Last night Clay and I sat down to watch our third Presidential Debate of the 2008 Election Season. Partway through, I started making dinner, and I heard Clay turning on the PlayStation. I yelled from the kitchen, "Don't turn it off...I'm still listening!" and peeked around the corner to discover Clay had turned on picture-in-picture, with Obama and McCain on the big screen while he played PS3 in the small screen. "Don't you love this TV?" he replied. Apparently we both have short attention spans.
We're not up-to-date on the finer details of economic crises or in-the-know on the best approach to Pakistan or Iran, so it's hard to adjudicate their responses. What makes me sad is not that the debates are so boring for us to watch--it's that we're so ignorant about the topics they're discussing--which makes it boring. As voters, we know so very little about the economics involved in the Financial Bailout or the foreign policy needed with Russia or Pakistan. It honestly makes me question the reasoning for democracy, when I (a voter) am so uninformed about the complexity of governmental issues. I tend to vote based on what will benefit me the most, instead of pondering, as one questioning voter did last night, "what we might be compelled to sacrifice for the betterment of our country."
I'm confident that we need more than better leadership; we need better citizenship. So...I'm on a quest to be better informed about the issues of our government and our world so that the next time there's an election to be had, whether city, state, or federal, that I know more about the candidate that his/her party affiliation. Will you join me in this quest?
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Presidential Debate #2: The Need for Better Citizenship
Posted by hbu at 10:06 AM
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2 comments:
You are dealing with similar issues the Founding Fathers argued about, and why we have the system we have. Should only the elite be able to make decisions that effect the nation (i.e. those with money and education who can get elected to political office), or should the majority rule (those who might not have a handle on how economics work, or what's happening around the world) make those decisions? Great issue. We try and stay abreast of things, but even when you purposefully pursue information, it's not always easy to find it... and that's for those who aren't distracted by work, ministry, children, and/or the crises of the moment. All that to say that I agree with your assessment, and encourage you to pursue this information for those reasons. Now to find the information with as little bias as possible for one candidate or another.
i loved your wedding pics in your newsletter. you looked SO beautiful!
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