It Does Really Matter (or Please Don't Flip a Bird to the World)

In case you haven't been following the news, there's a US Presidential Election coming up.  

The US economy (which clearly spills over into the worldwide economy) is in dire straits.  It's likely that several Supreme Court seats will come open in the next few years.  We've got several "conflicts" going on around the world, not to mention several non-economic messes at home. 

And that's just speaking in generalities.  

Somewhere in the long, long list of issues the candidates are debating, there is at least one, if not many, that matters to you. 

Whether or not you think you've got a stake in that one issue, believe me, you do.

For instance: 

Maybe you don't have millions of dollars in the stock market, but perhaps you care about the rate you get for your next car loan. 

Maybe you are certain you'll never want or need an abortion, but perhaps you do care about your own right to privacy or have compassion for a victim of a crime.

Maybe you can afford groceries every week, but you really have your eye on a 40 foot schooner and are calculating whether or not your tax return will cover the sales tax.  

Pick your topic, however large or small.  The candidates have radically different plans and thoughts on everything.  The big plan initiatives will trickle down to affect your own life in myriad ways. 

Do your homework and see whose plans you actually agree with and trust.  Read their websites. Listen to them speak and hear what they say. 

(And don't think for a second think that the Vice-Presidential candidate doesn't matter. It does.) 

So vote. 

If you're not registered already, get on it.  

Some states' deadlines hit this Saturday, October 4. 

Both registering and voting are easy and painless.  If you're reading this right now, you have a computer, so click on the sites below.  

Don't trust the internets?  All counties have an office, staffed by real people who will help you. 

And voting, even easier...In some states you don't even have to stand in lines on Election Day in your local elementary school gym. You can vote early.  Perhaps you can even vote via absentee ballot.  

There is no reason not to vote.  

Not only is it convenient, more importantly, it's an amazing, and somewhat unique, right American citizens have. 

All around the world, there are millions of people who would love an election...Not to mention a free election, in which it's okay (and encouraged) to debate openly, then vote without fear of personal repercussion.  

We have the the ability to participate in choosing the direction and path in which our country,  and our own lives will follow. And frankly, much of what this president does will affect the rest of the world as well. 

By not voting, you're not only taking your own freedom for granted, you're also flipping a giant (and prolonged) bird to rest of the world. 

Also, if you're an American citizen and don't vote, please don't complain about the outcome. 

At least not to me.  

___________________________________________

Registration Deadlines begin this Saturday, October 4

Declare Yourself

Overseas Vote Foundation

Rock the Vote

2008 Absentee Voting Information for Americans Abroad

-------------------

NOTE:  And in case you don't read the comments, this what Erin wrote below...I thought it was important enough to pull up here....

Here here sister!

And for our foreign friends that just may have been BORN in the US, check out Vote From Abroad which will get you all set up to vote.

Don't worry, you wont be drafted, taxed, or treated any differently if you exercise your right to vote!