You is Important

It might be because I just watched the movie The Help.  It might be because February is Black History Month.  I think it is because I share a birthday with Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.  Whatever it is,  I feel that deeply embedded in me is an instinctive revere for people who stand for something.

Too often I find myself chattering away about ideas in my head or stories from work or a barrage of questions to get to know others in the room.  But when the topic turns to politics or moral issues I find myself suddenly and surprisingly silent.  I agree with whatever the other party says, never causing confrontation.

Right at this instant, yes this very instant you are reading, I want to commit myself to standing for something and encourage those around me to do the same.  Yes, my idea of an ideal world might be vastly different than yours.  Regardless, you and I both have a right to pursue that ideal, to persuade others to join our various stances.

On a similar vein I want to exhort you all to ...

1. Register to vote.  By registering you are not committing to vote, though you should.
You can do this very easily by visiting Rock the Vote right now. It should take you less than ten minutes, it's FREE, and it's good for life (unless you move and would like to register to vote at that location.) Register to Vote Here    Or you can Google it and look for your desired political party in the state.

2. Vote. 
Don't vote based on who is the perfect candidate because there will likely never be one.  Don't say "none of the candidates fit my needs" because that's a dumb reason to not vote.  Pick one thing that is going to affect you and your life and vote on a person for that very issue.  Just one reason: that is all you need to vote.  If that means "it's important to me to have a GOP candidate who looks attractive" or "I need someone who is going to make  recycling mandatory for all companies" or "this guy needs a secret plan to fight inflation".  Pick one issue, one candidate, one person who supports one of the things you care most about.  Even if that person doesn't agree with you on other points, you have every power to to meet with that person and persuade him or her to your standpoint.  People can and do change their minds and you can help them do that!

The following are horrible reasons to not vote:

• "My vote is lost in Utah because everyone is republican and why bother."  Oh please.  Really?  Since when has apathy ever advanced a country?   Never.
• "I don't agree with any of the candidates."  Like I said, pick one issue.  You will never find one person who has your exact same view points.  That belief is ridiculous and about as likely as you marrying your dream spouse.  Looks great on paper, reality is different.
• "I don't have time."  There is early voting, absentee voting, and it's a civic duty.  Plus you get an "I voted" sticker and those are always worth it!  
• "I am not informed."  While this one sounds like a good reason to keep away from the voting booths, you actually are more informed than you think.  And you probably have a better head on your shoulders than a good portion of those who do vote.  I personally remind myself of this every time I watch reality television.

If you want America to be great, if you want America to be a haven, if you want to make roads safer or fix pensions or put up a wall at the border or get harsher punishments for parole violators, then do something.

Your. Vote. Matters.

3. Go to your caucus meeting.  You don't have to be a delegate or draft the constitution.  Just show up and learn something.  Raise your hand and vote at the caucus.  One grain of rice can tip the scale, one person can make a difference. If you don't know where your meeting is held, as a politically savvy person you know to show your or use your professional Googling skills to locate your precinct location and time.  Different political parties have different meetings so let that information be included in your search.  But if you are just going for kicks and giggles to see how the show is run then you could probably sneak into any meeting, but you didn't hear it from me.

4. Change the status quo.  As my friend Nick once said, "Just because there's a goalie doesn't mean you can't score."  He meant this in terms of flirting with someone who is already dating someone else, but in general it means that just because it is that way doesn't mean it should stay that way, even if something is between you and that change.   Gandhi, Mother Theresa, your grandparents, and Abraham Lincoln all scored on the goalie.  You're smart.  You learned to work the system in school to save you time and effort, now just do it with the government to change.

Now quit reading this post and go get informed and registered!  Woot woot!