Well, this is the last column of mine that you will read before next Tuesday’s primary so I have some things I want to talk about before you cast your ballot.
First of all, I hope that everyone reading this column will actually vote on Aug. 3. It is downright disgusting when we have a 10 or 20 percent voter turnout in an election.
We have had too many Americans die for your right to vote for you not to exercise that right. I would hope that every election would garner a 100 percent turnout but I know that sometimes people just cannot get to the polls. But, there is no excuse for low turnout other than apathy. So, please do vote on Aug. 3 or, if you can’t vote on that day, then by all means get an absentee ballot and cast your vote before next Tuesday. Make your voice heard on the candidates and the issues.
Now, with the obvious being said – GO VOTE! – let me talk about some other things you should consider. When you cast your vote please make an informed decision. Don’t vote for someone just because you recognize their name. Know why you are supporting that person. I know that we have many positions and issues to vote on in Newton and McDonald counties and in our congressional district but information is easy to get and there is no reason that you should not be able to cast an informed vote.
A couple of things that irritate me. One is when someone says, “Elect me because I am not a politician.” Guess what, when you sign up to run for a partisan elected position that makes you a politician whether you like it or not. Now, we as a society (with the help of some bad actor elected officials) have made the term “politician” a dirty word but the facts are the facts and if you are running for office then you are a politician. But, since we all know some very good people that are running for office then I guess that means that not all politicians are bad.
The other statement that gets to me is when someone says that “we should kick all the incumbents out of office.” Now, I know how someone feels when they say that – we all get frustrated by the bickering and fighting that goes on. But, not all incumbents are bad people and this just goes back to what I said about making an informed decision when casting your ballot. You need to vote for the person and not just a name and if they are in office you need to check their voting record or how they have served the public while in office and then weigh that against the qualifications of the person running against them.
