Monday, February 25, 2008

Get to know your Candidates

The Texas primaries are just a week away, and I hope everyone is going to go vote! I want to encourage everyone to take a few minutes and get to know the candidates. Check their websites: here, here, here, and here.

I went to Austin a few weeks ago with my leadership class and we got to meet with several state representatives. It was very enlightening for me to meet the people that are making the laws that govern our state and our country. It also got me thinking… All of these people are very real, ordinary people like you and I. They all have a sense of civic duty to make a change in the world, and they all have a heart for the people that they represent. It became increasingly more important for me to get to know who they are. These people make decisions that can dramatically affect our country and our own lives, and for the past 25 years I haven’t really taken much of an interest in them. Why not? Sometimes I feel like politics in this country is only for a closed group of people. Like not everyone can understand it…very much not true by the way! So I resolve to get to know my candidates before I vote for them. And I want to be more involved in supporting the candidates that I vote for with my time and resources. I strongly believe that ever vote matters! I know it does not always feel that way, and it’s usually easier not to care, but you should! Go get involved…it’s a lot easier then you think!

3 comments:

Coffman Family said...

I completely agree! I'm off to vote in early voting tomorrow!

Steph said...

I agree as well, and I have been doing my reading and listening and watching, but this is where I get discouraged...politics and all of the issues that we're looking at are so complex, each with their own complex consequences. I don't feel educated enough to know exactly what I believe. For instance, let's say I read about universal health care. I think to myself, yes, this sounds like something that would be beneficial for our country. But what I hate is that politicians do not make clear what the "negative" steps will be to get to this "positive" conclusion. There HAVE to be some! I would cheerfully vote for a candidate who told me not just what I wanted to hear, but gave me the good, the bad, and the ugly on getting to a "better America."

I've been thinking about doing a post about my voting quandaries...looks like I should...or maybe I don't have to now since I pretty much did here on your comment! :)

Melanie said...

Great thoughts girlie! I too need to do the same...thanks for the encouragement and reminder! Heading over to check out the links you provided. Thanks for sharing!