Friday, July 17, 2015
Vote For Me; I'll Set You Free
The Temptations sang a song called Ball Of Confusion. The first verse begins;
People moving out, people moving in
Why? Because of the color of their skin
Run, run, run but you sure can't hide
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
Vote for me and I'll set you free
Rap on, brother, rap on
In the United States the leader of the Executive Branch of the federal government is the president. In every year divisible by the number 4 (as in 2016) there is an election to choose who will be our president for the next four years.
No person can be elected president for more than two four year terms whether those terms are consecutive or not. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected to serve 4 terms. There have been other presidents who took office as the result of the elected president dying who served for more than the two terms but not for more. After FDR's long run people felt that a limit to terms was necessary and a law was passed limiting the amount of time that can be served.
The Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States says in part;
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
President Obama has served two terms as president so we will be electing someone new. Each citizen of the United States who is 18 years of age or older has the right to vote. During the primaries a 17 year old citizen may vote as long as they will be 18 by the time of the presidential election.
This primary election will be a challenging one. As I said there are so many people plying for my vote. And there are many differences of opinion from them about running this country. Some statements I like and others I do not. I may agree with one candidate on one issue but completely disagree on another.
My ideal candidate would completely agree with me on all issues. I am certain that millions of other voters feel the same way. And I am also certain that not one of those voters completely agrees with me.
So how do I choose the person I will vote for? I pay attention to what all of them are saying. But until a few of them fall by the wayside that is pretty much all I do.
When the choices are narrowed I then began to listen to speeches. I watch body language. How do they respond to questions? Do they seem knowledgeable about the major issues? Do they have responsible and reasonable solutions to problems facing the people of my country? Do they seem intelligent?
Those are a few of my criteria. I go online. All the candidates post their platforms. I can read each one and decide whether I agree or disagree. I can decide whether they have a real plan or are full of hot air.
When the day to vote arrives I go to my local polling place and cast my secret ballot. One person close to me says my vote does not matter. Nothing will change.
I believe that as the number of voters declines the politicians take that as an indication that they can do as they wish. If nothing else I want all of them to know that someone (me) is keeping an eye on them. I wish more people felt the same way.
My children all have strong political opinions. Some of them are totally opposite from mine. That is their right and I encourage them to have those opinions. We have some lively discussions.
I also have grandchildren who vote. My two oldest grandsons are the political beings. And they each support a different political party. Luckily they like each other a lot but they do have some good discussions.
They come by it honestly. My parents were active politically as was my father-in-law. We were all taught to care and take part.in the operation of our country. After all we are The People.
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I talk politics to very few people, but I too follow each candidate too. I have a liberal leaning but the truth is, I think our country needs to move toward the center instead of being polarized at either end of the political spectrum.
ReplyDeleteI too lean liberal. But the problem is that today liberal means something other than pertaining to liberty. I am tired of "political correctness" that has restricted the way we speak. Of course no one should ever say anything that intentionally hurts someone else. That is common sense. But I digress. We do need to unite again.
DeletePromises, promises, and still promises.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately that can be true. But I still need them to know I am watching. I hope more feel the same.
DeleteDear Emma, as you I think it is important to inform oneself, have an opinion and vote. And I also think that people can differ very much in their political convictions and still respect and love each other.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true. I once worked with a woman whose political views are almost totally opposite mine. But we had some very interesting discussions. Because we are adults there was no animosity. As a matter of fact there were times when I came to see that maybe she was correct on some things and I changed her mind on others. They were some of the best discussions I ever had.
DeleteA very good and topical post, Emma, and these days there are so many candidates that listening and reading is critical to being informed. Of course, I can name a few hopefuls who I would choose not to pay attention to at all. But, no names given here😉
ReplyDeleteI will not be naming anyone either. My political views are known to my family. But I will not promote nor disparage any candidate in my blog. This is not a political forum.
DeletePolitics is a serious business that every househood, every family and everyone has to participate...its about how our lives has to be governed by someone else, so we have to take full part in deciding who rules. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteThank you. The most important thing to remember is that all the people we elect WORK FOR US. We pay their wages with our taxes and if you have noticed we pay them very well. We need to be vigilant about who we choose to work for us.
ReplyDeleteGreat and interesting perspective indeed. Greetings!
ReplyDeleteGreetings right back. Thank you
DeleteI once said to a political activist friend, "Oh, I never vote. It only encourages them." Not true, but great fun.
ReplyDeleteSome people can become a little fanatic about politics. Aren't you glad that you have the right to say what you wish?
DeleteSame here, I try as much as possible to choose a candidate that has the same values and problem solving plans as mine, however, I actually haven't found one that 100% agrees to everything I think, so I chose the one that agrees closest to most of mine.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly what you should do. I never understood why a person would vote for a candidate because they recognized the name. I recognize Jack The Ripper but I do not want him as our president.
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