Vote as though future generations depend on it
Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8, 2016, is Election Day in the United States. It is a day during which the people of the United States exercise their sacred right to elect those to whom they give their consent to govern. Of all the rights to which the American people are heirs by nature and citizenship, the right to vote—the right to select those who will govern them—is perhaps the most sacred right of all. Without that right, all other rights to which the American people are heirs are mere pretense. Without that right, the American people would have no ability, other than by revolution, to correct the actions and abuses of those who govern them.
The right to vote carries with it an obligation and a responsibility. Those who have the right to vote also have an obligation to exercise that right. Voting is not something that can or should be left to others; it is something each of us must do to maintain the vitality and viability of “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Given past voter participation rates, what we really have is “government for less than half the people, by less than half the people, and for less than half the people.” Is it any wonder, then, that the majority of people are dissatisfied with those who govern them?
Those who have the right to vote have the responsibility to cast their votes wisely. It is a responsibility that must not be taken lightly. Incumbent upon every voter is the responsibility to understand: a) the issues of the day, b) how each candidate proposes to address those issues, c) whether each candidate’s proposal is likely to produce the desired outcome, and d) each candidate’s character. Obtaining a proper assessment of each candidate with respect to these is not something that can be done by paying attention to politics and politicians for the last two weeks before Election Day in presidential election years. In order to be able to cast one’s vote wisely, one must make the effort over an extended period of time to judge rightly the fitness of each candidate for the office that candidate seeks, and whether each candidate is more or less fit for office than the candidate’s opponents.
Each voter has a further responsibility to vote for the long-term best interests of future generations. One should not enter the voting booth seeking to maximize the answer to “what’s in it for me right now?” Instead, one should vote to maximize the answer to “what’s in it for my grandchildren’s grandchildren?” Only such a perspective holds any hope of guaranteeing to future generations the blessings of liberty which past generations have bequeathed to us.
Let us not fail our grandchildren’s grandchildren. Rather, let us pass on to them the blessings of liberty to which we are heirs. Vote. Vote wisely. Vote for the best interests of future generations.
In this presidential election year, vote Donald J. Trump for President!!