The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

OK, most of the time I would veer away from politics here in my column, but I think, (No, I know) that this election coming in November is important. There are a lot of offices and issues on the ballot and the voice of the people needs to be heard loud and clear.

I also know that some of you out there can be overwhelmed by the varying information out there and even sometimes discouraged because you don’t like any of the candidates, which inevitably causes you not to vote at all. I don’t know if the information I put here will help you or discourage you more, but it is our responsibility as citizens, or some may say our right as Americans, to get to the polls and vote. I think it is a part of our freedom as Americans to vote on every issue and make our voices known to people that may otherwise not notice.

So first off we have a responsibility. We must do a little work, a little investigation into every candidate regardless of political preferences. That sounds a little daunting, but we must make sure the candidate has the same values as we do. We must look at their voting records and see what issues they supported and/or voted against.

One of the things that always disturbs me is when someone says, “I always vote Republican” or “Democrat.” That always irks me a bit because that means we take no responsibility in the actual process. We just vote because that’s the way our parents did, or a teacher said this person is better. But we are in an age where we must vote on each race, putting the donkey and the elephant aside and look into the eyes of each candidate and make them earn our individual vote. Yes there is some work involved but don’t be afraid. Searches on the internet can get you most of the information you seek, just be leery of where the info comes from because there are some opponent supported sites out there just to confuse you more.

There are some big issues out there too on the ballot. So make sure you take a look at them too. Some of them will have drastic effects on a lot of things if voted into law. The bottom line is we must research these items heavily to make sure we are doing the right things as Americans.

The one subject I will bring up here and show you my hand on, is initiative 591. Put some time into this issue folks. There is some stuff written into this law that is downright scary if you happen to be a gun rights supporter. It seems to me that this law will only hurt or make it extremely difficult for the law abiding citizen to purchase or gift a firearm. We all know that if a bad guy wants a gun, they are going to get a gun. Law breakers are still law breakers, and making more laws on this topic is only hurting the average Joe or Jill. Also, remember we are not a communist state; we are free, God-fearing Americans. That is what our country is based on. And the one reason terrorists and hateful countries have not tried to invade us is because they know that our military is not all they’d have to contend with. There is the gun toting American who will fight, not only to defend his property but his neighbor’s and his country.

So vote. Get out there and make your voice heard. If you’re not happy with the ways things are going, get out there and do the one thing you can do to make a difference. If you’re happy with the way things are, (jeesh, I hope not) then you still need to vote to keep things the way you like them. So let’s not waste this opportunity, let’s make a difference. We are all Americans. It is our right and responsibility to vote. Veterans have shed blood so we can have this opportunity. We need to take advantage of our freedom. Vote.