Why I Will Cast My Vote Tomorrow

[slinkerwink]

Tomorrow, I am going out with a smile on my face and a resolute heart with one mission in mind: to cast my vote for John F. Kerry as President of the United States. What my vote means to me is simply a vote to restore democracy, to restore the ideals that my grandparents hold dear back to our country, and to represent the voice of my generation. I will be one of the many young voters at the polls who know that our vote holds the key to the security of our future.

I, like others, do not want to fight endless wars, watch our dearest friends die on the foreign soil of another country, and we want peace. We want to live in harmony with the rest of the world, and we want our sons and daughters to grow up strong and proud in their country. We want to be proud to be Americans again. I do not want to look at the American flag in suspicion ever again, especially what it meant to me during the term of George W. Bush, a flag of oppression, of a single-minded ideology that forsook our allies and divided the nation in half.

I grew up in the dusty echelons of Texas, surrounded by my family's strong migrant ethic, and their fervent belief that education could always better one's station in life. "Education will give you your future," my great-grandmother, Abuelita, used to say before she passed away. My grandparents were first-generation Mexican-Americans, whose parents had faced political repression in one way or another. My grandfather believes that the only way to ensure that democracy lives is to vote--to be a regular participant in the body politic. He and my grandmother should have been Republicans, but they are not.

They are Democrats because despite their upper class status, they believe that everyone should have the right to access higher education, health care, and fair and equal justice for all. They taught me the values of community participation and how to understand the issues that face the country. They taught me that ignorance is no excuse for not participating in politics. An informed citizenry is one that helps democracy survive. If you are not informed, you are then not helping the survival of your country.

My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend, and I saw hope in their faces for the future of this country. They already had cast their votes for John Kerry, and urged us in the family to do the same likewise. They want their grandchildren to grow up in a peaceful and stable world, instead of the fragmented, destablized world that George W. Bush has caused. I love my grandparents very much, and due to what they taught me about citizen participation in government, I will proudly cast my vote for John F. Kerry as President of the United States with a wide smile on my face.

[Crunchy Frog]

1. That was beautiful.

I nominated it for the homepage.:)

[slinkerwink]

2. thank you!!!!!

:-)

[slinkerwink]

3. kick