The Midterms Are Coming

I like to complain about Congress and our state legislature as much as the next guy, but I believe that comes with an obligation to vote when the time comes. On November 4th, the midterm elections offer us the chance to do something positive about the quagmire our Congress has become. Our senators have voted, not just against legislation, but against keeping legislation from coming up for debate. How could we possibly re-elect those who refuse to hear argument?

In both state and federal legislatures, our tax dollars are wasted in bringing the same issues up for votes over and over again, issues that do nothing to forward our quality of life, but seek to deny individual rights. Our elected officials have wasted time and money on court battles to prevent people from having health care, marrying, and voting. As we face the threat of ebola, the Senate refuses to vote to confirm a Surgeon General.

We should do our best this election year to find out who is running for office, and how they vote or would vote on the issues coming up. Scvotes.org is a great website that will let you know if and where you are registered to vote, and provide a sample ballot. With that ballot, you can google each candidate’s name and learn their positions and voting records. Votesmart.org provides voting records of elected officials. I would also urge you to try to read different sides of the issues, and read with an open and critical mind.

Pay attention to political ads, not so much for what they say, but for what they don’t say. We are not voting for Nancy Pelosi or Rush Limbaugh, and the word “freedom” doesn’t tell us anything at all about how our candidates will vote when in office. So don’t let charged words fool you into thinking that a certain candidate is a hero or a villain.

If you’ve missed the debates, you can watch them online at C-Span. And if a candidate has refused to debate, ask yourself why they will not stand before the public and answer important policy questions.

Most important, we need to get out and vote. Our country has been wrestling with critical questions that will radically influence our lives, the lives of our parents, and the lives of our children. So, like me, feel free to complain, but also get out and vote on November 4.