Educate Yourself

I just spent the last 3 + hours researching the issues that will appear on the Colorado ballot in November. Since Election Day always falls on or near my birthday, I decided to give myself the gift of being informed about our propositions and amendments so I could cast my vote intelligently. What I felt, up until about 10 minutes ago, was that I was actually getting dumber with each webpage or blog I read.

The Colorado Blue Book (state ballot information booklet mailed to all registered voters) actually did a decent job of stating the facts and giving a fairly unbiased "for" and "against" argument. But that, in my mind, was part of the confusion. As in the rest of life, political facts alone don't necessarily tell the whole story; and almost anything can sound really good or terribly bad, depending on the "facts" presented or withheld. Not to mention the tone used or endorsers featured.

So I read my little Blue Book and noted how I planned to vote. Then I went online and started researching to confirm those plans. A lot of what I found was highly charged opinions based on emotion that while understandable (in some cases), weren't based on sound reasoning. And while I do tend to feel and thus emote deeply, I think that decisions impacting the future of our country, our lives, and our children should be based on something more solid. By all means, feel strongly, yes! But do some research and back your position up with facts that support what you feel and believe. Because I found that (shocking) the media likes to play on our emotions with highly charged headlines that don't really tell the whole story.

Every election has its hot topics. This year Colorado's is a group of two state amendments and one proposition regarding taxes, fees, and government spending. My request to each of you is do a little digging and find out what the issues actually are. What does "reduce taxes" really mean to you and your community? One of the gifts of living in this country is that you get to voice your opinion. Another is the right and freedom to obtain vast information and research. Practice both wisely.

I finally came to a conclusion about how I'm going to vote in November. Ironically, after all my research, I ended up sticking with what I had previously decided. However, I now feel like I know why I'm voting the way I'm going to, and could explain that to someone. And thus ends my soapbox spiel. I don't do that too much (anymore:), but it's my blog so I guess I'm allowed every once in a while.