Prouder, stronger, better

I'm not a good citizen.

It's rare if I vote.  I haven't voted in 8 years.  Yes, I missed the last two presidential elections.  There's a story behind why I missed the elections, but that's not what this post is about.

In a way, I'm what is wrong with this nation.  I have complaints, but have no activist convictions to actually do anything to improve things.  As most Americans, I see that my little voice has no effect on public policy.

But you know, deep down I know that is wrong.

When I was in 11th grade, I ran for my high school's FBLA president.  That's Future Business Leaders of America.  It was between myself and this really hateful bitty.  The bitty won.  I found out later she was using a smear campaign and calling up FBLA members.  Why not?  It works in all other elections.

That year I had two close friends running for the same office.  To be honest, I couldn't choose between them.  I left my ballot selection empty and that year the vote was a tie.  My vote would have been the deciding vote.

Now I'm not saying my single vote could have decided the last presidential election, but a few thousand more of me could have made the Gore/Bush election results turn out another way.  When I worked at the TV station, we'd have all night election result shows.  It would amaze me how few votes were being cast for candidates.  Precincts were being won by only a few hundred votes cast total.  Where are all the voters?

Although voting is a right of all citizens, it isn't being exercised.  And our political parties do all they can to ensure only like minded individuals vote.  The last presidential campaign, one political party did all they could to prevent voters from voting.  Some of their tactics included sending out flyers telling voters that due to the massive amount of voters on election day, they will now split up the elections to two days.  If you are a registered Party A voter, you vote on election day.  If you are a Party B voter, you vote the following day.  The mailed flyer looked very official, and many people didn't vote due to this.

Then there was the notice sent out by Political Party A that if you are overdue on your electric bill, you are not legally eligible to vote and any attempts to vote will subject you to possible arrest and fines.

Anyway... my point is that the current system of elective voting isn't working.  There is no incentive to vote.  The population of active voters is declining every election cycle.  How do we break out of this electoral malaise?

One suggestion has been to dangle a carrot in front of the voter.  Arizona has proposed just such a thing.  For every general election, every person who casts a vote is eligible for a $1 million award.  That's right, for merely casting a vote you could win $1 million dollars.

I think this is a brilliant move on Arizona's part.  How many people would love a chance at a free $1 million dollars.  I know a lot of people will protest that paying someone to vote is morally wrong.  A person should vote due to their civic duty.  I say, look at all the money we spend trying to raise voter awareness.  Voter turnout is a serious problem.  We spend millions and millions of dollars begging people to vote.  Why not take a small fraction of that money and use it as a carrot?  You could spend $100 million dollars trying to educate or even beg your citizens to vote and still not have as much an impact as offering $1 million.  It's money well spent.

This whole post started because I overheard two consultants talking.  Sujan, our BW consultant, has been trying to get his greencard for the past 4 years.  Its been stuck in the system that long.  He says the greencard is at the last process, but has been there for over a year.  He hopes it will be issued in September.

Sujan is someone who loves working in the US.  He's told me that everyone wants to work here.  That its the best place in the world to be.  And I sit back and wonder why am I not as excited as he is to be here.  Where is my wide eyed excitement waking up inside the borders of the US every morning?  Is it because familiarity breeds contempt?  Do I need to experience the oppression of other less liberal nations to appreciate America?

Perhaps I don't realize how well I have it.  I take for granted the freedoms that I have, even though I am angry with the current administrations intrusiveness.  Perhaps I really am not a very good citizen.  In this nation made up of extremes, which side is truly a good citizen?  I've always tried to run the middle of the road on most things, though I do tend to lean to the left.  I am not a hippy, pink-o, commie, child killing, granola eating, spotted owl protecting liberal.  A lot of my beliefs border on conservative and even more toward libertarianism.  I just wish the spark of wonderment that Sujan has would wear off.  It would be nice to wake up in this quiet mountain town and enjoy a Morning in America.