Votes are important and should not be bought. Instead, be an informed voter!

I can't wait to vote for a candidate--and I don't care what party he/she belongs to--I am looking for someone who needs to point out the complete insanity of spending hundreds of millions of dollars to get elected to public office. 

Money should not be the incentive for public service. Holding public office is not a get rich scheme, or at least it shouldn't be.

Why do people have so little faith in government? 

Look at the obscene amount of money that is spent every election season. Look at the number of millionaires that make up the U.S. Congress. Money in politics is almost cartoonish! At least it would be if it wasn't so tragic. And, it harms us all! The first priority for public officials should be getting money out of our political process. We need more than lip service. We need reform!

Since I claim to be a lifelong Democrat based on policies, substance, and philosophy, I can assure you that it is not because I enjoy the countless emails, phone calls, and advertisements asking for money I don't have. It is infuriating that candidates require any more from me than my voice or my vote.

In these difficult days when corporations pay zero in taxes, the middle class is disappearing, people beg in the streets, and children go hungry, it is obscene to allow so much money to be wasted to win favor of potential voters. Do we really want to select leadership by awarding it to the highest bidder? The process to elect leaders who represent us in this Republic needs to be fair. Citizens United needs to be abolished.

We all need to pay our fair share in taxes because taxes support government services that are used by all. Taxes should not be favors for friends, family, and campaign donors. 

Nor should religious institutions be exempt from taxes beyond its normal charitable functions. Religious institutions have proven they cannot be trusted to keep their beliefs out of policy-making. That is not what our founding fathers intended as they proposed a strong separation between church and state. Corruption occurs when blurring that line. If churches want to be a business rather than a charity, they too should pay taxes. Simply advancing religion should not be a reason for tax exemption.

Health care should not bankrupt people. Perhaps some of those campaign billions could be diverted toward making health care affordable for everyone. People are living longer because of the advancements in medicine. That is good, but when so many seniors have to choose over their pharmaceuticals or food on the table, there is a big problem. 

Health care decisions should not be made by insurance companies.

Cannabis, a naturally-grown herb which has proven to have health benefits and been used by humans for eons should not be illegal. 

Women need to make their own medical care decisions. The idea that politicians decide what is best for women and their families is unthinkable.

Voting is the ONLY option we the people have to turn things around. It will not happen in one, two, or three election cycles, but we voters must be diligent. We have to do better. We have to be informed. It isn't enough to follow the loudest voices, especially in today's climate where lies are treated as truth for the gullible and easily swayed. 

We the people must all do our homework, at the local, state, and federal level. It is vitally important. We are electing people that affect every aspect of our lives. We must read and judiciously study the candidates. We must watch how incumbent politicians vote on all issues. We need to educate ourselves. With 24-hour news and access to every speech, every debate, every aspect of a candidate's record, we must ensure that we know who we are rewarding with our precious vote. Voting is our link to the democratic system. And it is vitally important.

Democracy will only work when we the people participate. We can only participate if we are informed. Change will come, but it has to come from us. We are the foundation of our democracy. The elected officials merely represent us. These people are not elite, regal, or royal. They are PUBLIC SERVANTS.

We need to elect leaders who will truly represent the peoples' interests and not their own. Money should have little to do with it. 

Change begins now. We must all be a part of it.

Are you like me? sick of stupid email "jokes"

I have received one too many stupid emails. This morning, I decided I'd had enough. I responded to the sender and all the others who have forwarded it.

This particular email was supposed to be a partisan joke.

"When your friends can't explain why they voted for Democrats, give them this list. They can then pick a reason." It listed the top-10 reasons that frankly, were more annoying than funny.

The email was not only sent to me, a registered Democrat, but it was sent to many others whose names and email addresses were shown on the header.

This is a big no-no in my book. I don't want my name and/or email address to be a part of any list that includes the likes of Rush Limbaugh. In addition, listing multiple recipients in an email shows computer geeks like myself, that the sender is at the very least, an unsophisticated computer user who is not just technically-challenged but probably believes forwarding jokes is a major function of a computer. I personally have much better things to do with my computer.

It is presumptuous to assume that some of us have nothing better to do than to read jokes. Many of the recipients who received and forwarded this email originated from their place of business. So much for workplace productivity.

It is galling when someone who doesn't know me at all assumes they understand my sense of humor and political affiliation.

Sick of stupid jokes cluttering my inbox, I decided to respond to this one with the following:

If this email is intended to be funny, it isn't. It is offensive and typical of a political system out of control.

To answer the question—No, I vote for the candidate. If he is a Democrat, it is probably because I share the philosophy that all people should be treated equally. Some, who cannot fend for themselves should be cared for, especially in a country as rich as ours. That does not mean we should live in a welfare state or that we should encourage or tolerate lazy and undesireable behavior. Able-bodied people should work because work is good for the body, mind, and soul. Government should not run our lives. More government is not better. More laws are not better.

I often vote Democrat because I believe the democratic philosophy is more akin to how I believe. It seems that Republicans these days will stop at nothing, including sending stupid emails like this one, to denigrate those with whom they disagree. That does not mean I agree with someone just because he is a Democrat. Generally, I support people who are strive to do the job well, not the one who holds and abuses it.

I believe members of both parties take their "party" too seriously. I consider myself a Democrat, but have voted for Republicans and Independents. This year, I will likely vote for some Green candidates.

The only time that partisanship should matter is during a campaign when members of a party can band together for the purpose of simple unity. Once elected, an official should cease being partisan. In the context of his job as a member of a larger body, he should consider the larger picture. While he should represent his constituents, he must be mindful of those outside his jurisdiction and the consequences of his actions overall.

Current practices are all wrong. The goal should not be 'just to get re-elected.' Real compromise among those who share a different philosophy, but similar goals—good governance—should dictate behavior at all levels of government.

It is wrong to blindly bash members of another political party, blindly follow and parrot talk radio personalities, and/or self-made celebrities. I do not believe in public displays of religion. I believe in the science of evolution rather than in hocus-pocus creationism. I believe man has harmed the environment that sustains him. I do not believe I am better than anybody or that anybody is better than me. I believe things should be done because of inspiration, not greed. I could go on but by now you must get the picture...

      Please remove me from your email list. I disagree with you.