Why you need to vote

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands..." This country, that we are lucky enough to live in, is a republic. A republic is a form of government in which power is vested in the people by allowing them to elect representatives.

Those representatives control our lives. They try to maintain the freedoms accorded to us by the Constitution. They decide and control laws that can determine how we live our lives on a daily basis. The laws are made to protect all people. As long as we stay within the boundaries of the laws we are free to do as we please. We, the people, get to decide who those representatives are by voting.

The population of Brazil, Indiana, is about 8,175. According to the Election Office at the Clay County Court House in last year's midterm primary election there were 5,413 registered voters in Brazil. Of those potential voters only 437 voted. That was 8.07 percent.

The 437 people were allowed to pick politicians who control our lives in Brazil because most of the population chose not to vote. Voting is one of our greatest freedoms. Wars have been fought and many lives lost for this freedom. Yet the vast majority of the population refuses to vote.

The most frequent reason I've heard is that, "all politicians are liars, crooks and cheats so what makes the difference?"

The difference is this. When you vote you are not voting for just a person. You are voting for a system, a Republic. America is not perfect. But this system gives Americans more freedoms than any other country on earth. In America people are allowed to say, "All politicians are liars, crooks and cheats," and they don't have to be afraid that their words will cause them to be jailed or killed.

If everyone refused to vote our system would crumble and in a very short time America would probably be ruled by a dictator. Please think about this. If you're not registered to vote, get registered. If you are registered please vote at the upcoming presidential primary on Tuesday, May 3. If you need information on where and how to get registered or where the voting centers are, call the Election Office in the Clay County Court House at 812-448-9023.