Politics – It’s not just for breakfast anymore
By Daniel J. Calderón

Yeah, I know – ‘tis the season for ye olde poltical theatre performances by people across the country vying for your vote. Everyone promises they have the solution to your problem. Everyone who takes the stage says he or she has the path to your economic, social, societal or (just insert the appropriate word) issue. Do they? Do they really? I don’t know.
 
I do know that we must take a stand. In a true democracy, the rule is one person, one vote. Ours is not a truly democratic government. It is close enough (for government work) for us, though.

We do elect officials to go and govern for us. We send people to the halls of power to enact legislation that will allow us to go about our daily lives. They pass laws covering everything from how fast we can travel on our roads to what we will pay to help maintain our cities, states and nation. Is it a perfect system?

Uhm, I have to step aside for a moment to let that one sit….

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Okay. There we go. It just doesn’t do to laugh and type at the same time.

Of course the system isn’t perfect. There are flaws running rampant. There are legislators and elected officials detested by millions. There are bad choices made daily that affect countless lives throughout the nation. There are excesses and abuses that could, if left unchecked, bring down this fragile experiment we call the United States of America.
 
We have had some pretty major shakeups. We have had dire threats to our way of life. The ones who get the big press are the ones who seem to be all out for themselves. The elected officials who seem to have the light of the press and the people on them are usually the ones who seem to be acting in their own best interests and to the detriment of their constituents. Every time you turn on the television or pick up a newspaper (or, in this day and age, check out your news online), there is another story of an elected official facing some sort of scandal. But, I think, in an odd sort of way, that’s to our betterment.

However, there are also people out there who are willing to stick their necks out. There are people who routinely look out for the best interests of their constituents. It’s hard, sometimes, to even know those people are there. But, I think they are. After all, we haven’t had a catastrophic meltdown of our entire country yet.
 
True, it seems we’re on the verge. But, I think we’re doing the best we can with what we have. Am I an economist? No. A legal or political expert? Not even close. Okay, how about a guy who has opinions about a lot of things? Yeah. Yeah, I think I can hang that hat at my desk.
 
In my opinion, we’re not doing too badly. Judging by global standards, ours is a young country. I think we’re going through our adolescence. Even so, our position as a global power means we have to weather these growing pains with an eye to how they will affect the rest of the world.
 
To that end, we have to ensure we make the best choices regarding our leaders. I think we need to make informed choices. I think we just have to make choices.
 
Grousing on the sidelines when an elected official makes – what you think is – a bad decision really doesn’t help. If we don’t like the way our elected officials are leading, then it is our responsibility (our duty and our privilege) to let them know. If they choose not to listen, then it is our place to vote them out of office and replace them with someone who we believe will do a better job.
 
These people in office are not above us. They are not superior. They are not in a place where they are out of earshot and making decisions in a vacuum. They are all beholden to each of their constituents. In the halls of national government, each elected official is bound to serve the will of the people so long as it is in the national interest. This means, they are our – yours and mine. They are not too good to listen to us. They are in our service (public servants – it’s in the title, after all). If we forget to hold them to this standard, then share a stake in the blame for any transgressions they commit.
 
If we continue to elect people into office who seem to show no interest in being public servants, who serve their own interests or those of a select few with the money to try and keep them in a position of power, then we abdicate our position as an informed and intelligent electorate. We then truly become the unwashed and ignorant masses and we forsake the sacred trust we have inherited. If we choose to give up our right to vote then we give up innumerable other rights just as important and just as vital to our republic.
 
Millions of people have done their level best to keep this nation up and running over the course of more than 200 years. If we expect this country to last another 200, then we need to get off our collective duffs (I have to use a family-friendly word here) and do something.
 
Not everyone is expected to be a mayor, a community organizer, a senator or a president. Those jobs are relatively few and far between. What I think we should expect of ourselves is that we at least stand up and let our voice be heard. I know what I think and how I plan to vote. Although, until I actually cast my ballot, I am reading everything I can find in order to make as informed a decision as possible. If you, as an adult in this country, choose to remain silent at election time, then you should not be surprised when your opinion is overlooked.
 
We will not always get the leaders we want; but we will never get the leaders we need if people don’t try to put them into office when they are available. If you want change or if you want to maintain the status quo, you have to go out and make your position know. Otherwise, you become a slave to the rest of the population. People might not agree with you, but you can still make yourself heard.

When I was a kid and my parents would ask (on those rare occasions) where we wanted to go for dinner, my brother kept quiet because he thought it didn’t matter. I would pipe up with (usually) either Shakey’s Pizza or Lockhart (because there’s a place there – Kreuz Meat market – that’s the best place in the world for brisket and sausage). I rarely got Lockhart because that’s an hour’s drive from San Antonio, but I sometimes got Shakey’s. Why? Because I asked for it.
 
What do you want? What do you (from a political perspective) believe in? What’s important to you? Who best represents those things? What kind of president, senator, mayor or other elected official do you want representing you? Should we try to get people to abolish the Electoral College? All these are questions that I can’t answer for you. If you want someone else to do so, then stay home when it’s time to vote. Just a thought…