Oct. 2, 2014Daily Digest – Reprinted with permission © Patriot Post
Headed to the polls
(excerpt)
Perhaps instead of claiming voting is too restricted and difficult, the nation should be more concerned that voting is entirely too easy. David Harsanyi, Senior Editor at The Federalist, argues, “Most Americans don’t really care about contemporary political issues or the rudimentary workings of their government. But they sure do love voting. And the biggest fans of ‘democracy’ treat this orgy of vacuous lever-pulling as if it were sacred or patriotic.”
According to a recent study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, only 36% of Americans can name the three branches of government, and 35% cannot name even one. No wonder the Left wants to make sure the polls are open weeks in advance – so ignorant voters can vote to populate branches they can’t even identify.
Samuel Adams once wrote, “Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual – or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.”
Voting is not simply a right in our Republic; it is a civic duty that each American should exercise as a sacred charge. That includes knowing enough to form a rational opinion about the subjects and candidates on which voters cast ballots. In this week during which Ohioans are now “deprived” of voting, perhaps they – and the rest of the nation – should focus on learning the basic civics of our nation, and take time to understand exactly how solemn a duty voting is.
