The election

I have a confession to make. Though I have been legally able to vote for 9 years now, I have only voted once - for Arnold. I have never voted for president.

I have been trying to be more active in this years election process, as I plan to vote this time around. And I must admit I am torn. I understand the argument some make, that voting for the best of the worst isn't worth wasting my time for, and on the other hand, I agree that we need to vote for the candidate we feel most closely matches our hopes for the country - even if it is just the best of the worst. I have heard the debates, and both candidates make good arguments.

I was on our Secretary of States website today, so that I could read over all of the Props that we will be voting on, and decide what I will vote on them. I found a link to read statements made by the presidential candidates. To my surprise, there were SIX statements. We have SIX people running for president??!! Why haven't I even heard most of their names before? Why are they not part of the debates anymore? Why am I not given access to what their plans are if they become president unless I dig around for it? Now in no way am I a political enthusiats, and I am unarguably less informed than I should be. I think I fall more into the catagory of the typical American who depends on the news to inform me about whats going on, and every now and then I hit the net. But for the most part, I am media fed. But, shouldn't all candidates have the same opportunity to be chosen by the American people, regardless of the size of their campaign fund? What is this, a national popularity contest? How did we become the most powerful nation in the world by running our presidential election like a high school ASB election?

So, I read through the statements made by the "independent" candidates and found that I really liked what they had to say. They sound less like politicians, and more like the people I talk to in line at the grocery store, or at work, or within my own family. Real people who want to see a real change, and know that no politician with his head so far up in the clouds that he can't see the whole picture is going to be able to make that change. So for the sake of all that is fair and just, go online, read about ALL of the candidates you have to chose from this election, and vote for the candidate you think would run our country best. REGARDLESS of whether or not he has appeared on Saturday Night Live, or that MTV supports him, or that you have never even seen what he looks like since the media hasn't given us that option.

Inform yourself:

http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/voter-info/us-pres-cand-statements.htm