don't be an ass - be an educated voter!

image via mhmonline.com

it's friday! how about celebrating the weekend by watching the presidential debate this evening? i've been frustrated lately with the general public's lack of knowledge regarding the election. i was listening to the radio a few months ago regarding the north carolina primary and people were calling in to discuss which candidates for whom they were voting and why. 95% of the people responded with completely absurd reasons for voting the way they did. responses such as "i'm voting for mccain because obama is a muslim" or "i'm voting for obama because he was raised by a single mother and so was i" or, worse yet, "i'm not voting because when you register to vote they make you do jury duty." seriously, these were real people. kind of scary, right?

i'm sure everyone has a candidate that they think they like due to the things the media has shown us but i would encourage you to make up your own mind. watch the debates tonight, watch/read other things, and make sure what you're hearing and reading has not been taken out of context. if you're going to watch an interview, watch the entire interview and not just the small part they show on entertainment tonight. don't watch excerpts on youtube, don't believe everything political ads have to say, and don't listen to your friends' opinions. decide what is important to you on national and global issues, find out what each candidate has to say about those issues and then vote with the confidence that you have done your research and are choosing the candidate you personally feel will do the best job.

and if you're not registered to vote, don't be ridiculous! your vote does count and it is a responsibility that we have as free americans to choose those that lead our country. if we choose not to vote, we lose our right to have a say on every political issue and the ways they affect us directly. remember those that live in communist countries and dictatorships and remember how privileged we are to get to choose those that make our laws and policies. so, that being said, watch the debate tonight at 9:00pm and vote with confidence! an educated voter is a happy one.

have a great weekend!

(for a great informational interview, watch this. christian or not, the interview breaks down a lot of the political frills and really gets down to the things that are important to voters.)