Civic Duty?

Well, next Tuesday, November 6th, 2012, one of two things will happen for sure: We will have a 45th President of the United States or the existing President will serve another four years. This is about all I can be sure of. Everything else might as well be the result of a flip of the coin. (No, I will NOT choose our next President by flipping a coin) Sometimes, when I look at Senate choices and most definitely local town appointments, I wonder if I would be just as well served. Although, I have a number of thoughts swirling around in my head as the inevitable day looms.

 I am registered as an Independent voter. An Independent is defined a voter who votes for candidates and issues, rather than on the basis of political ideology or partisanship. I have never understood the rational of voting for a straight ticket. Especially now, as I don't see the differences to be as great on a number of issues. However, this blog is not about whether one party is better then the other. I am not going to defend one Presidential  candidate over the other. Rather, I am going to pose a couple thoughts that I don't think people ever consider when voting.

 I, like most Americans, after eight years wanted our troops to come home. This was a "buzz" topic during the last election and it centered around time lines of bringing troops home. Pretty logical. Good Sentiment. So, you get elected. You arrive at the White House looking to tackle this agenda item. They bring in a box of files, pertaining to where "we" are in Iraq. You start looking over the files. As your keep reading, there are so many "items" you weren't privy too. Some of your predecessor's choices make a whole lot more sense now. It's not conceivable in our current state to withdraw troops without considerably hindering other objectives which have been intertwined over time.

 You are running and you say, "I can cut this deficit in half in the next eight years." Sounds great. We should have never offered all these bailouts and the stimulus money was done wastefully. You are in office and then you hear that the money was put where it was, and the companies saved because of the nature of the house of cards. You pull the wrong one out and we would have seen something much more catastrophic then the Great Depression.

 What I am trying to convey, is we can all promise you anything you want. Sometimes, we may even genuinely believe it 100%. Intentions as a whole are usually for the greater good. However, when we get to a place where the decision is ours and the result lays only with ones self, the weight of the world looms large not just figuratively, but with a Presidential election, literally. Before you mark that X next to a name or color in that scan tron circle, think to yourself what would I do if I was President? No Rhetoric because what you say affects 300+ Million people every time you open your mouth. This will be the most difficult thing you will ever encounter. You live in a fish bowl. You become the World's target: You're too soft, you're too hard. I got news for you, not every one's going to agree with you. 

You're check box could change the world. But after all, it's your civic duty, right?