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WARNING - I'm on my soapbox!


Today is the primary election day in Indiana and I have cast my ballot. This is not unusual, I do it every election. What is unusual is that it matters on more than a local level. I actually had to wait to vote! I used to work the elections so I know how truly unusual this is in a primary. There were occasionally lines for the general election, especially if was a presidential election year. Never, though, do I remember a line for a primary other than the three or four people who were there at 6:00 a.m. waiting for the polls to open. This time it was almost exciting. Hopefully this means there will be a good voter turnout. The percentage of Americans who regularly exercise their right to vote is pathetically low. That leads me to......


my rant on the fact that so few people vote. Yes, I know, sometimes it seems like there are no good choices. And yes, it is often hard to sift through all the political games and negative ads in order to make an informed decision on who will received your vote. However, this is what America is all about. The right to pick from those who are willing to do the job and have a say in how our country is run. Sometimes we, as a whole and as an individual, will pick the right person. Sometimes we won't. (This is when it is good to remember that God is ultimately in control.) Either way, our participation in the process, in my opinion, is the only thing that gives us the right to complain or criticize. Admittedly there have been times when I have cast my ballot for someone with great confidence only to regret that decision a few years later. It is virtually impossible to always make the right choice. However, if you don't vote, you've always made the wrong choice. You've given the choice for who governs you to your neighbor, or boss, or worst enemy who voted.
Be forewarned, if you start complaining to me about the potholes on your street, the price of gas, or the war in Iraq, I will likely ask you if you voted. I will not ask who you voted for- after the fact, it doesn't matter. If you did not vote, though, you have given up your right to any complaining and I will likely tell you so.