Election Day!

Today is election day here in the US of A. I personally think that politics in this country and our way of going about these kinds of things is supremely messed up, but that doesn't keep me from the polls. I'm always amazed that most of my friends who are disillusioned with the way things work in our government are the same people who never even bother to vote! The first step to change is being involved in the process of government and as cliche as it sounds, it really does start with one vote. Here in Maryland, we receive in the mail a sample ballot that features each position that's up for election and every candidate that is running. We also get to see the different propositions that we're asked to vote on and it even comes with a separate sheet that explains what each question means! Armed with this super informative paper it takes about fifteen minutes to research the different candidates, make a note of them and then just wait for voting day (which also takes maybe 20 minutes of your time tops)! I still can't believe that there are people out there who just can't be bothered to even take the time to vote.

With the advent of the internet it's easier than ever to get involved with issues that you feel strongly about even when it's not reelection time. Sending a simple email to your representatives whether in the federal or local government is simple, fast, and can be very effective. My father loves to email his representatives when he sees or hears something that is of concern to him to ask them about it and he does follow up with them when he doesn't receive a response. He always signs his full name, address, and phone number and has even gotten a call back concerning one of his emails from our senator! Now that's really something, all because my father took a little time to jot him an email.

I really don't care what issues a person feels strongly about or what side of politics they subscribe to, I really just want to encourage everyone I know who has the opportunity to get out there and exercise their civic duty to really care about the future enough to take a stand and say "I voted".

All seriousness aside, there will be some fun posts coming up, I promise! Plenty of different reviews and some shopping rundowns! Look forward to it everyone!