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Category: Government & Politics / Topics: Government Politics Voting & Elections

Voting 2016

by Dan Seagren

Posted: November 6, 2016

Taking our duty seriously…

Voting is not mandatory nor in a democracy should it be. Therefore, it is relatively easy to bypass, vote blindly, to manipulate an election in various ways and on occasion to elect with perfection.

Now having said this, this year the national election is strategic. The two major parties are poles apart, finding it difficult to agree even on essentials. The major candidates are not youngsters and history has revealed some unusual occurrences in Presidential situations. As a retired, ordained clergyman, our demeanor over partisanship varies considerably whether in private or on location. Therefore, I am not telling you how to vote, but rather to probe into some implications which may not be commonplace.

First of all, we should attempt to see if there are any trends that suggest where the U.S. may be heading and if they should be continued. This may include excessive debt plus unreasonable spending; circumvention of the Constitution and Congress; manipulation of voting eligibility and more. Are trends of the all-important family with double incomes, reduced time and energy for the next generation, swollen divorce rates, cohabitation and same-sex unions heading in the right direction? Voters ought to consider these kinds of trends and more.

Then, if this is happening, is it healthy or not? Voters must decide not as much about which candidate is elected as which party will attempt to modify and change any questionable current trends of a nation. Voting for personal reasons is not always the same as voting for the national health of a country.

A note was given to me about a country with a State Church that fairly recently was disengaged from governmental jurisdiction. A teacher at one of its State Universities commented on the leadership of the existing but now independent Church that they wanted to lead a general ethical association for humanistic values . . . (printed in one of their newspapers).

Could this also be an ultimate goal of another trend in the direction a democracy may be pursuing judging by departures from the principles that originally established the guidelines of a nation? If so, should this affect voters today? It's a very difficult time for voters this year, isn't it? It may involve of the people, by the people, for the people more than we think. It could hasten indebtedness to the point of no return. It might discourage some freedoms. Believe it or not, this could be one of the most important elections in the history of democracy which has a history of surviving for only three or four centuries. Be sure to vote wisely!



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Dan Seagren is an active retiree whose writings reflect his life as a Pastor, author of several books, and service as a Chaplain in a Covenant Retirement Community.

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Posted: November 6, 2016   Accessed 196 times

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