The red, white and blue; what does that really mean? Election Day has come and in view of all matters at hand, it appears that our country is at a crossroad. Do we become the better than every other country that we know that we as a body are or do we become the status quo country that everyone expects us to be. Some may say that’s one in the same but it truly isn’t. Many will say that we are voting our values or our conscience but what many do not stop to think about is you are actually voting your generation or your lifetime. First of all, no president, can fix do what he says in four years when you have congressman who have unlimited term limits who most likely will “sit out” their term on voting on policy if they don’t like the boss, such as the do nothing congress did when either party was in control. From my vantage point at least the democrat’s enacted policy, whether you agree or not, some which may help and some which may hurt. The republicans seem to think waiting on the sidelines until they get their way works until a natural disaster comes along which reminds them that God is truly in control. They seem to botch those pretty much because they seem to think these things will never occur so they are never prepared except for Chris Christie who seems to be a moderate republican with conservative values but that’s not allowed anymore( because that’s really an independent). Our country was built on opinion, values and disagreement but most of all what bound us was compromise. From neighbors, to schools, to work, to living, to faith we all have opinions, values, disagreements and compromise. Who we are as a people has never changed but times have changed. Our climate has changed. How we live has changed. What we must do has changed. As the world evolves, so should we. We have moral obligations to humanity to be caretakers of each other and find common ground and yet we are at a crossroad where we might actually elect someone by silencing others. If Obama wins, the right will claim the game was rigged and cry “Chicago Politics”, if Romney wins, everyone else will point out the states push for voter ID laws, countless acts of ballots being tossed and the “race card”. But in reality when is America going to win. We lose when we condone sore losers crying over spilled milk. The true sign of leadership is when you can accept defeat as a gain to learn from your mistakes and not as an opportunity to show your fear. When we go back to being the fearless country that helped each other, loved our neighbors, supported our communities, raised our children, built our schools, worshiped in our churches and supported our city then perhaps we could move the needle forward for the next generation. We are the gatekeepers of our future and we hold the keys and yet we use our vote to think that when we let someone else drive the car, they will drive better than the people that know the directions. We the people need to remain the pulse of those who are selected to lead us and when we let them determine our fate we are simply letting down our generation by propping one candidate up as if they are the solution when the problems are older than most of us. Manufacturing has been sinking since the late 80’s. Infrastructure has been deteriorating for 30 years now. Education has been at least a decade old problem. China has been pilfering us since the first Bush took office. The economy hasn’t been our friend since the Clinton years. These are old problems with new “spin cycles” called elections. Wake UP and smell what these parties are cooking. Vote for people and hold them accountable within reason meaning the president can’t save your school or your job but your state senator or house rep can. The president can’t fix your bridges or feed your homeless but your governor and your churches can. The president can’t educate your children or prepare them for life but your parents, your neighbors, your teachers, your educators and your professors can. The ecosystem is bigger than one man or philosophy and why we run to a color as if we’re a gang or a mob, we run from helping a fellow brother or sister because it’s either not relevant or politically correct. Our moral compass is being challenged by this election because at the end of the day the only thing any president can do is move the needle slightly but WE THE PEOPLE have the collective ability to move the mountain if we simply vote our will, respect our leaders, hold them accountable and compromise within our own communities on how to build lives instead of destroying until 4 years later when we are at it again. WAKE UP, Get to know your neighbors, love others as you would want you or your family members loved and work to make a difference in one person’s life and then you will see change.
