Remember those segments after the presidential debates on all the major television networks and online broadcasts? You know the groups that are still undecided with less than a month until Election Day? Is it that they’re still stuck on the authenticity of the candidate’s values, or their stance on the issues?
Sometimes we just have to admit that our decision-making simply depends on if we like the guy or not; what impressions we get from their looks, their facial expressions, their body language.
Sometimes we have to admit that we have a gut sense early on and just go with it, and if something is said that goes against that intuition, we will do what it takes to defend our feeling, even if it means unconsciously filtering what we hear.
One vote may appear to be of miniscule influence on the country, but if it were so inconsequential, why are these candidates trying so hard to appeal to the American citizens?
Voting is a necessary risk, and an understandably imperative decision, considering the power it has in numbers. All the campaign money and endorsements, the media exposure and debates; these aren’t haphazard tactics.
Voting provides the chance to establish oneself as a concerned citizen, and to practice the right to be heard. Apathy or silence is a position of agreement. To vote is to illustrate one’s disagreement.
I believe everyone has the right to a voice, but only those who have tried some course of action and decision have the privilege to complain and criticize about what’s going on, because they aren’t passively accepting America’s state of affairs. Whining doesn’t get anywhere; it’s just an annoying habit.
We all have heard McCain’s and Obama’s standpoints repeatedly. Values and trust are two different entities, because surely humans are always capable of lying, especially in order to get that top position job, wink wink. It’s all a game of trust. Sometimes it’s easier to hire someone for the job on a trial basis, and wouldn’t that be ideal?
Nevertheless, I propose something to those among the undecided or the impartial. Those undecided forget that the president isn’t the only power of this country. We should put emphasis on local reformation as the first step in getting involved with the country’s political affairs. Invest your decisions in the state vote.
This year’s presidential race has been so overwhelming and concentrated, that we’ve forgotten about the power of the state, and this year in Michigan we have the opportunity to vote on a range of issues that should be spotlighted.
Proposal 1 is a legislative initiative to permit the use and cultivation of marijuana for specified medical conditions. This will remove the threat of arrest and jail for suffering patients who use medical marijuana with their doctor’s recommendation. It also will be responsible for safeguards to prevent abuse, including establishing a statewide registry to show who is protected by the law.
Marijuana had been used as an ailment in ancient China, Egypt, and India for centuries, and even now in the contemporary age. Several countries including Austria, Canada, and Spain are among those allowing the regulation of marijuana for medical purposes.
This has also been adopted here in the homeland with active medical marijuana programs in 13 states including Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
This is a chance to decriminalize marijuana, and to join the support of the other states in the fight to remove the label of the plant as a sinister drug, and replaced as a substance with medical benefits.
Proposal 2 is a proposition to amend the state constitution to address human embryo and human embryonic stem cell research in Michigan. This will allow stem cell research for finding cures and treatments for debilitating diseases and conditions including Parkinson’s, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, sickle cell and spinal cord injuries.
Ok, do we really have to get into the moral issue? It is simply unethical to deny a person’s prospects for recovery because stem cell research makes some people feel uncomfortable. A matter of life and death cannot be dismissed because stem cell research is an attack on some people’s beliefs. How far will individual beliefs affect the future of medical prosperity? This is a chance to save millions of the lives of people, ourselves, and the people we love.
The presidential election is important as we relentlessly have witnessed this year, and last year furthermore. The candidates have persistently pronounced the United States in a state of turmoil and crisis, and we nod our heads accordingly. We know this. More than ever we know this, and we know we need solutions, and we know it is difficult to not only trust one person to solve these problems combined, but to expect better solutions and a course of action with immediate results.
What we can do is participate. What we can do is fight. Awareness goes a long way. Passivity is the setback. We are all lost, but we know what we need and what we want for this country. Local reformation is the first step.
Your community, your city and your state are a part of the fabric of the United States of America. Every vote is a substantial contribution. Invest your decisions.
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