Government affects all of our lives in profound ways. What issues have inspired you to vote? Why do you think so many citizens are cynical about elections? What kinds of actions can you take when your candidates do not deliver on their campaign promises?

Susan Griffin tells of the personal and powerful force of women's votes in her featured story, Why Vote?, in the Women, Power and Politics online exhibition.

I believe many women and men feel helpless to actually make changes in their local / state / federal government. However, by fearing what we do not understand and refusing to invest the time needed to educate ourselves on our candidates and their stand on issues we allow the problem to grow.

Is now the time to begin teaching our children - YES - you can make a difference and here are the steps to accomplish and succeed in personal, business and political arena. What you are doing here at IMOW is forcing us to get our heads out of the sand and examine who|what|where|when in regards to global issues. Thank you for being PART OF THE SOLUTION!

I'm extremely engaged in my country's democracy through activism, political passion, questioning... everything the writers of the Constitution would be proud of.

But I have a dilemma about voting. I'm very critical of the voting system in the U.S. Casting a vote not only means participating in democracy, it also means legitimizing the system. Each ballot I cast is a symbolic affirmation of an undemocratic two-party system, outdated electoral politics, questionable redistricting systems and disturbing campaign finance laws.

What if everyone stopped voting? Would this send a message to leaders that we didn't agree with the way things are set up? Or would they write us all off as apathetic? Maybe the reason that only half the U.S. population doesn't vote is not because they're lazy, but in fact because they're fed up with our political system and their own inability to make change through a vote.

I face that same dilemma, Renée. I think many of us do, and I agree that can explain, in part, the reason for so-called apathy. Linda Averill points out in a recent article that a majority of the 100 million nonvoters in the U.S. are economically disenfranchised. She goes on to show that only 48 percent of the bottom income bracket go to the polls as compared to 77 percent of those who make $50,000 or more annually. Add to that the fact that 75 percent of actual voters polled believed that a candidate will say almost anything to get elected, and it really does make one wonder if it is a system worth legitimizing with a vote.

I think voting for a candidate must be according to their ability and accomplishments not through their fame.



regards,
kathleen
http://simulationpretimmobilier.net/simulation-pret-immobilier/simulation-pret