Musings on elections, political overloading

Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to another Cecil’s World in Print. Can you believe in less than four weeks we will be returning to the polls to vote for a new president? That’s right, on Nov. 4, we have the privilege of voting for the man who will lead this country for the next four years.

I know a lot of you, just like me, are fed up with politics. Every time you turn the television on, pick up a newspaper or listen to the radio, it is about the presidential candidates or their running mates. How much of it can you take? Do you believe everything you hear? You really have to pay attention to all of the news to get the entire story. One news outlet may report a portion of something and then another one will report another part of that same story, making it sound a little different and giving you a different understanding of the issues.

There are so many issues facing our country, it is hard to determine which ones should be at the top of the list, like bailing out banking institutions that are going under because of poor management of funds. Should we drill for oil in the United States so we will not have to depend on foreign oil? The housing market is in the worst shape since the Great Depression, with millions of people losing their homes to foreclosures. People retiring want to know if the country is going broke and what will happen to their Social Security. These are just a few issues everybody, including me, is concerned about. Now we have to decide between two men as to who can do the most to help with all of our problems. They’re not issues to take lightly. Just don’t vote for someone because a friend tells you to. Start watching, reading and listening to everything you can about each candidate and then make up your own mind.

When NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt died in February 2001, a survey indicated more people in the world and United States knew who he was than the president of the United States, George Bush. This concerns me a little bit. Does that mean we care more about NASCAR racing than we do about the future of our country? Don’t get me wrong, I thought Dale Earnhardt was one of the greatest race car drivers of all time, but it is sad when more people know his name rather than who the president of the United States is.

Some people feel voting is a privilege; I feel it is our patriotic duty. We live in a free country that allows us to vote while some people living in Communist-controlled countries never have the opportunity to vote. After an election, I am sure you hear some of your friends or family say, “I did not have time to vote, I was just too busy.” Give me a break. You can always vote on an absentee ballot any time before an election. It is so simple. Just call or go by your voter registration office and get a ballot. In my opinion, if you do not vote, keep your mouth shut about the candidate who wins. Never assume your vote does not count. In June’s mayoral primary race in Florence, one vote made a difference. That’s right, one vote. So never assume your vote does not count. I am sure you know the old saying about when you assume something.

That’s it for another Cecil’s World in Print. I’ll see you next week, right here in the Morning News and on the tube.

— Cecil Chandler is a veteran reporter at WBTW News13. His column appears Mondays in the Morning News.