capital gains tax and eliminate the death tax. Additionally we need to ensure that we maintain a safety net for the poor and people out of work. Another thing we need is cheap energy, energy cost too much and has become a burden on the middle class. I believe if we reformed our energy policy we could become energy independent and we could lower the cost. Another thing we need to invest in is our infrastructure, rebuilding the roads and bridges that are in poor condition. You know, I think we all understand the problems we face and if we work together we can solve them."

The Candidate then takes questions, and someone asks "How will you reduce spending and balance the budget?" The response: "My opponent is, as you know, a big spender and I believe that if s/he is elected, s/he will make the government broke. I have also heard that members of my opponent’s family are reported to be thespians."

Well that makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

Lets’ pretend we have a different candidate and his/her speech is as follows: "My fellow Americans, we are deep in the fecal material and it took a long time to get here and it will take a long time to get out. First we need to reduce spending, so I am proposing reduction in all government spending – across the board, including congressional salaries. Second, we need more revenue. Every citizen who works will pay taxes and every company that exist, including non profits, will pay taxes. With only 50 percent of individuals and 60 percent of companies currently paying taxes, it’s no wonder we are in trouble. We can overcome our problems, providing we all contribute. The last balanced budget was under President Clinton and the previous balanced budget was under President Eisenhower. That means that since the 1960’s our government has been stimulating the economy with borrowed money. So with the constant stimulation of the economy, we really never had any good old days, we were just living high on the hog on credit. It worked for a long time, but we cannot kick the can down the road anymore, because we will soon be out of road. So if you vote for me you understand that all government programs will be reduced, everyone that works will pay taxes and we will be in this hole for a long time."

Do you think this candidate will receive many votes? Maybe that’s why we are in trouble, we not only listened to the first candidate(s), we voted for him/her, repeatedly. An acquaintance was asked about his thoughts and he responded that he was "afraid that if one candidate was elected he would not do what he said" and if the other candidate was elected, he was afraid "he would keep his promises." When questioned about which candidate/party he was referring to in both cases, he replied "Both."

My advice is to: "Vote for the person or party that you believe will do the best for the country, and if after they are elected you become disappointed, then don’t vote for them again"

While our democracy is very inefficient, very partisan, greatly influenced by money from large corporations and possibly corrupted by influential groups, it is still the best government on the planet. I cannot think of any other country where I would want to live and/or any other government I would want to live under. I am blessed and feel privileged to be an American, and that right there is a good reason to vote.