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Everyone Should Vote

http://66.225.205.104/CM20081015.mp3

I have a dream that on Tuesday, November the 4th everyone, I mean everyone will cast their vote. Ever since I cast my first vote by absentee ballot in 1972, I have been amazed at the number of people who have never cast a vote for President. Some have admitted to such a failure with embarrassment. Others have boasted of their so-called achievement. Still, others have looked at me with disdain and have wondered why I have taken my right to vote so seriously. Why would an American citizen not vote? In a world where voting is by no means a universal right, I have been intrigued and annoyed by the excuses I have heard for not voting. Often, the excuse has been that neither candidate is acceptable. But that is somewhat like the young child who refuses to eat dinner because nothing on the plate appeals to him or her. I used to pull that stunt with my parents. With crossed arms I would pout that I didn't want meatloaf and carrots, and I wasn't going to lift my fork until I got what I wanted. In the end, the only person who suffered from my protest was me. With little ceremony, mother divided my plate between my sister and father, and I went to bed hungry. In short order, I soon learned that it is better to eat what is placed on one's plate and feel like a part of the family than to protest the menu. My hope, my dream is that this Presidential election, all Americans will vote because we are America. This election is like no other. Never before have we had the kind of candidates on the ballot like we do this election. This time we vote because together, as one nation, everyone must have a say in America's future. To sit out this election is to suggest that this nation's future is not your future and that the years ahead somehow don't matter to you. On November the 4th, everyone needs to vote because America is our nation, and it is our future, and the right to vote has been secured for all of us. Our rule of government is no longer just for some. Not all dreams come true, but I am hoping against hope that on November 4th everyone will vote. Regardless of which candidate you vote for, the patriotic spirit is to cast your vote and to take ownership of our nation's future. To be a patriot doesn't so much mean getting your own way as much as it means casting a vote that tells the world though we are many we are one nation. That nation is all about your vote and my vote.