have you voted yet?

ok. before i get started i must clarify a few points.
- my political party/leanings are not important for what i'm going to say.
- i'm not trying to get you to vote for X or Y candidate.
just in case someone was already huffy about the title and not willing to read further. :)

so, a dear sister posted about voting. and i really appreciated what she said. and i wanted to add my two cents, because hey, that's what blogs are for right?

i just want to remind my fellow brothers and sisters in the USA to take advantage of a working democracy...so many people are living in non-democratic countries or worse, a dictatorship parroting a democracy. here, you can go vote, but there is little faith that your vote will actually end up where it counts, and even if it does, there is so much corruption that it is highly unlikely you will have a fair and democratic election in which the people's voice is heard. dead people get to vote, thousands of votes go "missing" and just plain old lying makes sure that the people in power stay in power. they've already done it once and are in the process of changing laws to make it possible for the current "president" to continue his term.

as i was talking with my students in a summit about the Holocaust and Anne Frank, it burdened me to see the lack of faith and hope they have in their own voices. we were talking about how similar pre-Holocaust Germany was to the Nica of today...and how can they, the youth of Nica, make sure something like that doesn't have any place to grow here...one said they could take action in politics, to vote, to be informed. but the majority say, why should i vote or have anything to do with it when i know that if i don't vote for them (FSLN), it won't count. if the people, the youth, don't stand up and use their voice because it isn't heard, then all you have is a shrinking population trenched in poverty that submits to a dictatorship because hey, what are ya gonna do? it's infuriating, to see a people lay down and let the powers that be do as they please because they think they have no say. that is not democracy.

but YOU, you get to be a part of a government that caters to your opinion, that allows groups and rallies and invites you to get involved, on one side or the other. and whether you are happy with the things are or not, its your RESPONSIBILITY to keep the democratic system working and vote. no, it's certainly not perfect. nor is it the answer to all our problems. and yes, it is frighteningly polarized.

but it's definitely a democracy, and we the people should make sure we appreciate that and participate.

*stepping off soapbox*