Driving Blind...
Nascar, SUVs, and a reason to pay attention to the road...

I was having a political debate with one of my "not interested in politics" friends over the weekend. She had just got done telling me that she does not like to watch Jon Stewart or any of the other political talk shows because it made her depressed. "All they talk about are problems with the world. I just get depressed, so I change the channel to something that will make me laugh, or take my mind off of things…like baseball, or NASCAR."

"Why should I care? There is nothing I can do about it anyway," she groaned.

I sat there for a minute and tried to figure out a way to get through to her, knowing that she was like the majority of people in the United States. In the greatest nation and best example of a Democratic Republic on the earth, I continue to be appalled at the lack of interest in politics that the average American shows. Even this year, during one of the most hotly contested presidential races in recent history, voter turnout is still being projected to reach far less than ½ of those who are eligible to vote.

So I finally looked at her and said, "Look over there. See your big, shiny, new $50,000 SUV?"

"Yes," she replied.

"After spending so much to get the car of your dreams," I continued, "would you ever consider driving it for the next 100,000 miles without looking at the gauges?"

"No…of course not," she said, more than a little aggravated. "I have to add gas, and get the oil changed, and if the 'Service Engine Light' goes on, I have to take it in and get it repaired."

"O.K., so what you are saying is that you took the time to learn enough about your investment to know that it took some attention, care and maintenance to keep it running smoothly and not leave you stranded all alone, or even blowing your engine and costing you tons of money to fix?" I queried.

"Well, I know enough if I don't pay attention and know enough to bring in experts to fix something that is broken, it can be catastrophic. What are you getting at?" she asked.

I went on to tell her that in my opinion, not paying attention to politics and the political process is just the same as driving an expensive car without looking at the gauges. There is almost nothing else in the world that can affect your life more than government, and to just go blindly forward without understanding the process, or to not be part of that process in order to help make adjustments when things go wrong is naïve at best and dangerously stupid at worst.

Even worse, is letting someone else drive our "Vehicle of Democracy" that has proven to have poor judgment and terrible driving skills. Handing your keys over to a person with a history of drunk driving, and then sitting in the back seat with your head buried because you don't like the way he is driving, but confronting him makes you "feel bad," is nothing short of suicidal.

"Think of it this way," I said. "Would you rather take the time now to learn about this vehicle and make some choices in the way it is being driven, or would you rather just take your chances, knowing that the consequences could mean destruction of your investment or personal injury, simply because you were too lazy to take the time to do something about it?"

Cars, Birth Control, Home Repairs, and countless other analogies come to mind that work along the same lines as Politics. If you don't take the time to learn something about the topic, and take preventative measures to keep things in working order, catastrophe is bound to ensue.

Learn about the issues. Vote. Write your congressional representatives. Vote. Find out how the issues will shape your future and the lives of your children. VOTE!

Ours is the greatest political system in the world. Voting is your best chance to make a difference in the outcome. Take control.

Or…you can just hand your keys over to a convicted drunk driver and suffer the consequences.