Go Vote. Please.

By Doug Geed

      If you've read any of my earlier blogs, you know that I am a very big fan of the Fourth of July. To me it's a holiday that's right up there with Christmas and Thanksgiving. And while there's so much fun associated with it -- the beginning of summer, backyard barbecues, fireworks, a day at the beach -- it's also what the holiday means that's so special to me.  It signifies the birth of our country and a very, very unique concept -- that the residents of this new nation are all equal and that THEY will get to choose who leads them.   
   And that leads to another one of my most favorite days of the year -- Election Day. This year it falls on November 4th, the first Tuesday of the month. (The only time it's not held on the first Tuesday of November is if that falls on November 1st. Then Election Day would be the 8th.)
    This is the day when everyone -- rich, poor, college-educated, high-school dropout, socially connected or a loner -- has exactly one vote -- one equal vote.
   I think of countries where palaces are surrounded by the military 24 hours, 7 days a week because of fears that angry, armed mobs will literally bust down the doors or burn down the building -- kill the powers-the-be and then announce to the country that "someone new" has taken over.
    Yes, our country's system has flaws and there's no question that the richer you are the better chance you have of getting elected. But no matter how ugly our campaigns get, no matter how vicious the accusations become and no matter how much the candidates may hate one another, the following January, the same exact scene plays out: the outgoing President watches the new President be   inaugurated and there's a handshake as the transfer of power takes place. That's amazing to me. I think of all the countries across the globe where people pray to their God for such an orderly transition to take place.
    But I also think of how many of us stay at home on Election Day and not bother to vote. That makes me very sad. I think of our brave men and women overseas right now fighting to preserve a way of life that we enjoy -- a way of life that allows all of us the right to vote. To me it's disrespectful to them -- and all of the millions of Americans who served this country -- to not take five minutes out of our lives to vote. And if you're worried that you're not informed enough to make a choice, then take an hour or so out of your life and read a few newspapers, magazines or campaign brochures. Watch some television or listen to some radio news. Talk to your neighbors, co-workers, even your kids. Make a decision. Exercise a right that so many other people on this Earth are so very, very jealous of.

      Go vote. Please.