Votes Count

Yes, your vote counts, unless that is, you don’t vote.

Words matter, too. And sentiments. And propaganda. Evidence of all of these points are rife these days. So it pays to pay attention. What is happening in the news each day? What do I like, and what do I not like? What is the result of poor public decision making? And what is not?

In a democracy, our votes are the primary way citizens exercise power in their governance. It is not automatic that a vote will make a difference, but taken all together, they do. When vote tallies are close to a tie, individual votes matter even more.

I wish the votes were not as close as they have been in past years. Current statistics demonstrate how divided we are. Slim margins mean tightly fought political skirmishes. The tone at such times is poor - anger, menace, attitude and resentment run high. Not good for our civility.

I look for people who tend to speak my language and sentiments throughout the year. I know they mirror my own. Public discussion helps inform me about specific issues. News reading adds to my data bank; I am able to reason out articulate positions in time. Still later, melding issues together into a logical fabric seems natural.

Listening to many voices on as many topics helps me gain perspective on issues. I make up my mind on some, and often find myself not listening to some voices. I move on to other topics and the thoughts expressed about them. In time I’ll focus on yet other issues. This is the process I use to select voices and positions on topics that interest me.

On broader issues I build trust with groups of people I hope will do the right thing for our country, state, county or town. If they have proven trustworthy in the past, I continue to trust them going forward.

Trust. It is the foundation of our relationships: in family, neighborhood, town region and nation. In business and commerce, as well. Trust is the cornerstone of our many agreements made in life. If someone or organization fails to live up to what we trusted they would do or be, we abandon them and find other trustworthy partners.

Agreements with allies – whether among close friends or foreign lands – is based on trust, too.

Today, my trust in my government is waning. Statements on issues and values are moving away from the positions I’ve chosen over the years. Agreements with allied nations are being broken, agreements I felt certain were safe and long lasting. These agreements are large, complicated and made after many months, and sometimes years, spent finding the exact language with which to agree. Now, in a flash, those same agreements are placed in doubt or cancelled unilaterally.

Trust in our county by other nations is now held in doubt.

Along with it is my trust in my own country’s ability to do the right thing in the name of us all.

That means my votes in coming elections will be more certain to go to other candidates I trust more than the current ones.

Must we really re-think what it means to be an American? Do we really have to re-tune our commitment to allies, refugees and immigrants seeking our promised land? Really?

Frank and open dialog with friends is expected and always good. Entering a conversation with a chip on your shoulder is not a wise thing to do. It undercuts both civility and trust.

Same with everything else on life’s journey. Be civil. Be trusting. Be honest. Be trustworthy.

I’ll be looking for these attributes in candidates in the coming elections. All coming elections.

I hope all voters do the same.

June 11, 2018