The Hypocritical Voter

By now, your mail man… excuse me, mail person, is probably cursing every politician and special interest group out flooding mailboxes with mailers telling you how to vote. Your email inbox is full, and “Robocalls”, those annoying automated phone calls that seem to always come in the middle of dinner, are imparting their recorded wisdom.

Talk show hosts are telling you exactly what you should do, and the people around you are constantly trying to get you to vote their way.

Congratulations, you just became a member of Congress.

Alright, maybe not really, but in a sense, you are going through one day of what goes on for voting members of congress every day of the year. Lobbyists, other politicians, talking heads, etc are constantly trying to sway the congressional members to vote their way.

The result is that they don’t always fully understand what they are voting for, or why. They go along with their influences and vote in accordance, completely forsaking thier duties and responsibilities.

The notorious health care bill was passed by a large amount of people who never read the bill. It is what is helping to spur the Tea Party movement, and energize conservative voters to get out this election and make their voice heard. Chants of “Read the Bill” have been heard at rallies around the nation in protest of the audacity of congress to vote on something they don’t understand…

… But have you done the same?

Recommendations are a good way to get a sense of a candidate or proposition. If you are a strong supporter of Sarah Palin, you may be more inclined to agree with a candidate that she has endorsed. However, that does not mean you should hand over your sacred vote to that candidate solely based on some other person’s endorsement.

Too many voters are doing exactly what they accuse Congress of doing. They are voting without understanding what or who they are voting for and why. I have heard countless people tell me they just don’t have the time to do the research and it’s too hard. They simply look at a voter guide that a party or group has published and fill it out, without ever questioning a single choice.

Is that not the same thing as not reading a bill and voting for it anyways?

I take hours to vote. I look at each item on my ballot and look up the information and understand what my vote means. Yes, at times I take into consideration what someone may say, but simply as counsel in my own decision. I do not let someone else fill out my ballot.

If you are going to consider yourself a Patriot, act like one.

The Patriots who founded this nation and faced unbelievable odds for the chance to be able to vote, choose their leaders, and shape their own destinies, did so at great inconvenience. They risked everything, gave up their time, fortunes, security, and even their lives.

How shameful that even among the many who care enough to vote, which historically speaking will be less than half of registered voters this election, many will simply choose to let someone else think for them, because it is just too hard and time consuming.

Don’t be counted among them.

Take everything into consideration. Do your own research. Be able to say you understand your vote and are able to give an account for it.

Don’t be a hypocrite. Be a Patriot.