With the elections coming up in November we elders should play a major role in reestablishing democracy in the United States. If we are retired, we have a precious commodity—time. I know that I find my days filled to the brim, but when I compare my life to the younger generation, who are working 40+ hour work weeks, taking care of children, and trying to find some time for recreation, I have a lot of time. Of course, we don’t have the boundless energy of the younger generations, but there is much that we can do that doesn’t require a lot of energy output. For one thing, we can take the trouble to inform ourselves on the issues. An excellent source to start with is a blog called Time Goes By. Each Sunday, there are informative pieces collected from many blogs and most of these pieces have hot links to good sources of information.
Making sure that the elections in our home districts are fair and honest is another worthwhile activity. I would urge you to download the Toolkit 2008 from a group called BlackBoxVoting.org that gives five ways you can help protect the elections this year.
Needless to say, there are many ways that election results are falsified, including lack of paper documentation which makes recounts impossible, keeping citizens from voting, and allowing persons to vote who are not qualified voters. Who profits by these illegal practices? As a life-long Democrat I’d like to say “The Republicans,” but the truth is it is the dominant party in any jurisdiction that is the winner. We will remember the Democrat machine in Chicago that originated the line, “Vote early and vote often.” We know that people rose up from their graves to vote straight Democrat tickets in Chicago. In recent years, since the Republicans have been the dominant party in the US, it has been the Republicans who have been the worst offenders. If and when we Democrats take over we will have to watch for Democrat shenanigans.
Here are links to four organizations you can join to determine what you can do this November. Black Box Voting, Election Defense Alliance, Voters Unite, and Voter Action. Just click on the names to go to their sites. I strongly urge you to take on one or two tasks that fit your personality and energy and get out and help to make this election one we can be proud of.
Hi Gary, you piece is timely for me, and for unexpected reasons.
ReplyDeleteYou may of heard of Olive Riley who until her death recently at 108, was the world's oldest blogger (with a lot of help from me.)
Her blogging began with a documentary I made about her for Australian TV when she was 104 called, All About Olive (clip on youTube) or her blog site www.allaboutolive.com.au
Now, I'm hoping PBS might show the film and provoke discussion about people not only living much longer , but living fruitfully and influentially.
At the end of her life olive was getting interested in a huge wind farm to be built in Aust. near Broken Hill where she was born.
Anyway, if you have any curiosity about her, Time Goes By featured her often, do look her up and perhaps give your local PBS a call if you feel so inclined.
I do think the film advances th older activist cause quite well.
Cheers, Mike Rubbo, Olive's scribe.
You are so right. We elders have an obligation to do what we can to further democracy. Voting is the key and if it isn't monitored carefully the political parties will, indeed, resort to skulduggery. We have the power of the pen, even if we don't have the energy to physically do our part.
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