“May it be to the world what I believe it will be...the signal of arousing men to burst the chains, under which monkish ignorance and superstition has persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self government.”
Thomas Jefferson
The political front is at a flash point. Everyone seems to be up in arms, and in too many cases ready to take up arms, over hot button issues that effect all of us. The thing that gets to me is how many of those who are so passionate refuse to do anything about it. Including practicing what is perhaps the most basic of our constitutional rights, guaranteed to us by the 12th Amendment of the Constitution. Our right to vote.
I've asked a lot of people from both sides of the aisle, as well as those who straddle the aisle, what they think the problem is. Why don't more people vote? What I hear most aren't apathetic excuses. What I hear are words of defeat. They can't “see the point” when nothing ever changes.
Well, here's your thump on the noggin!
In the State of Tennessee, since 2012, an average of less than 60% of registered voters have actively exercised their right to vote. We have one of the worst turnout numbers in the entire nation. Studies show that it's the same people voting for the same people running, over and over again. Whats more, those same people aren't representative of the majority of Tennesseans. The voter who typically votes in this state is white, older, more affluent and more highly educated than most. Of course that means they're usually going to vote for causes dear to their demographic. Those who keep getting elected reflect the values of that demographic.
For change to occur, any change, there must first be a change in who goes to the polls. More people need to understand what it means to vote. How vital it is to our democracy. They must understand that, by constitutional edict, we are the ones in charge, and we do the hiring and firing of all of the key players in government who manage the laws of the land. They, in turn, hire and fire subordinates to do the grunt work. Don't like the subordinate? Take it up with the one who hired or appointed him to the job. Don't like the job he or she is doing? Fire them! That is your right, even your duty, to effect the proper execution of constitutional law.
There must also be more choices in who is running. In too many instances the same people are continually running unchallenged which, again, means no changes are being made. Campaigning takes money so, of course, it's the candidate with the most money to spend that gets most of the spotlight and usually most of the votes simply because of name and/or party recognition. It's a sad fact that too many good candidates are essentially unheard because someone with bigger purse strings is hoarding the spotlight. Also in today's political world would be candidates refuse to run, not because they're apathetic, but because they are fearful of what they are setting themselves up for. It's a vicious arena where personal claims and accusations fly fast and furious, completely clouding the issues. Sometimes they can be substantiated but many times they can't. The sad thing is that any one of those claims or accusations, truth or lie, can destroy a candidate's personal credibility in every area of their life, not just in politics. At its worst, running on any platform can even be dangerous to life and limb to the candidate or their family. It's a very courageous and determined candidate who braves the election process!
The bottom line is that the only way to change the status quo is to actively attack it. So long as no changes are made at the grass roots level then no changes will be made further up. You, the voter, are the grassroots of the process, and only you can begin the process of change.
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