If you know me or notice my few postings on Facebook - you will have noticed that I do not make any political comments, whatsoever. I do not post or claim any affiliation with any group.
Growing up, I went through a phase when I wanted to be the first female president of the United States. I have gone from wanting to run for president to someone who refuses to vote for president. Yes, I will NOT be voting on Tuesday.
When people ask me who I will be voting for they are shocked to hear my response - my vote is not voting. I have many reason for this stance - but it is thought out and carefully decided. I don't take voting lightly - and I think many people do.
While I am proud to live in a country where (essentially) everyone can vote, I am very jaded when it comes to the process, the outcome and most importantly how we vote.
One of the main reasons I do not vote is because I do not feel informed enough to make a sound and educated decision for whom to vote. I refuse to vote based on any political ad campaign or Facebook postings (or because my parents raised me one way so I will always vote for that party) - as I have often found them to be based on little fact and mostly spin. I consider myself a well-educated person - so I could educate myself on the topic - but I have decided against it.
As I just put up my antenna to get my free digital television this week (previously only having Netflix and Hulu), I saw my first political commercials this morning. I was blown away. Do people actually base their decisions on these commercials? Are they swayed by the mud throwing? My biggest fear is that people do - they don't research and check the facts (which are much harder to verify than it should be). They vote based on commercials and hearsay.
And to think that the leadership of our country can be swayed by a vote based on an excellent PR campaign... does it not scare you?
I have a Masters in Economics. It is enough education to let me know that I don't know anything about economics and that I was not smart enough to go on to get a PhD in it. So to hear people talk about how to "fix" the economy like they actually have a solution that would "fix" it blows my mind. Most people have never even had a basic course in MacroEconomics.
An economy is closer to a living breathing organism than a machine. The economy is not a car that as been in a crash that we can take to get fixed at a body shop this month. The economy is like a morbidly obese American - we have been abusing our body for years and thinking that if we lay off sodas and walk for 10 minutes a day for 4 years that we are going to be in Olympic condition. We can make changes now that will show improvement - but it has to be a lifelong commitment to health.
If we support a system that calls for our leaders to always keep an eye on 4 years down the road so they can get re-elected - are we going to see that commitment to long-term health? I would argue probably not. We are going to see crash diets and fads that end up with us yo-yoing in health. Please do not see this as an argument for longer terms - it is not.
I am just ready for someone to stand up and say, yeah, I am not going to be popular - but I am going to get us back on track. So what if you don't get elected again - isn't public service more about doing what is best for the public anyway even if it means losing your job after one term?
I am not sure how that person would be elected. They would have unpopular policies that I am assuming the majority would not like for their immediate happiness - so they would probably not get the support from one of the Major Two.
So if you took anything away from this - it is to please educate yourself with verified facts before making your mark on Tuesday.
Okay - I think I have reached my maximum for political discussion for the month, maybe year.
Happy Voting (or Not Voting)!
Growing up, I went through a phase when I wanted to be the first female president of the United States. I have gone from wanting to run for president to someone who refuses to vote for president. Yes, I will NOT be voting on Tuesday.
When people ask me who I will be voting for they are shocked to hear my response - my vote is not voting. I have many reason for this stance - but it is thought out and carefully decided. I don't take voting lightly - and I think many people do.
While I am proud to live in a country where (essentially) everyone can vote, I am very jaded when it comes to the process, the outcome and most importantly how we vote.
One of the main reasons I do not vote is because I do not feel informed enough to make a sound and educated decision for whom to vote. I refuse to vote based on any political ad campaign or Facebook postings (or because my parents raised me one way so I will always vote for that party) - as I have often found them to be based on little fact and mostly spin. I consider myself a well-educated person - so I could educate myself on the topic - but I have decided against it.
As I just put up my antenna to get my free digital television this week (previously only having Netflix and Hulu), I saw my first political commercials this morning. I was blown away. Do people actually base their decisions on these commercials? Are they swayed by the mud throwing? My biggest fear is that people do - they don't research and check the facts (which are much harder to verify than it should be). They vote based on commercials and hearsay.
And to think that the leadership of our country can be swayed by a vote based on an excellent PR campaign... does it not scare you?
I have a Masters in Economics. It is enough education to let me know that I don't know anything about economics and that I was not smart enough to go on to get a PhD in it. So to hear people talk about how to "fix" the economy like they actually have a solution that would "fix" it blows my mind. Most people have never even had a basic course in MacroEconomics.
An economy is closer to a living breathing organism than a machine. The economy is not a car that as been in a crash that we can take to get fixed at a body shop this month. The economy is like a morbidly obese American - we have been abusing our body for years and thinking that if we lay off sodas and walk for 10 minutes a day for 4 years that we are going to be in Olympic condition. We can make changes now that will show improvement - but it has to be a lifelong commitment to health.
If we support a system that calls for our leaders to always keep an eye on 4 years down the road so they can get re-elected - are we going to see that commitment to long-term health? I would argue probably not. We are going to see crash diets and fads that end up with us yo-yoing in health. Please do not see this as an argument for longer terms - it is not.
I am just ready for someone to stand up and say, yeah, I am not going to be popular - but I am going to get us back on track. So what if you don't get elected again - isn't public service more about doing what is best for the public anyway even if it means losing your job after one term?
I am not sure how that person would be elected. They would have unpopular policies that I am assuming the majority would not like for their immediate happiness - so they would probably not get the support from one of the Major Two.
So if you took anything away from this - it is to please educate yourself with verified facts before making your mark on Tuesday.
Okay - I think I have reached my maximum for political discussion for the month, maybe year.
Happy Voting (or Not Voting)!
