- By Dan Veaner
- Opinions
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He was wrong. Mr. Bush is all of our president, just as Mr. Clinton was before him and presidents of different parties were before them. And it's a good thing, too, because if Mr. Bush weren't the president of all of us my friend would likely be arrested and carted off for saying such a thing! Imagine saying that in China.
Of course our remarkable system allows us to say whatever we want, and to choose our leaders. And an amazing thing about our country is that if you didn't get your choice that person is obligated to lead and represent you anyway. AND you get a chance to vote for someone else four (or two or six) years later.
Most people who are going to vote do so when there is a presidential election, but may not vote in the "off" elections. I think that is a mistake. If you don't like your tax bill how can you complain if you didn't take a few minutes to put someone on the County Board or the School Board or the Town Board who will influence those taxes in a way that is acceptable to you. You can't complain when a judge makes you pay a traffic ticket if you didn't go to the polls when he or she was up for election. It's hard to take you seriously if you don't like a budget that you didn't vote for or against.
And it's so easy to vote in Lansing. You go to a fire station that is near you, sign in, visit with your neighbors, flip a few levers and you're done. Unless, of course, you are staying for dinner!
The conventional wisdom is that Lansing used to be a bastion of Republicans, but now is split about 50/50 between Republicans and Democrats. That means that our neighbors may have a fundamentally different way of approaching life than we do. All the more reason to vote. It is a method of civilized discourse where diverse points of view come together to produce a result. In a country built on diversity what could be more fitting? Freedom is a privilege that really must be earned. Participating in the process is a way of earning it.
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