July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Election season upon us (1/20/04)
Opinion
If this were a schoolroom, it would be time to rap the chalk against the blackboard three times, hard.
Like it or not, ready or not, the American presidential election system has kicked into gear, and it's time for good citizens to push aside the mental junk of reality TV and focus for a bit on reality itself. The kind of reality that will shape the future of this nation and the world.
Monday, Democrats in Iowa got together in an odd, cumbersome, and probably distorted system to say who they'd like to be the nominee facing George W. Bush next November.
Not long from now, primary voters in New Hampshire will be face with the same question.
An imperfect process is under way, which — flawed though it may be — is still the best alternative available.
Winston Churchill famously once said that democracy was the worst form of government...except for all the others.
This presidential election year is our very real and very concrete reminder of the truth in Churchill's words.
It's a crazy, flawed, sometimes goofy system. But it's better than anything else which has been devised.
There is, however, one way to improve the system without changing it.
That's by doing our work as voters, by learning about the candidates, by replacing our cynicism with healthy skepticism, and by simply doing our homework.
What do the candidates stand for? What would their policies mean for America? How would we better off voting for one candidate over another?
You tell us.
The answers to those questions belong to you, no matter how many times the news media jog you or challenges you. When we do that, we're doing our job.
When you weigh the choices, you're doing your job.
It's time to get to work, time to citizen-up.
It's also a chance to participate in the best thing going. Go to it. — J.R.
[[In-content Ad]]
Like it or not, ready or not, the American presidential election system has kicked into gear, and it's time for good citizens to push aside the mental junk of reality TV and focus for a bit on reality itself. The kind of reality that will shape the future of this nation and the world.
Monday, Democrats in Iowa got together in an odd, cumbersome, and probably distorted system to say who they'd like to be the nominee facing George W. Bush next November.
Not long from now, primary voters in New Hampshire will be face with the same question.
An imperfect process is under way, which — flawed though it may be — is still the best alternative available.
Winston Churchill famously once said that democracy was the worst form of government...except for all the others.
This presidential election year is our very real and very concrete reminder of the truth in Churchill's words.
It's a crazy, flawed, sometimes goofy system. But it's better than anything else which has been devised.
There is, however, one way to improve the system without changing it.
That's by doing our work as voters, by learning about the candidates, by replacing our cynicism with healthy skepticism, and by simply doing our homework.
What do the candidates stand for? What would their policies mean for America? How would we better off voting for one candidate over another?
You tell us.
The answers to those questions belong to you, no matter how many times the news media jog you or challenges you. When we do that, we're doing our job.
When you weigh the choices, you're doing your job.
It's time to get to work, time to citizen-up.
It's also a chance to participate in the best thing going. Go to it. — J.R.
[[In-content Ad]]
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD