Please get out and vote, but vote informed

by Danny Maerten

Election Day is fast approaching and it is our right, privilege and duty to visit the ballot box and render your opinion, but please vote informed.

Many better, newer ideas and potential candidates have been laid to the wayside because the electorate has not differentiated the facts from the smoke and mirrors. Just take a look at the politicians that have outright lied and cheated the very people who still will cast their ballot for the same incumbent and his or hers policies. A promise seems to mean nothing as soon as the election has been procured.

When governing is appalling and worsening, the governing board tosses the blame elsewhere, but if tides turn for the better, they would be the first to take credit. Our two-party system is no longer benefiting the people they were voted to represent. It's what the political party can do for the political party, or what can the politician do for themselves. We have two sets of rules, classes, at least, the ruling governing body and those not related to the governing bodies.

Our elected officials are privy to different health care, retirement benefits, amongst other perks and these continue beyond serving, sometimes for life. This goes for full-time and part-time elected positions. To make matters worse, once someone is in office, the incumbent can foresee many years of such privileges. Democrats and Republicans have equal blame for the disorder of affairs our government, local on up to the federal levels, have and are enduring. Both parties have at one time or another been in total control.

The only way to change all this status quo is to initiate term limits on all elected officials; it's just a good method of introducing new ideas. Term limits may almost never happen in our political climate, if an elected person suggests the term limit concept, there will be someone in the political system tugging on the marionette strings to squash a second to the motion, leading to no discussion and therefore eradicating the concept. If the political system wasn't so corrupt (only helping their own) many more actual citizens with good intent may decide to run for an office.

Please remember our service men and women who are and have fought for you and others around the world for the right to vote. In conclusion, please, before you vote (and I really would like the voting machines back - it was definitely more private; these paper ballots remind me of the "Kids Voting" that BOCES administered a few years ago), make an assessment of what the person has done and will do, what the person is accompanying, and what he or she really believes. Basically vote informed.