Election Day rumination: To vote or not to vote

Vintage WWII picture of nurses with an injured man; the caption tells the story.

When you enter a voting booth, you're not entering a church, a hospital, or a cemetery.

Politicians who shame us into voting are (mostly) manipulating us to supporting their chosen profession, no different than many others who rely on our vote (or funding) for their survival. When you're in public service or religious leadership, that's easy to do.

If I can, I'll still vote, but it won't be because it's my civic duty or because it's the right thing to do or because politicians may publicize my name if I don't (a Grand Rapids politician did that). It's because it's the single most effective thing I can do to contribute to the process, even if it's broken, and occasionally fraudulent.

I have no more respect for people who run our government than I do those who empty the trash, clean up vomit in hospitals, pick up dead animals on the freeway, care for lepers or ebola patients, or teach our children. Or, to put it differently, I respect all those people more, because they serve thanklessly. Those who shame us into respecting their profession have their reward.

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Ronald Reagan.

The first election I ever voted in was the re-election of Ronald Reagan. I voted straight ticket. (Actually, I didn't punch the straight ticket option, but went through and punched each Republican on the ballot. I suppose I wanted to be sure.)

College friends criticized me for this, saying I hadn't put much thought into my vote, but that isn't true, I considered it very carefully, and all other things being equal, if I don't know anything about a candidate but his/her name on a ballot, his/her party becomes very important.

And with all the negative advertising, if there's one thing I can be sure of, it's that I know very little of importance about those running.

If democracy fails us, it won't be because of those voting, but those we are voting for.

[2014-10-30]

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