It's Time To Exercise A Right
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Tuesday is election day and this is my annual plea for readers to vote.
I have a prediction. The big winner in this election will be voter apathy.
In light of the increased number of registered voters via motor voter legislation, the percentage of actual voters may reach historic lows.
I hope I'm wrong, but I really believe that will be the case.
This campaign has been more about style than substance. More about sound bites than ideas. I think voters are fed up.
The biggest problems facing our nation are Medicare and Social Security solvency and the deficit. Do you hear the candidates talking about those things?
Do you hear them giving us any idea how they will deal with those very urgent, pressing problems? No.
What you hear - in the most general of terms - is how they're going to take care of us, educate us, make our streets safe and give us tax cuts.
Take a look at your paycheck. Look how much goes into Social Security each pay period. Experts say if you are an average 40-year-old you can expect around 40 cents on the dollar to be returned to you after you retire in your "golden years." That's if the system remains just as it is today.
And the percent of return continues to go down as the years roll forward.
Everybody knows Medicare will go broke around 2002 unless reforms are enacted.
The deficit - although smaller (a paltry $162 billion this year) - starts going up again after 1997. The national debt is $4 trillion.
But Bob Dole and Bill Clinton don't talk about stuff like that. And I think voters are tired of hearing what they do talk about.
If my prediction of apathy comes true, we all lose.
The more people that go to the polls, the more valid the election.
Perhaps, if we were a little more careful in selecting our elected officials, we wouldn't have episodes like Watergate, Iran-Contra, Travelgate, Filegate and Indonesiagate.
So this is my plea. It's too late to register, but if you're registered, please vote.
Even if you can't stand national politics, there are a lot of good local people seeking office. There are races at the county level between Democrats and Republicans.
Show these people that you care about who represents you at the local level.
Voter turnout nationwide may be low this election, but let's not let that happen in Kosciusko County.
In Friday's Times-Union there was a list of polling places. Find yours. Go to it on Tuesday and vote. [[In-content Ad]]
Tuesday is election day and this is my annual plea for readers to vote.
I have a prediction. The big winner in this election will be voter apathy.
In light of the increased number of registered voters via motor voter legislation, the percentage of actual voters may reach historic lows.
I hope I'm wrong, but I really believe that will be the case.
This campaign has been more about style than substance. More about sound bites than ideas. I think voters are fed up.
The biggest problems facing our nation are Medicare and Social Security solvency and the deficit. Do you hear the candidates talking about those things?
Do you hear them giving us any idea how they will deal with those very urgent, pressing problems? No.
What you hear - in the most general of terms - is how they're going to take care of us, educate us, make our streets safe and give us tax cuts.
Take a look at your paycheck. Look how much goes into Social Security each pay period. Experts say if you are an average 40-year-old you can expect around 40 cents on the dollar to be returned to you after you retire in your "golden years." That's if the system remains just as it is today.
And the percent of return continues to go down as the years roll forward.
Everybody knows Medicare will go broke around 2002 unless reforms are enacted.
The deficit - although smaller (a paltry $162 billion this year) - starts going up again after 1997. The national debt is $4 trillion.
But Bob Dole and Bill Clinton don't talk about stuff like that. And I think voters are tired of hearing what they do talk about.
If my prediction of apathy comes true, we all lose.
The more people that go to the polls, the more valid the election.
Perhaps, if we were a little more careful in selecting our elected officials, we wouldn't have episodes like Watergate, Iran-Contra, Travelgate, Filegate and Indonesiagate.
So this is my plea. It's too late to register, but if you're registered, please vote.
Even if you can't stand national politics, there are a lot of good local people seeking office. There are races at the county level between Democrats and Republicans.
Show these people that you care about who represents you at the local level.
Voter turnout nationwide may be low this election, but let's not let that happen in Kosciusko County.
In Friday's Times-Union there was a list of polling places. Find yours. Go to it on Tuesday and vote. [[In-content Ad]]