Who Gets to Complain?

In recent years, the political landscape has become increasingly polarized.  People on the right demonize elected officials who are Democrats and those on the left do the same for Republicans who hold office.  Since Valentine's Day, events in Wisconsin have put us on the center stage of these political wars.  Mass demonstrations, campaigns to recall public officials, and another bitter and partisan campaign for a seat on Wisconsin's Supreme Court all provide prime examples.

While I have strong thoughts on who is right and who is wrong in many of these battles, what is significant about my opinion (as opposed to those of many others) is that my opinion counts.  The initial reaction when reading this might be - how arrogant.  But my opinion is not more important because I publicize my opinions on a blog.  Nor is it more important because I claim to pay attention to the issues and may be better informed.  No, my opinion counts BECAUSE I VOTE.

The most important message to take from the current political unrest in Wisconsin is that elections have consequences.  We are where we are because elections were decided by those who cared enough to participate.  That is true whether one is talking about electing Scott Walker instead of Tom Barrett, or the individuals elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate instead of candidates from the opposing parties, or the election of Justice Michael Gableman instead of Lous Butler.

If you have an opinion about the political fights taking place all around you, get out and do something about it by VOTING.  If you don't care enough about the issues to vote, don't be surprised if the people who get elected are those whose positions you may disagree with.  If you are not willing to vote, you might as well shut up.  Because unless you vote, your opinion is worth nothing.

While I will be happy to see people I support win elections on April 5th, I will be watching to see how the percent of people eligible to vote who actually cast ballots compares with past elections.  Historically, the turn out for an April election is abysmal.  If it creeps above 50% this time around (and the percent of people who continue to vote in future elections also increases substantially) because people have learned a lesson about sitting out elections, perhaps the pain we have endured will have been worth it in the long run.  We'll see.  Given past experience, my expectations are low.