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| Source: The Sierra Madre Tattler |
When I was a little kid my dad was home from work and in his recliner at 5:15 pm to read his newspaper. One day I got up the nerve to ask him why he always read the paper. I was expecting an answer more along the lines of, "So, I don't have to deal with four kids the minute I get home from work..." Which may have been partly true... but his answer surprised me.
My father put his newspaper down and stared me in the eye and said,
"I read the newspaper everyday because I believe in democracy, and democracy doesn't work if people aren't informed."
My dad was a very civic minded person. He always held offices in our church and in community organizations, as well as being an Army reservist. So a lecture on "civic duty" from him was not unfamiliar to me, but this statement in particular really stuck with me... maybe because it was so simple, yet so important.
By the time I was in high school I had convinced my parents to subscribe to the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal along with our local paper.
Dinners always involved heated discussions about topical issues. My siblings and I still debate which news sources are best for different information. My dad, who died when I was 18, would be proud of his kids. We all grew up to be well informed citizens.
To this day, I always put aside a half hour a day minimum, to read the New York Times... and as I run my errands during the day I listen to National Public Radio...
Well, knowing what is going on in the world is only step one of our civic duty my dad would tell you:
"You have to vote."
It was a little harsh, but my dad would tell us that our opinions were worthless if we didn't vote. They definitely were not making an impact in our community or our country by not voting.
This is a very important presidential election to participate in because both parties have very different visions of the future of American.
If you are still undecided read each party's platform:
Regularly follow a nonpartisan news source (so, no I don't recommend: MSNBC or Fox News)
The following are good nonpartisan sources for political news:
The following are good nonpartisan sources for political news:
40% of eligible voters in the US don't vote
don't be one of them!
