Vote About It

[Archives]: Yankour Global, birthplace of the 2012 student movement

6/17/2011
In a recent interview on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, multi-millionaire Henry Kissinger answered, "America is still number one," when asked if the United States was slowly sinking into a global number two position behind China.

The question, of course, is irrelevant. The answer is one that could come in many different forms, from a number of different perspectives. After Kissinger's answer, I began thinking about what even puts the U.S. in the conversation.
The idea that the United States is the greatest country in the world (or even just a great country at this point) is one that comes with many misconceptions. It's also an opinion that you won't find in many developed country in the world besides the United States. What gets discussed in media, and dare I say appears in the public conscience, about what makes this land great is inaccurately associated with concepts such as market dominance, military power and even personal freedom. For all the talk from tea-partiers and Fox News pundits about American values, it appears the most essential value in this country's establishment and rise to power is the one most easily forgotten. This value I speak of is Democracy.

Historically speaking, the establishment of America as a global powerhouse comes from the lack of damage to domestic infrastructure and economic turnaround after two world wars in the first half of the twentieth century. What built our country, however, giving its potential for national greatness is the concept of democracy. This fundamental pillar in the structure of our government is one that allows us as a people to hand pick the leaders that make our laws and decide our policies.



In the midst of an economic collapse, in times of war, even on the brink of a nuclear holocaust we would still have the value of democracy and the right to choose those who lead us as a people. Universal healthcare does not take away democracy, neither do gay rights, nor does a peaceful foreign policy to all nations. Even full scale socialism is an economic system which in no way effects how leaders of a given society are chosen, despite what may be relayed on television.

The truth is that any potential flaw or malfunction in our system is subject to the criticism and ultimate judgement from we the people. This being said, any critique, complaint, indifference or suggestion for the system only shows merit when coming from a registered and participating voter. It is a true gift, democracy, and one that all over the world people dream about and in some cases die for. It is a blatant slap in the face, and not to mention shows a lack of ethical integrity, to criticize a system of operations without taking the initiative to utilize and participate in the opportunity it presents. The words of an unregistered yet eligible voter on american affairs & policy are unfounded and worthless. In this country, each citizen of legal age is given a voice, but this voice only exists if the individual registers and utilizes it.

Registering to vote is an important action that should not be put off until a presidential election. This suspends an individual's voice from being utilized on any sort of vote including mid-term elections (every two years) and local millage and proposals. It isn't as lengthy as every four years that the registered voter is allowed to exercise their democratic right. Registering itself is an easy process which is most often done in less than a few minutes at the nearest S.O.S. office. It's entirely inexpensive (free), harmless, and usually involves nothing but taking out your I.D. while the clerk enters all your information.

I would suggest to anyone out there who has ever had an opinion on or actually lived in the United States to register to vote soon. You never know when you could be called on to exercise the democratic privilege of voting. It's a nice feeling to know you have a voice, a warm and relaxing comfort to know that if you don't like things the way they are that you have a right and an opportunity to use that opinion on the things you deem most important.

Jared Secor, Grand Rapids, MI