We will get what we deserve

I don't write about politics much. I enjoy following it, but I'm no expert. I know a lot of the players, and I know my position on most issues.

I know some of you are apathetic to politics. Maybe you don't think your one vote matters. If that were the case, candidates would not be spending millions of dollars to get you to vote for them.

The thing is, decisions being made today are going to affect you in one way or another your entire life. Promises by candidates to give more and more are nice, but guess what...NOTHING IS FREE. For every new program or giveaway, there is a cost. For every promised tax cut for one section of the population, there is a tax hike for another. And for most good intentions, there is at least one negative consequence.

There may be times when all the candidates sound alike. How do you know what to believe? It used to be that a candidate could say one thing to one crowd, and something different to another crowd, and nobody would know the difference. In this age of instant communication, they simply can't get away with it. There's still a lot of spin - and too much of candidates acting like whiny babies lately - but there are ways to get at the truth.

One way of getting at the truth is to follow the money. The economic mess we're in right now? Dig into it, and you will find out who benefitted financially. Which executives took huge pay packages while their companies were failing? Which candidates took contributions from those executives? Did the candidate then look the other way or vote for a bill that favored that company or industry?

As they used to say at the beginning of the X-Files - the truth is out there.

I believe that in our democracy, we ultimately get what we deserve. If we don't get involved, and hold our elected leaders to high standards, then we shouldn't complain. The more we turn away, the more they can get away with.

Get involved. Register to vote. Know the candidates and the issues. Dig deep. Even work for a candidate or cause you believe in.

Don't take this grand experiment called America for granted. If you do, it might just die of neglect.