Featured Column

Speak Out
By Val (Angelofmusic)

Election Time Again

The time has come again for elections for President here in the USA. Primaries for the two main parties are the hot news item right now, and you can’t go a day without hearing about it. Elections are always a big deal, whether it’s for local government or for the federal government. The thing I’ve noticed a lot, especially this time around, is that there is a lot of negativity surrounding the elections. I’ll explain what I mean.

First, I know a lot of people who complain all of the time about the state of things and their lives, but when it gets down to it, hardly any of them vote. If you want change, you need to make your voice heard, right? Sometimes all they do is complain, and yet, when I bring up voting to try and precipitate that change, they just blow it off and make excuses. Now, no country is perfect, but if you have a real issue with something, isn’t it better to try to change things? Many argue that it’s just one vote, but just think if everyone said that. If you’re not willing to try and facilitate change, then one really doesn’t have a reason to complain. I’ve told my friends, “Vote if you want things to change. Otherwise, you really have no room to complain.” I hope more people are reached this year and that they do go out and vote.

The other glaring thing I’ve noticed is the negative campaigns that are run. Sure, they all start out all nice and fluffy, trying to let you get to know them. Inevitably, soon the campaign tone changes and all that is left is pointing out all of the flaws in a specific plan or opponent. What happening to letting the public know where you stand and what you stand for? I personally would rather know where a person stands and how they feel about issues than hear all the bad things about their opponent. Sure, it sort of discredits the other guy, but I’m always left feeling confused on where people stand. Even with new legislation, it seems that the campaigns are attacking the other stance instead of trying to decode the legal jargon so the lay-person can understand exactly what it is about.

Maybe I’m just idealistically hopeful, but I do hope the tone will eventually change so we can see what the real issues are and how each individual will take control of the country. I’m all for more positive campaigns. I guess only time will tell how they shape up this year.