In case you have not been watching television or reading the news over the past few months, today is Election Day. Get out there and VOTE!
I have never used this blog as a political forum. And I will not (unless I ever choose to run for an office) try to sway your opinion on who to vote for. I won’t even tell you who I will be voting for as soon as I finish my cup of English Breakfast Tea. I think it is important that you read about the candidates and their positions on issues and make your own informed decision. However, there are two things that I wanted to discuss here on Election Day.
My European Vacation and the Vote
I was surprised by how many people in Europe asked, as their very first question to me after finding out I was from America: Are you voting for Obama or McCain? Sometimes they came straight out and asked: Are you voting for Obama? I feel that it is a personal decision I am making and honestly was not 100% decided while on vacation, so I responded that I was not sure. Many time this response was met with disappointment and a head shake. Sometimes they began to try and sell me on Obama. I was amazed that every where in Europe (and I visited 12 different countries) people were so concerned about who I was going to vote for. But you know what was really sad? That I couldn’t even name a single President/Prime Minister/King of any country I visited.
Shouldn’t we be SAD that this is a “Day in History?”
I think it is great that today we will either vote a woman or a person of color into a major office. But I also think it is sad. It is sad that it has taken us this long. It is sad that it has been this hard to make it happen. It is sad that only one of these “monumental” events will occur today. It is sad we live in a country where race and gender and even age are bigger issues than the things that matter, like healthcare, foreign policy, war, and the economy. I am excited, just like everyone else, but I am also very dissapointed in the people of the USA.
OK guys, I am back off the pedestal. Just remeber that we are a nation that prides itself on freedom and democracy. Don’t take it for granted. Don’t let it go to waste. Get out there and vote.
