Sept 21 WordPress Daily Prompt: Autumn Leaves
Changing colors, dropping temperatures, pumpkin spice lattes: do these mainstays of Fall fill your heart with warmth — or with dread?
I have mentioned that politics do not dominate my landscape per say. But I have to admit, when I read this prompt, I couldn’t help but think of politics and how the mid-term elections are coming up. I have also heard that mid-term elections typically have poor turnouts, which I understand, as I myself have skipped a few over the years.
I have to tell you, I am now making it my business to know who is running and who I am voting for. We have got to start instilling some change in this country, in the way problems/issues/legislative actions are approached and then dispositioned, in the way those who WE elect into office represent us once they are elected, and in the way we are actually represented overall as a whole – a constituency.
This takes a lot of research and a lot of time, but I am dedicated to it. I can’t afford not to – none of us can! Complacency leads to neglect, which leads to contempt – I can promise you, not because I want it to, but because it does.
Regardless of how you vote, and what your ideologies are – you have to ensure you educate yourself and make your voice heard. The “Old Guard” just doesn’t have their hand on the pulse of America, and they certainly aren’t hearing us.
Just something I was thinking about . . . ☮
Just something I was thinking about . . . 
Hey Sadie! here in Canada we just hold “mid[term” elections as they are needed – of course we only have 1/10 of the seats, so it’s a lot easier than in the US. Still, they are terribly attended. Apathy inevitably wins. I thank that electoral ballots should have an “abstain” check box for those, like myself, who want to vote and can’t find a candidate they think is worhwhile. As it stands now, with poor candidates, many don’t vote because there is no way to express their dislike of the choices. In any boardroom across the country, the “abstain” option is available and used regularly. So, the winner has to get more than 50% of the total votes (inculding abstaintions) or there is no winner. It encourages the candidates to find out what the abstaintions want and provide it before they can win. Maybe we could get better candidates or at least more attention to voter needs.
that’s my sory and I’m sticking to it. ha!
Hey Sadie, I have some reading material that you requested. If you send me your e-mail address to paulccurran@hotmail.com I’ll send the info off to you.
Great Post and a constant serious concern. Thank You.
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Hi Paul! I am so behind on responding to my comments, I apologize for that! I am glad you enjoyed the post. I often don’t pay attention to the mid-terms either, but this past year and a half has been quite challenging for me & my husband. I have heard it said again & again that our unemployment rate has gone down, and that just is not true – there are so many like us that are no longer being counted, as we are not drawing any unemployment wages. I have heard of so many people in my age bracket that are now living off of their 401Ks, though this money wasn’t supposed to be touched for another 10-15 years AND we will pay dearly for having to use it to survive. On top of that, we have now reduced what we have to live on if we do live to be old. I don’t like all the candidates either, & trying to chose the lesser of the evils is becoming more & more difficult. Always glad when you stop by!! Don’t you have another guest post coming up soon? Oh, & sending you an email this evening, too 🙂
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Good post, Sadie. I’m going to vote in the mid-term elections, but not so much to vote for particular candidates as much as to vote for (or against) a number of propositions that are on the ballot. Those propositions have a more definitive and concrete impact upon my life than do any of the individual candidates.
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Thanks Doobs!! [I am so behind on responding to my comments, I apologize for that!] I try to keep up with the propositions, too, as I have noticed they often try to slip those right past us!
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No worries about being tardy.
I just got my voter information pamphlet and sample ballot in the mail. It’s 224 pages long and 164 pages of those 224 are about the various propositions on the ballot. It’s going to take me between now and election day just to get through all of that information!
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I’m in Kansas this mid term. Ours may be the most interesting election in the nation this year. Finally we are having a real race for U.S. Senate and it looks like we have a chance of winning the Governorship. I wouldn’t miss voting in this mid-term for any reason.
I just hope our local election officials handle our votes honestly. I really don’t trust their handling of the electronic voting machines here. I wish we would get at least a receipt after we vote or go back to a paper ballot. All elections are local and all elections in the U.S. depend on an honest local count. I think the voters should be scrutinizing the credentials and ID’s of the election officials instead of the other way around..
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I am so behind on responding to my comments, I apologize for that, DSS! I agree with you – I don’t trust any of them . . . and Texas politics can be some of the nastiest!!
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You know I have been called a bleeding heart liberal democrat in the past, recently my brother-in-law stated that while I am a democrat I am really an old school republican. I agree with him because I have a lot of beliefs on the issues that are for the people, but also reflect my thinking that to much helping the people does the people more harm than good.
Due to poor decisions in my life and being stripped of my right to vote at a very early age. That right was restored in 2008 just in time for me to vote in the election. I will proudly say that I voted for Barrack Obama then and again in 2012. Am I totally in love with his work during his time in office – not everything. The concern that I have always had since he was elected and even before he was sworn in the republicans and the new tea partyers were saying (I am paraphrasing) “you will not succeed in your presidency and we will make sure that you do not succeed.” You see we still live in a horribly jaded, bigoted, and non-tolerant country.
The Constitution of The United States says that “All men are created equal”. There have been many changes to the constitution to make that statement true for women, people of color, etc. But we have also continued to show through our actions that there is no true EQUALITY in the United States. Do not even get me started on what individual states have done, because we could be here for days.
We have term limits on the presidency, President Harry S. Truman, born in Lamar, Missouri where I was born, worked with congress and the senate to make it law. Why in the HELL do we NOT have term limits for our congressmen/women and our senators? As a country we are the true definition of insanity “continuing to do the same thing over and over expecting different results!” As long as the voters in this country that do turn out to vote continue to send the SAME INDIVIDUALS back OVER and OVER we will continue to get the same results out of Washington, D.C. – please note that this sentiment also stands for our individual states and how we send the same people over and over to the state senates and representatives.
One of the biggest races to watch in the country during the mid-term elections is the gubernatorial race in my great State of Texas. Neither candidate for governor has completely blown me away, so I have to continue to work on my research and listen to both them in order to make a very informed decision.
I do love the fall weather that will be arriving soon – but I do dread the election cycle, and yet we are already full steam ahead regarding the presidential election cycle of 2016 – who will run and who will win. Will we even be here for a 2016 election? Who Knows!
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Hi GLF- I am so behind on responding to my comments, I apologize for that! I so agree with you on term limits (and lifer benefits) – this needs to be changed! As a fellow Texan – there’s a 3rd candidate for governor – Cathy Glass, though I don’t know anything about her at this point – she is next on my research list. Having said that, a vote for her would most likely just be a swing for one of the two other sides. I’ll research her anyway, just for due diligence LOL! Regarding 2016 – I just want to get through 2014 unscathed before I start thinking that far ahead 😉
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Reblogged this on The Musings of My Mind and commented:
Great writing Sadie – I will add to it:
You know I have been called a bleeding heart liberal democrat in the past, recently my brother-in-law stated that while I am a democrat I am really an old school republican. I agree with him because I have a lot of beliefs on the issues that are for the people, but also reflect my thinking that to much helping the people does the people more harm than good.
Due to poor decisions in my life and being stripped of my right to vote at a very early age. That right was restored in 2008 just in time for me to vote in the election. I will proudly say that I voted for Barrack Obama then and again in 2012. Am I totally in love with his work during his time in office – not everything. The concern that I have always had since he was elected and even before he was sworn in the republicans and the new tea partyers were saying (I am paraphrasing) “you will not succeed in your presidency and we will make sure that you do not succeed.” You see we still live in a horribly jaded, bigoted, and non-tolerant country.
The Constitution of The United States says that “All men are created equal”. There have been many changes to the constitution to make that statement true for women, people of color, etc. But we have also continued to show through our actions that there is no true EQUALITY in the United States. Do not even get me started on what individual states have done, because we could be here for days.
We have term limits on the presidency, President Harry S. Truman, born in Lamar, Missouri where I was born, worked with congress and the senate to make it law. Why in the HELL do we NOT have term limits for our congressmen/women and our senators? As a country we are the true definition of insanity “continuing to do the same thing over and over expecting different results!” As long as the voters in this country that do turn out to vote continue to send the SAME INDIVIDUALS back OVER and OVER we will continue to get the same results out of Washington, D.C. – please note that this sentiment also stands for our individual states and how we send the same people over and over to the state senates and representatives.
One of the biggest races to watch in the country during the mid-term elections is the gubernatorial race in my great State of Texas. Neither candidate for governor has completely blown me away, so I have to continue to work on my research and listen to both them in order to make a very informed decision.
I do love the fall weather that will be arriving soon – but I do dread the election cycle, and yet we are already full steam ahead regarding the presidential election cycle of 2016 – who will run and who will win. Will we even be here for a 2016 election? Who Knows!
These are the musings of my mind!
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Thanks so much GLF for the reblog!!
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The one bit I always thought The Great George Carlin got wrong was his assertion that you could only complain if you didn’t vote — that voting was “buying into” the system. I never really even understood his point or joke on that one, let alone agreed with it.
In the second post I ever did on WP I mentioned Joseph de Maistre’s well-known (but usually misattributed) quote, “Every nation has the government it deserves.” That quote is all about what happens when you don’t vote or don’t vote intelligently.
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Hi WS – I am so behind on responding to my comments, I apologize for that! I don’t really understand Carlin’s point either, unless he meant voting for the purpose of only casting a ballot for the lesser of the evils, as opposed to voting for something you can truly believe in. Or maybe in his opinion, it was all fixed anyway, and nothing we common people do could affect any real change that benefits the common man, though we are taught to think that we can, that we all have a voice, who knows . . .
Wow – “Every nation has the government it deserves.” THAT is thought-provoking in so many different ways. We should all examine that statement & what it means to us. Always enjoy when you stop by & comment!! 🙂
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No problem! The way Carlin explained it was that, if you participated you were buying into the system and had to accept the outcome (and there is something of a valid point there). It was only if you refused to participate that you really complain. And that’s really the part I don’t buy… even the losers in an election still have the right to complain and express their voice for change.
Oh, well, no one bats 1.000… at least not for very long.
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Just vote for me, I have a plain and simple message that will resonate with people….
“You want a better life? You want America to be great again? Then get your ass up and start working and don´t depend on the government!” That should win me the American vote.
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Oh Charly (sorry I am so behind on my response!) – if it was only that easy . . . but it is so much more complicated than that . . .
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