It's up to You

   It's that time again, time to go to the polls and cast our votes. I'm always glad when it's all over. I get tired of all the political tirades, the character assassinations, having to decipher what's real and what's bullshit. Democratic this, republican that, blah, blah, blah. 
   Here's how I see it, you don't get to a high enough position in politics to run for president without knowing how to play the game. You don't get to a position like that without bending some rules, without compromising your ethics and morals somewhere along the way. You won't convince me differently on this, I just don't believe otherwise. Republican, Democrat, Christian, Mormon, man, woman, black or white, I don't care, to get to that position, you know the ropes. You can take any person on this earth, and find something to criticize them over. And most people you could do more than criticize. I don't care what the other guy did wrong, I want to know what you as a candidate are going to do right. I want to know how you as The President intend to lead this country.
   The only way to get this information is to research it for yourself. Investigate the candidates one by one and really try to find out who will represent what you believe the best. No one candidate is going to stand for everything you do, you will find something you don't like about everyone. So you have to go beyond the candidate and look at the rest of the team that is running with them and see where they stand. It is not easy to make an educated decision, it takes time, and effort, but in the end it is worth it to know who you are voting for.
   I get my information from a lot of different sources, the news, conversations with people I know and respect, I subscribe to a number of political feeds, I follow and interact with all the candidates and as many of their running mates as I can find on the social networks I use. I follow the Whitehouse, the U.S. Congress and Senate. There is information everywhere, you just have to look. Don't rely on one source, take in as much as you can, then you can make a good decision.
   Once I've made my decision, I don't preach that decision to anyone. Who I vote for is my business, and I really don't care who you vote for... What I do care about is how you vote, and that you do vote. Don't vote for one guy because you don't like another. Don't discount someone and vote for another because you don't think the candidate you really want can win... They won't if you don't vote for them...
   We the People hold the power to make a difference in the world we live in. We hold the power to make our government accountable to us. Our elected government officials are in place to represent us, the people...Not to control us. It is up to us as citizens of this country to hold them acountable, and to hold ourselves accountable.
   It is up to you. It's up to you to educate yourself. It's up to you to get interactive with the world around you. It's up to you to vote. It's up to you to do your part. It's up to you...