Home of Today's Common Sense

Published in the Brownsville Herald 5/14/2003
I was very disappointed to read the results of the recent elections; Not because of the results but the fact that so few of us voted. What this means is that, if you accept that there are 70,000 potential voters, a very elite group of 4.6-5 % of the community have decided what the future of our schools will be. How the taxes will be spent, who will be hired, how much they will make, the size of the class size etc. It must be concluded that those who did not vote, did in fact vote for the front runners by their absence. So they have no complaints coming.
In the city races there is at least some consolation, in that there is a run off. If you look at the numbers though, the elite 8% of the community, described above, have now determined who you can vote for.

Political campaigns in all the parties find fault with some social group or other and assert that “the rich”, “corporate America”, certain national groups, “the right wing conspiracy”, “the tri-lateral commission”, “the extreme left”, “the religious right” are in control of our life.
If they are; we voted for it with our absence at the polls.
If we are unhappy with the war, the economy, what social programs are supported or not supported, we must take responsibility for it ourselves – we voted for them by not going to the polls. So we let the “elite” tell us what to do.
The Herald reported that as many as 35% of the electorate was expected. That is dismal. Pretty soon all it will take is for the candidate to vote for himself.
In order to change this we must go to political rallies, participate in the selection of the party candidate and then attend public meetings to let the representatives you voted for know if they don’t do what is right they will not be there next election.
Right now vote in the run-off!!