It Doesn't Pay to be Uninformed...

We are living in an historic time. Something most people thought they would never live to see, is probably going to end soon. Three years ago, the people spoke loud and clear..."We want change!" They said. And with that change, came the first African-American President. I wish I could say that is the only thing Barack Obama will be known for, but unfortunately, this is not the case. So then it got me to thinking, how does a man, a junior congressman, who hasn't even really cut his teeth in the political arena yet, become the leader of the free world? Well it's a simple answer. The majority of Americans who vote, are simply uninformed voters.

This is pretty much how it went. You had no clear front runner in the Presidential race, so it really was going to come down to voter turnout. Unfortunately, because of the circumstances of the election, we had more people voting for the mere purpose of making history and less for the purpose of electing the best man for the job. Add to that, many of the people who are now complaining about our President, are the same ones who blindly cast a ballot just to see him win.

So here is the problem. How do we inform people who don't care to be informed, but want to complain when their elected officials fail to accomplish anything? People who will vote for someone because they like the "Idea" of change, but have no idea the sacrifices it takes to make change happen? 

There is no real easy solution to this problem. We live in a time where everyone has some feeling of entitlement. And though certain things are defined by our constitution as inalienable rights, that does not mean that we get to coast. It is most definitely our right to vote. But it is our responsibility to gather every bit of information available, which living in the "information age" means there is a lot to learn. And only after gathering all of that information, studying it, analyzing it, and coming to an informed decision, should we be allowed to cast our vote for the best possible candidate. But even then, the job of the American citizen is not done. Because after we vote, it is then our job to hold our representatives accountable for the decisions they make in our names. This is the only way America works. If you let the politicians run wild, they will make decisions that benefit them and their contributors. When that happens, even the informed voters become null.

This is my country. I will be informed. I will be vigilant in my journey for knowledge. And I will most definitely, be watching. And when my leaders make mistakes. I will be there, to hold them accountable. There are tough times ahead. Times when hard choices will have to be made. And I want to be sure that the people I elect, are the people who are willing to make those choices, even if it means their political careers suffer for them. We all want change...but that change comes with a price. If we are not willing to pay that price, then we will simply continue on this same downward spiral. And THAT, I am not willing to do.