To Vote, Or Not To Vote...plus a quote

I found this rather astute quote on an exterior sign at an auto repair shop. Who would have thought that one would find such a gem at a place like that?

"All politics are based on the indifference of the majority."
-James Reston


I would have to agree with this statement. For starters, the majority of people tend to have the attitude of "well, I'm screwed either way. Why should I vote?" Or, sometimes, you REALLY get the indifferent or non-committal response of, "My vote doesn't count. Why should I care?"

Well, aside from this year's election which was won fairly and squarely, voter turnout is usually very low. So, when people later come out to protest the way an election went or how a decision was made, they will always rally against the majority - the majority who ACTUALLY VOTED.

You know the old say, majority rules. Well, my response to those who would protest any election, court decision or whatnot is, "Did you vote? Did you make your voice heard?" If they say no to either one, then I will follow it up with, "Then, you don't have a right to bitch about it."

I mean, really, they don't. If they decided to not participate in the process afforded to most law-abiding adults who are of voting age and are REGISTERED to vote, then I say exercise it!

I used to be part of that majority who felt that we were screwed either way until my parents bought a house and became property owners. That's when I realized that, hey, if I don't participate in the decision-making process, somebody else is going to decide for me!

So, ever since my early college and voting years since 1987, I have voted every year hence. The only time I did not vote at all was while I was in the midwest doing my year-long rotating internship. Because I was away from home and I was not in any one particular place for very long, I did not feel that it was right for me to vote on something that I knew nothing about and did not have enough of a vested interest in. So, I did the dutiful thing and took myself off the voter rolls in San Mateo County. Then, upon my return, I immediately re-registered to vote in that same county. When I moved to San Francisco, I registered to vote here so that I could participate in the electoral process.

Yes, I voted for our current president; and, yes, I voted for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, too. In both cases, people protested the voting decision, but to them I say, "Well, if enough of you (meaning Democrats) came out to vote for your chosen candidate, then you did your job, but the best candidate won. Get over it."

I could go on for a really long time about this, but I think I'll stop here. I could add more later on when I gather my thoughts more.