NOTHING CHANGES UNTIL SOMETHING CHANGES

Elections can bring high hopes.  They can bring new energy to our democracy.  An election should also bring a renewal having nothing to do with anything partisan.  However, sometimes none of this happens.  Sometimes the energy and the renewal turn into disappointment. 

After the election of 2012, I think we all felt relief that things would return to normal.  Many of us also hoped that things would get better and the fulfillment of the many campaign promises might occur.  What a disappointment.  Why did we think anything would change?!?

But nothing changed this time.  Everything is literally the same, almost.  We have the same leaders.  All of the issues remain.  All the talk on the campaign trail and in the debates now seems to have been nothing but excited breathing.  Six billion dollars was spent by all the campaigns.  Plus, we have several new “scandals” that now challenge the core credibility of government itself.

Let’s look at some of the details.

Same President:  Barack Obama

Same Vice-President:  Joe Biden

Same Senate Majority Leader:  Harry Reid

Same Speaker of the House:  John Boehner

Same Representatives in the House:  90% of those seeking re-election were successful

Same Senators in the Senate:  91% of those seeking re-election were successful

NOTE:  The re-election of both House Representatives and Senators was greater in 2012 than in 2010.  With the job performance in both chambers at an all time low, it’s hard to imagine why their jobs are apparently more secure.

All of this proves once more that nothing changes until something changes.  Oh, by the way, another thing that didn’t change in the last election is that approximately the same number of us voted in 2012 as in the past recent elections.  Voter turnout has been hovering in the 50-60% range for many years.  This voting result almost certainly explains in a large part why nothing else changed.

Let’s make some changes.  Let’s begin by changing the one thing that will change everything else.

Let’s change our voting habits today.  Mark your calendar to vote on November 4, 2014.  Do it now!!!  It doesn’t matter how you vote on the issues or for which candidates.  If we all vote, the right decision will emerge out of our collective wisdom.  In the Voting Alert Beacons, I’ve already set a goal of 95% turnout in 2016.  Let’s take a smaller step for 2014.  75% is a good number.

The “how” in change.  In future posts, I will offer my thoughts on how to apply the Voting Alert Beacons to the specific issues and challenges that America now faces. 

If you look carefully at each of the Beacons you will notice that they are simple and act like magnifying lenses allowing each of us as individuals to affect great change through our votes.  As we implement each Beacon we shouldn’t see ourselves as alone and powerless.  View your actions as the sum and whole of all voters.  Imagine that all voters use this same system to decide how to vote.  What each of us decides on the issues isn’t as important as using these Beacons to make those choices.

Again, remember, nothing changes until we change something.  There is much we need to change, but let’s start with the most basic thing:  Voting!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2013 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.