She Said ~
Autumn marks the changing of the season, also the changing of the guard.
The fifty states that collectively comprise The United States of America undertake the arduous task of procuring the VOTE, ensuring the fair and safe transition of power.
With an earful of inspirational speeches and promissory notes we march to the ballot box and WE VOTE.
We the people, the greater percentile elect “the chosen one” into the highest office of the nation, an office worthy of reflection and respect.
We march into the new presidency with suspension of disbelief and prepared to cash in on the “I owe you.”
In my unsolicited opinion, casting a vote is an act of faith. It is the belief that one person’s actions or inactions matter to the one, few, many and ALL.
The divisive rhetoric uttered time and time again is maddening. The constant bombardment of inaccuracies and the mockery of this office on a worldwide stage has chipped away at my will
&
true confession my faith is wavering.
He Said ~
“Legacy, what is a legacy?
It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see
I wrote some notes at the beginning of a song someone will sing for me
America, you great unfinished symphony…”
These lyrics are from the play Hamilton.
Somewhere between candidate A stating,
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs – the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating … they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
&
candidate B proudly proclaiming:
“Tim Walz and I are both gun owners. We’re not taking anybody’s guns away.”
I realized the outlook for the United States’ sonata is progressing dangerously close to a confounding coda. One which leaves me feeling more despondent than confident in our ability to withstand the storm looming on the horizon, of our ever-fading purple mountains majesty.
I have been given the freedom to write this way, and to honor that liberty, I take time to measure my words and most imperatively I fully comprehend the responsibility of accuracy. Unfortunately, the future of this country, whomever the voters reluctantly cast their ballots for, will be in the hands of someone who displays no signs of qualified leadership or integrity of character. Both major parties have settled for appealing to the lowest common denominator and proudly wear this trait as a badge of courage. The ineptitude on parade is mind-numbing and inexcusable given the resources at our disposal.
Act responsibly and DON’T VOTE. And for those of you who retort – you have no say if you do not cast your vote – you are incorrect.
Did You Know? Political debates before the era of television did occur, and perhaps the most noteworthy was the series of public debates in 1858 between two future presidential candidates: Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. During the seven Lincoln-Douglas debates for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, the first speaker talked for one hour, followed by a 90-minute rebuttal from the second speaker, and a 30-minute closing statement from the first speaker. Some of the Lincoln-Douglas debates had more than 10,000 people in the audience, as the two men argued their positions.