Exercising Your Rights

As I write this, thousands of protesters continue to assemble at the State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. They are making their voice heard in response to the new Governors attempt to not only strip public employees of their benefits, but of their right to collective bargaining itself. While I could go on about how these rights have shaped our modern world, and how those who would quickly dismiss unions as unnecessary today would do well to remember that we owe the fact that most people work an 8 hour day, overtime, health benefits, and vacation time are all a result of strong unions advocating for such things to promote a healthy and stable work force. These benefits are offered to non union employees today because unions helped make them the norm. But there is a major political shift in the right wing that is seeking to strip those away, to place more profits in the hands of CEO's and leading us back to the dark ages of the late 19th and early 20th century. But I'm not going to write about that.

Instead, I want to talk about exercising your rights. I'm glad the the protesters are making their voice heard and exercising their 1st Amendment right to peacefully assemble and petition their government for the redress of grievances. This is an important right but in the end will only be symbolic. Eventually the legislature will more than likely enact these measures. A year from now they all may have to face the consequences of that as Wisconsinites will more than likely lead a recall effort against the Governor and said legislators. But that is a year from now.

All of the protesters only a few month's ago, had an opportunity to prevent this from happening. I think it would be fair to say that many of them and many who are not protesting but support them, did not vote. Voter turnout on average in the last election that put these new hard right Republicans into office, was estimated to be at just a little over 40 percent. Really? In the worlds supposedly greatest democracy, only 40 percent bothered to vote. Voting is the greatest right and responsibility that many could have. Yet sadly many Democrats and independents, stayed home last November, for many reasons. Some were mad that they didn't get everything they wanted from the last election (perhaps justifiably so), while others didn't like either candidate, or some take the negative attitude, that they are all crooks so they don't deserve my vote.

What has resulted in Wisconsin and in other states as well is the non-voters are seeing the chickens coming home to roost. Failure to engage in the democratic process, means that you get the leaders you get even if they are not qualified, because that is who was voted in. Now we are seeing what kind of leaders that they are and it is scary. I hate to say I told ya so but...

Suffice it to say voting matters. Staying informed matters, and engaging your leaders matters. Everyone in this next election cycle needs to lay down their apathy, or even their single issues, and look toward the betterment of the whole. Otherwise, we get the kind of leaders and government that we get.