Let Your Voice be Heard

There was a record voter turn out for the 2008 Presidential election, and along with it came a sense that people wanted to begin to have their own say in how this country is run. As good as that turn out was, there still lies a great problem in this country when it comes to the very essence of our political system, and our own well being for that matter. Yes, it was and always will be very important for as many as possible to register to vote and have their voice heard every four years when the presidency is decided. But what is being missed year after year, term after term, is that there is a lot more to politics than deciding who the next president will be. In fact, those who are voted into local, city, state and congressional positions can be just as, and in some cases are more, important than the presidency. Sure this may sound crazy to some, but allow me to explain.



The President is thought to be the most powerful person in the country, and rightfully so. But he is far from the most important. The President can not make law or policy by himself. For that he needs the blessing of elected congressmen and women, from appointed judges and cabinet members. Those senators and representatives are voted on by the same people who vote for the President, only in most if not all cases far less of us vote in those elections. It then trickles down to the state level, in which more laws and policies effect our day to day lives than anything at the federal level. Your state income tax (if any), your state sales tax, your alcohol and tobacco taxes, your gas taxes, the costs of registering your car/boat/motorcycle, all these things are driven by state politics. Then you get to the local level, where you have mayors or town councils that decide on things such as school taxes and property taxes. Again, these are things that effect our every day lives much more than anything that is agreed upon in Washington. These are the things that most, if not all, people complain about on a daily basis. Why then are most of these elections ignored by the majority of people?



I must admit, I have been just as guilty in the past as the next person as far as overlooking the local elections. I suppose the thing about them is they are not as sexy as the national elections, and the names aren't usually as familiar to us. And then there is the overwhelming feeling of "my vote isn't going to change anything", or as is a popular sentiment in New Jersey where I live "they are all crooks anyway, what's the difference?". Well it is about time we stop feeling this way. It's time that we as a collective whole wake up and realize that our future is in our own hands. It may sounds cheesy, but it is the truth. Forget the rhetoric and all the political mumbo-jumbo...it is time we take back control and begin to take stock in our lives.



By continuously voting in the same people we are making them rich and the majority of us poorer. You don't have to read the newspaper from cover to cover or learn a whole new political vocabulary to be able to make informed decisions, all you need is to pay attention and know the facts. I admit that with the propaganda that each side throws back and forth it can be hard to know truth from fantasies, but if you pay attention you will know. But the one thing that needs to be done is for people to start to care again. Complaining about how things are going means nothing when you had no part in deciding who is making all the decisions.



To me, there needs to be a change in the way the general public sees politics. The majority see politics as something that the older generation care about and talk about over coffee at the diner. But the reality is it effects the younger generations more than the elderly. We are the ones who have the longest left here, the ones who will be paying taxes longer. But we are also the ones who can make a difference. Politics, especially at the local level, is something everyone can get involved in. You can help campaign, help with fundraisers, or even attempt to run for office yourself. The idea that "it's the same old people" needs to be forgotten, and replaced with a group of individuals that care enough about their future and the future of their families that they are willing to get involved and let their voices be heard.



With the internet, and with social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, there is an untapped landscape that needs to be exploited. Information is no longer limited to TV and radio ads that were paid for by only those who had the resources to get their words out there to the masses. You can now have your voice heard by millions, if not billions across the country and the world through the web. So this can and should be the way for our generation to begin and get their hands dirty, to start having their voice be heard. It is easier now than ever to spread ideas and thoughts and open up other's minds to ideas. We need to take advantage and take our towns, states, and country back...