My Experience as Youth Pastor

So it is election time. One week and the ads will be off TV so that much is exciting. I find that each election season I get more frustrated with the candidates. The problem is each promises change but I'm finding that no one really wants to change anything. Sure they will make some minor changes, but the major structures are left the same. There are still problems with campaign financing, which they promised they would fix, as well as several other issues. Each side blames the other side for the current economic crisis, and honestly they are both right. I've been voting for a while now and the Republicans have had complete control for some of that time, Democrats have had complete control and things have been split in various shades of purple (blue plus red) in the mix as well. During that time no one ever changed anything.

Sure they moved the daylight savings dates around. That was an amazing waste of time if you ask me. That kind of stuff has plagued the government. This applies to all levels of government as well, but it gets worse the closer to the national offices they get. Every branch is at fault as well, not just the President. At some point we need to force some kind of change.

They are not giving us viable choices. They all promise change but refuse to deliver because it would cost them and their friends too much. Most people in national offices come from significant money, certainly well above the median. They need donations from people with big money if they ever hope to be elected. This is why campaign finance reform hasn't happened.

I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. Look at the number of people that don't vote. If there was a good choice a lot of those people would come out to vote. I have voted in every election, including midterm, as well as many state and local voting days through the years since I have been old enough to vote.

Voting is not just a right it is a duty. I believe that if every disenfranchised citizen would come out to vote then things would change. I'm not saying you should come vote for one of the two parties, I think we should vote for what we think is right, and if neither choice works then vote that. Vote for a third party that probably won't win but supports your actual views, if nothing works for you then write in someone, anyone. Write in Mickey Mouse if you have to.

I know a lot of people say that third parties and write ins are throwing away your vote, or voting for someone you don't want to win, but the truth is, the only vote that doesn't count is the vote that isn't cast, and the only way you are voting for the person you don't want to win is if you literally vote for them.

Imagine if everyone that didn't vote because they didn't like the candidate choices went out to vote but didn't vote for the standard parties. We would have a record voter turn to with the kind of statistical anomaly that would make people look at why voters did what they did. Then next time we might get the kind of candidates that actually care about the people. If we don't get good choices next time we do it again and again until we either get some new parties or the existing parties start listening to the people instead of to the money.