A Few Thoughts

Have you ever stood in line for what seemed like hours, only to find out, when it was your turn that you could not do/get what you wanted?! That was my voting experience on Tuesday.
I voted. Yes, I did. Although my vote may not actually be looked at for another week or two, since I had to vote provisionally (Word of warning: DON'T register to vote through the DMV!), code for your vote will count, but not for a week or two, long after the election results have been declared. But at least I supported the principle of making my voice heard, right?

Politics are an interesting thing--often devisive, heated, polorized, the list of negative connotations goes on and on. This is what deters a lot of people from being involved in politics, let alone political discussions.

I don't believe one must be articulate or have a degree in Political Science, Law, or the like to be an informed voter. I often think of Jimmy Stewart's character in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He had little more than a love for his country, integrity, and a will to do good. I'd like to believe that people from both sides of the political aisle, Republican, Independent, Democrat share these basic principles, although we have very different views of how these ideals can be achieved. I hope that with this new political season, or even era, perhaps, we CAN embark in change, as Obama has so tirelessly preached. There are problems enough to tackle outside of us, I hope that we will unite. Because the truth is, I believe America is strong enough to fight any external enemy. Internal conflicts, however, can and will quickly bring America to it's knees. I'm the first to say that politically, I do not agree with Obama on very many issues. That said, I believe in the democratic process which elected him, and without compromising on moral issues and principles, I will support him as our commander-in-chief.

One last thought, everyone stresses the importance of the President. He sets the tone for the nation and acts as the spokesperson of America to the world. While his job IS important, I believe local and state are governments are just as important. Those leaders have a lot more power than we acknowledge. So while Obama has made some lofty promises, some of those are sort of out of his realm of responsability and lie rather at the feet of our local governments, and rightly so.

Thoughts, anyone?????