Moral and Civic Obligation
Do you know what I mean if I say the phrase “moral and civic obligation?” It means that someone is bound by an obligation or duty to some ideal or societal group that transcends the individual.
Those of you that are parents, you have a moral obligation to raise up your children “in the way they should go, so that when they grow old, they will not depart from it.” You have a civic obligation to raise your children with a firm knowledge and understanding of our country, it’s history, and each person’s role and duties within our society.
But I want to challenge ALL of the adults in our family…not just the parents…with one of our “moral and civic obligations”.
What is that particular obligation? The upcoming elections.
I know…I can hear your collective groans. “I hate election.” “I hate politics.” “I hate political ads.” “They’re all crooks.” “The liberals are destroying our country.” “The conservatives are destroying our country.” Blah, blah, blah, blah…I’ve heard them all. Heck, at one time or another in my life, I’ve probably said them all, too.
But I want to examine this … “thing”…this event we have every so often, called an “election.”
In our country, each individual citizen that is aged 18 and over, has the right to vote. I would also submit to you, that those people have the “moral and civic obligation” to vote. Do you realize how PUNY the numbers are for voter turnout, especially in what one calls an “off-year election” like the one this year? If there were a 40% voter turnout, people would be shocked and amazed. That would be considered a HIGH turnout! To me, THAT is what is shocking and amazing! That less than 40% of the population that is eligible, actually takes the trouble and time to VOTE.
Let’s look at a few things.
Are you happy/unhappy with the federal government bailouts?
Are you happy/unhappy with the new financial regulations?
Are you happy/unhappy with the ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court on the DOMA law passed by the Iowa Legislature?
Are you happy/unhappy with the ban of texting while driving?
Are you happy/unhappy with the change in the “carry permit” law?
Are you completely clueless on any/all of these particular issues?
Are you happy/unhappy with what the Iowa Legislature did or did not discuss and pass legislation on during the past 2 session?
Are you happy/unhappy with the way your tax dollars are being spent/misspent by the federal/state/county/local government?
These are just a few of the topics that have crossed our paths in the past two years. What else? Universal healthcare. Raising retirement age. State of the economy. State of the Social Security Administration. Free trade agreements. Cap-and-trade. Border security. Illegal immigration. Protectionist tariffs.
PICK YOUR TOPIC. In some way, shape or form, some government entity or group has had their hands on it, in it, or at least talked about it, in the past two years.
So, do you LIKE what has been going on in the past 2 years? If you don’t vote in the upcoming elections, and vote to support the candidates that have been responsible for those things, you are taking the risk that they will be voted out of office, and things could change in ways you don’t like.
So, are you NOT LIKING what has been going on in the past 2 years? If you don’t vote in the upcoming elections, and vote to support candidates running against those that are responsible for those things, you are taking the risk that those people will stay in office, and things will stay exactly as they are, or get worse.
What I’m saying is: ultimately, YOU AND I are responsible for what goes on in our government. WE are responsible, whether we voted in the last election or not. Because our government is a “representational republic”, we actually have a voice in who represents us. And if they don’t represent us the way we think they should, we have a MORAL AND CIVIC OBLIGATION to vote them out of office. Essentially, fire them. They are supposed to work for US…you and me. We, the people.
But what if you didn’t vote last time? Yeah, you’re just as responsible as the rest of us. Or perhaps I should use the term “irresponsible”. Because you did NOT participate in the last election, YOUR voice wasn’t heard. But that doesn’t remove you from responsibility. We, the people, are a TEAM. What happens to one of us, happens to all of us. We, as a team, are responsible for everything, good, bad and ugly. So if you didn’t vote…you’re just as culpable as those of us that did. You can’t duck your responsibility that easily, I’m afraid.
Finally, let me address those of you that will say, “But I don’t know anything about these people, or these issues, or…”. I would say that you have some homework to do, then. You owe it to yourself, your children, your friends, your community, to BE informed. To get the facts. No, I don’t mean to blithely listen to the political rhetoric that is spouted by the talking heads on either the mainstream media or the conservative rants. But by actually doing the research, reading everything you can, and applying YOUR common sense, and YOUR beliefs and values to the issues, then making a decision, and sticking to it. Talk about things. Have conversations with people. Lean over the back fence and actually say “howdy” to the person next door. Develop “community”, and explore the people, policies, and issues.
So, in conclusion, I am asking you, adults...no, I am BEGGING you…please get involved in the election process this year. You owe it to your children (if you’re a parent), you owe it to your friends, you owe it to me, and everyone else in our community, county, state and nation. We really don’t want to do this without your input. We will, if you force us to, but we’d really rather that your voice was heard.
That’s my two cents for today.
--Master V.
Those of you that are parents, you have a moral obligation to raise up your children “in the way they should go, so that when they grow old, they will not depart from it.” You have a civic obligation to raise your children with a firm knowledge and understanding of our country, it’s history, and each person’s role and duties within our society.
But I want to challenge ALL of the adults in our family…not just the parents…with one of our “moral and civic obligations”.
What is that particular obligation? The upcoming elections.
I know…I can hear your collective groans. “I hate election.” “I hate politics.” “I hate political ads.” “They’re all crooks.” “The liberals are destroying our country.” “The conservatives are destroying our country.” Blah, blah, blah, blah…I’ve heard them all. Heck, at one time or another in my life, I’ve probably said them all, too.
But I want to examine this … “thing”…this event we have every so often, called an “election.”
In our country, each individual citizen that is aged 18 and over, has the right to vote. I would also submit to you, that those people have the “moral and civic obligation” to vote. Do you realize how PUNY the numbers are for voter turnout, especially in what one calls an “off-year election” like the one this year? If there were a 40% voter turnout, people would be shocked and amazed. That would be considered a HIGH turnout! To me, THAT is what is shocking and amazing! That less than 40% of the population that is eligible, actually takes the trouble and time to VOTE.
Let’s look at a few things.
Are you happy/unhappy with the federal government bailouts?
Are you happy/unhappy with the new financial regulations?
Are you happy/unhappy with the ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court on the DOMA law passed by the Iowa Legislature?
Are you happy/unhappy with the ban of texting while driving?
Are you happy/unhappy with the change in the “carry permit” law?
Are you completely clueless on any/all of these particular issues?
Are you happy/unhappy with what the Iowa Legislature did or did not discuss and pass legislation on during the past 2 session?
Are you happy/unhappy with the way your tax dollars are being spent/misspent by the federal/state/county/local government?
These are just a few of the topics that have crossed our paths in the past two years. What else? Universal healthcare. Raising retirement age. State of the economy. State of the Social Security Administration. Free trade agreements. Cap-and-trade. Border security. Illegal immigration. Protectionist tariffs.
PICK YOUR TOPIC. In some way, shape or form, some government entity or group has had their hands on it, in it, or at least talked about it, in the past two years.
So, do you LIKE what has been going on in the past 2 years? If you don’t vote in the upcoming elections, and vote to support the candidates that have been responsible for those things, you are taking the risk that they will be voted out of office, and things could change in ways you don’t like.
So, are you NOT LIKING what has been going on in the past 2 years? If you don’t vote in the upcoming elections, and vote to support candidates running against those that are responsible for those things, you are taking the risk that those people will stay in office, and things will stay exactly as they are, or get worse.
What I’m saying is: ultimately, YOU AND I are responsible for what goes on in our government. WE are responsible, whether we voted in the last election or not. Because our government is a “representational republic”, we actually have a voice in who represents us. And if they don’t represent us the way we think they should, we have a MORAL AND CIVIC OBLIGATION to vote them out of office. Essentially, fire them. They are supposed to work for US…you and me. We, the people.
But what if you didn’t vote last time? Yeah, you’re just as responsible as the rest of us. Or perhaps I should use the term “irresponsible”. Because you did NOT participate in the last election, YOUR voice wasn’t heard. But that doesn’t remove you from responsibility. We, the people, are a TEAM. What happens to one of us, happens to all of us. We, as a team, are responsible for everything, good, bad and ugly. So if you didn’t vote…you’re just as culpable as those of us that did. You can’t duck your responsibility that easily, I’m afraid.
Finally, let me address those of you that will say, “But I don’t know anything about these people, or these issues, or…”. I would say that you have some homework to do, then. You owe it to yourself, your children, your friends, your community, to BE informed. To get the facts. No, I don’t mean to blithely listen to the political rhetoric that is spouted by the talking heads on either the mainstream media or the conservative rants. But by actually doing the research, reading everything you can, and applying YOUR common sense, and YOUR beliefs and values to the issues, then making a decision, and sticking to it. Talk about things. Have conversations with people. Lean over the back fence and actually say “howdy” to the person next door. Develop “community”, and explore the people, policies, and issues.
So, in conclusion, I am asking you, adults...no, I am BEGGING you…please get involved in the election process this year. You owe it to your children (if you’re a parent), you owe it to your friends, you owe it to me, and everyone else in our community, county, state and nation. We really don’t want to do this without your input. We will, if you force us to, but we’d really rather that your voice was heard.
That’s my two cents for today.
--Master V.
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