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LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!
By Patricia A. Stoneking

I want to encourage everyone to make their opinions known to their legislators on both the State and Federal Level.  It is important that they hear from their constituents and have an understanding of what is expected of them as they create the laws that govern our daily lives.  We need to pay careful and close attention to the actions that are being taken by our lawmakers and intervene when we disagree with those actions and commend them when we agree with them.  Thomas Jefferson said to Alexander Donald on February 7, 1788:  "Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights."

It is equally important to register to vote and to exercise that right at each election time.  President James Buchanan said, "The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among free men."  Statistics tell us that far too many people do not exercise their right to vote.  In the presidential election of November 2004, only 64 percent of voting-age citizens voted.  In the Presidential election of November 2000 only 60 percent voted.  These were the highest turnouts in a presidential election year since 1992, when 68 percent of voting-age citizens voted. Voting and registration rates historically have been higher in years with presidential elections than in congressional election years.¹  The next time you are in a room with 25 people, think about the fact that perhaps only 16 of them, or less, voted.  Encourage others to get registered and exercise their right to vote.   
 
This nation was founded upon the principal that our legislators are voted in to office to act as a representative of the people and to do the will of the citizens in their jurisdictions.  It is our responsibility to let those legislators know what our will is and what we expect them to do, to provide a safe and financially sound environment for us to live, work and carry on about our daily lives.  We need to hold the politicians accountable for their decisions and demand that they uphold the voice and will of the people.  President Theodore Roosevelt said, "The only man who makes no mistake is the man who does nothing.”  I say the man who does nothing has no right to complain.

The Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights were forged by Patriots who believed in freedom.  Our forefathers were wise in understanding the need for freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.  They understood the price of freedom and many sacrificed their lives to create a system whereby we could live in a free and flourishing society.  President Harry S. Truman said, "You can not stop the spread of an idea by passing a law against it.”, and President Andrew Johnson said, "Honest conviction is my courage; the Constitution is my guide."

If you think your vote or your opinion doesn’t count, THINK AGAIN. 
- In 1778, ONE VOTE gave America the English language instead of German. 
- In 1845, ONE VOTE brought Texas into the Union. 
- In 1878, ONE VOTE gave Rutherford B. Hayes the Presidency of the United States. 
- In 1941, ONE VOTE saved Selective Service just weeks before Pearl Harbor was attacked.

President Thomas Jefferson said, "One man with courage is a majority."  You can make a difference!  Let your voice be heard!

¹ Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004 Report, US Government Census