Did You Vote?

I am a huge proponent of exercising one's rights. The variety of the rights granted unto us are there to be embraced. We all have the option to exercise the rights that we chose to use. While there are rights I fervently support, sometimes I do not exercise one of my rights. Sometimes there is little motivation and even less time to get to the voting booth.

On Monday night I went to bed with my alarm set about thirty minutes earlier than usual so that I could swing by the community center in the morning before heading to the office. When the alarm sounded in the cool glow of a new day, I was having nothing of it and, without hesitation, reached over and hit the snooze button on my phone. The next thirty minutes, this process was repeated like the directions on a shampoo bottle. Finally I rolled out of bed and began my groggy routine.
 

Before heading out the door, my wife and I discussed the plans for the day and the times we expected to be home that night. It was a lodge night so dinner was pretty much up in the air. I guess we were going to just have to figure it out later in the day…. Usually during out midafternoon phone call. By this point I had been watching the minutes tick by on my watch and I knew that the voting booth was just going to have to do without me in the morning.

If it were a simple run in, run out type of thing I would have taken the detour but I know the people that work the polls and I know the contingent of Democrats that flood this particular location. Frankly, I didn’t want to deal with the delay or the debate. Not that morning. Besides, I know who my nominee is heading into the heat of the campaign season.

Throughout my drive to the office I couldn’t help but think about the various races with the Governor’s race playing the most prominent role in my mind. And while this may seem wrong to some but I couldn’t help but hope that the weakest, most radical of the candidates would win the nomination. I won’t name names but let’s just say that I am really not a fan of the Congresswoman from Abington and her radical brand of liberalism. If anything, I wanted her to win simply because of the fact that it would demonstrate just how successful the Governor has been and the balance that he has brought to the economy of the Commonwealth.

In the end, a one percenter secured the nomination and held a party at a minor league ballpark that he rented out in York. I hope he stays in the minors (maybe we could start calling him "Meat"). I know what you’re thinking and its okay he owns a Jeep that he drives himself so he’s just like one of us. I wonder if he supports paying his own ‘fair share’? It should be an interesting race to watch and I know you will all be shocked when I say this but I already know who I am voting for come November. But, until then, Play Ball!

One Percent

The polls have long since closed and while some may be happy with the verdicts and others not so much it is all part of the process that too few participate in. If you don’t believe me answer a couple of questions for me. Did you vote? If so, how many people did you see at the polling place?

That’s right, whether you voted or not you know that turnout stinks during off year elections especially when the campaigns that are drawing to a close are for positions that you wouldn’t otherwise think of. Just think about how much you know about this year’s election cycle, how much you know about the candidates, and how much you know about the positions they are running for. It is for this reason that you get more party voters than voters who consider the candidates themselves.

I admit that for many years I didn’t pay too much attention to the off year election cycles but that has slowly changed as many topics have come to the forefront of politics. I am not going to get into the details of those topics or discuss my position on many of them but they drive me to continue voting every year as they should for everyone who has the right to do so. Simply put, if you either like how things are going or want to see change you should be out there taking five minutes out of your day at least once a year to cast your vote and take a stand.

Come to think of it, the lack of turnout may bother me more than the results themselves. People like to complain and debate about the views held by politicians or political parties but they don’t bother to voice their opinion. People like to scream about the “one percent” having all the money and power in this country but they don’t bother being a part of the one percent that votes on an annual or biannual basis.

While I don’t have the money, I don’t have the influence, I am proud to be a member of the one percent. Just like party affiliation, it doesn’t guarantee that everything goes the way that I want or that I agree with everything that moniker stands for but it ensures that my voice is heard no matter how faint the whisper. Like many rights I ardently defend, this is not something for the elite few, it is something that belongs to everyone and I defend that right for all who respect it.

Enjoy the rights you have and the freedom that comes with them. Don’t allow others to taint those rights and stomp on the freedom that it ensures (even if you don’t personally partake of some of those rights and freedoms). Above all, make your voice heard.

Not Your Usual Forbes 400 Gripe

Yesterday I was reading about the newly released list of the 400 Richest Americans as reported by Forbes magazine. Shortly after browsing the countdown of the usual suspects I started reading comments across the web about the state of the country and the “greed” that is supposedly pervasive in our society. It never fails, every time a list like this is compiled, especially the annual Forbes edition, the same comments pop up.

Before I go any further (and really get into my rant) lets go over some of the broad strokes about the list. First, let’s briefly go over how the list is compiled. According to Forbes, they prefer to meet with potential candidates in person and, during this year’s process, spoke with nearly 100 billionaires (interviews with those in their inner circle and employees were also pursued in this annual endeavor). When calculating the bottom line they looked to numerous public sources including (i.e. Securities & Exchange Commission documents, court records, probate records, federal financial disclosures and Web and print stories) and took into considerations all assets including stakes in public and private companies, real estate, art, yachts, planes, ranches, vineyards, jewelry, car collections and more. Finally, just like anyone’s balance sheet, debts were taken out at the end to calculate the final figure.

I don’t know how I would feel having to calculate those gargantuan figures knowing the salary I would potentially be making as a columnist or editor but kudos to the people that put forth the considerable effort.

What made this year’s list particularly interesting, and which might account for the increases venom in some of the responsive commentary strewn about, is the tremendous growth that the overall list has experienced over the past year (approximately $300 billion). With a current total of just over $2 trillion, or roughly the equivalent of the GDP of Russia, the average net worth of the 400 currently stands at $5 billion with the cost of entry being a staggering $1.3 billion. The last time the average was this high was in 2007 and 2008 before the financial meltdown. Unfortunately, the list was limited to 400 which meant that 61 American billionaires were left out in the cold licking their wounds.  

Many people have read these figures and voiced their bitter opinions about these people whom they’ve never met. My view is very simple, good for you. The vast majority of the people on this list worked their tails off to reach that level of wealth paying more in taxes along the way than most of us will ever make in our lives. Good for them.

Despite what may have been preached to some, life isn’t fair and we are not equal. Some people are more fortunate than others, some get lucky breaks along the way, and others are never able to reach the one percent let alone achieve top 400 status. The majority of these people worked hard for what they have and have been smart with their money. The top two, Buffett and Gates, are prime examples in that they started with very little, worked hard, and were smart with their business and financial decisions. Good for them.

Maybe the problem in this country is not in the one percent, it is in those members of the 99 percent that lack a good work ethic and expect someone to take care of them. I am far from the one percent and I don’t expect to ever fall into that category (it would be nice though) but I want to work and I chose to earn my money rather than collect the same exact amount in unemployment. This is not to say that unemployment is a bad thing, sometimes it truly is needed, and sometimes it is unavoidable. But many people have the choice.  

Sometimes reality stinks but you have the chose to either accept it or work your butt off and change it. Many on that list did just that. So, to all of you out there complaining about the “one percent” in this country, stop it! The problem is not in those who chose to work and are successful in their endeavors, the problem lies in those choosing not to work. Let this free advice be your last handout.  

SIDE NOTE: If you have enough time and energy to protest, you have enough time and energy to work. All too often I have found myself watching reports on protests (on a variety of topics) which took place in the middle of the day and found myself wondering why those people weren’t at work. And many times those protesters have prevented others from getting to work and doing their jobs. You have the right to your opinion and you have the right to share it but, come on, this is getting out of hand.