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09.10.2002
no vote = no bitching

Okay, today is election day.  Although it is only a primary election, you have the right to vote.   You have that right by being over 18 and a citizen of the United States.  What was this country founded on?  The participation by the people to have their say in government.  We broke away from a monarchy in England so that we all could have a say.  So get out and vote.

Now, if you don't vote, you DO NOT have the right to bitch about the results.  Well, the constitution gives you the right to bitch about anything, but if you don't take the time to vote and have a say, you shouldn't have the right to bitch.  If you don't take the time to vote, why should you be able to complain about the results and the person who is in the office.  You didn't exercise the most vital part of our society.  I don't care if you go and write in Bugs Bunny or Burt Reynolds or John Stewart.  You voted.  You put down the name of the person whom you wanted to see in that office.  Now you have the right to complain.  I can't force you to vote, but I can ask you if you have when you start complaining about the people who are in the office. 

Back in January, Milwaukee County had a pension scandal problem.  The elected officials set up a pension program so that they, when they retired, would get about a million dollars from a pension fund.  There was a recall election because people who didn't vote in the first place didn't like what the people in the office did and so they tried to recall them.  Now the thing that I find funny is that to recall someone, you needed to have 12,000 signatures.  When the recall election took place, less than 6,000 people voted.  I don't want to hear any bitching when the people who signed the recall petition but didn't vote don't like the people who are now in the office.

The polls are open from 8am to 8pm, if not longer.  I went and voted and it took me a whole 10 minutes to sign-in, vote, process my ballot and get the sticker that is above. 

I voted, I had a say, so now go out and do the same.  If the person that I didn't vote for gets elected, well, I tried my best...and NOW I can bitch if I don't like the person who is in office.  Why?  Because I had a say in who was elected.