
VOTING FOR VOTING’S SAKE BREEDS IGNORANCE
I saw Christina Aguilera on Oprah recently and I only noticed her because of her new cleaned up look that I find outrageously attractive. I stared at the tv as Christina sat next to Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore while telling us all about how she never bothered to vote in the last election but since then realized all the sacrifices people have made to allow her the right to vote. Cameron started to get all teary eyed as Oprah consoled her. Then I got really fucking sick.
All of us have been hearing the same messages about how important voting is. Everyone is trying to get unregistered people to vote – pushing the registration but not pushing education of the issues or the candidates. Have you ever seen someone trying to give out as much as an election issues guide? We don’t need to rock the vote, we need to rock the educated vote. This might be implied to you and me but no one is saying anything outright - To a person who didn’t think about registering to vote until less than a month before the most important election to date for our generation, someone might want to say something, damnit.
In a day and age where brand recognition plays a tremendous role in our society, we can’t leave our minds to marketers whose job description is to tell us about how inadequate we are without whatever they’re trying to sell. (Example: Please don’t vote for David Vitter because they used his kid in a commercial and not knowing that he coauthored the federal marriage amendment.)
As applied to Louisiana, did you know that on Nov. 2nd, we’re not just voting for the President but for our reps for Senate, House of Representatives, several judges, a state representative, and a few acts concerning the right to hunt, fish and trap, the homestead exemption, and the eligibility for Veterans for Civil Service.
(Click Here.)
In Orleans Parish, we’re also voting for Criminal Sheriff, a GO Bond going towards who knows what, a judge for juvenile court, several annual fees relating to improvements, and two members of the school board. (Click Here.)
Did you even know you were up for voting on all these issues?
I certainly didn’t until recently. How are these things going to affect you? If you don’t strive to educate yourself on these issues, you give up your right to complain.
God knows, we love to complain in New Orleans.
As of today, I’ve haven’t seen where all these issues were laid out in one place to be easily digested by anyone, forget registered voters.
An ignorant vote is as good, if not worse than not voting.
Christina, can you help us?!