The state of our
democracy calls to service all Americans who want to make our country safe
again. Our times demand action on the
part of every patriot to stand up and make him or herself count for what
America represents. We are all going to
be asked to sacrifice for the defense, prosperity, justice, and respect of our
nation. As Americans we will come to
realize the necessity of making our voices heard when our country strays from
the path we believe it should take. As
we approach this election we must look beyond the rhetoric, above the arguments
being thrown about, and think for ourselves what really are the issues that
define the direction of our country and who best will represent our hopes and
dreams while protecting us in these turbulent times. Only once we have answered these questions
for ourselves can we securely and confidently head to the polls to choose the
candidate who will lead us as our Commander in Chief as well as our Head of
State for the next four to eight years.
I ask you all to consider the issues most important to you and to then
question which candidate can best achieve your personal goals for those
problems.
Most people
believe they have already taken this step, solidifying in their minds for whom
they will vote on November 2. If you are
one of these people I support you in your decision whether it be for one party
or the other. What I would just ask is
that you take a moment to consider the other side of this debate. Have you given the opposing side a fair
listen, or have you merely prejudged them to be against the things for which
you stand? I do not ask this to be
patronizing, but rather to underline the value of our democracy and the need
for an informed population making the decisions that determine our country’s
path. If you strongly believe in one
candidate or the other after having achieved this request then I believe that
is wonderful. I hope that the candidate
who wins has the support of the full country and can govern with a clear
mandate to lead and a willingness on the part of the entire population to
follow. Only united can America achieve
its full potential.
My reasoning for
asking this of each of you is a personal experience. I met a man this weekend who asked me a
question about my job. I gave him an
informed and apolitical answer, hoping to represent the facts of the situation
rather than any policy or political opinion.
I saw from his reaction that I had achieved my goal. Only later did I find out, through a third
party to whom he spoke after meeting me, that he believed me to be an
intelligent, insightful, and articulate member of his political party. He saw in me what he wanted to see because he
assumed that I was the same as him. He
never asked who I support or how I lean politically. At first I was offended that he assumed I
supported the same candidate he did because of my factual and apolitical
answer, but later I realized that this was actually an opportunity. If he believes I am as intelligent,
insightful and articulate as he stated then maybe it would open his mind to
realize that I oppose his choice in candidates.
He never considered the alternative to his reality and thus, I believe,
will be making a poorly informed decision in November.
So, between now
and November 2 please take at least a half hour to confirm to yourself that
you’ve given this election a fair thought and that you will be making the most
informed decision you can on election day.
Going into that voting booth only having listened to half of the debate,
even if it is the half you know you fully support, only leaves you half
informed. As Americans we owe it to our
country, to our own futures, and to every generation of Americans who follow us
that we use due diligence in our decision making process to decide our votes
based on complete facts and realities rather than the lines our respective
parties feed us. An informed population
is the foundation of a functioning democracy.
The best way to become informed is to research personally to find ones
own answers to the problems of individual, societal, and national
importance.
I thank you for
doing your part to make America the country we all want it to be: A safe,
prosperous, respected and just nation.
Together we can achieve this goal, but the first step is to be fully
informed.
