Politics?! Oh, no! RUN! ~ the words

I try not to get too political in my blogs. The result is that you are more likely to read a blog about how I came to search for and find the recipe to Starbucks' Mocha Frappuccino rather than read one about how I think this or that about this or that. However, when someone brings out the trump card in a conversation and mentions some political view I am the first to jump in and nurture the oncoming debate. It's not the debate that I enjoy, despite the smile on my face that might suggest otherwise. It's the opportunity to educate that excites me.

There is a quote that I recently read that is very true and should be seriously thought about before dismissing it. I haven't the slightest idea who said it, but don't let that take away from it's importance. The quote is as follows. “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, they want something which never has or never will be.”

The ignorance that this person speaks of is not lack of general education or low I.Q. levels. The word "ignorant" obviously stems from the same word that "ignore" does. And the majority of people that I talk to about politics don't want to talk about them. They use all types of excuses to try to avoid the conversation. They see the President on television giving a speech and they quickly change the channel. They're more likely caught reading the comics in the newspaper than a story about a bill that's going to be voted on by congress and the effects that is will have on their life.

This is willful ignorance. Plain and simple. I'm sure that you all remember from school that our govenment was setup with different branches to create a system of checks and balances. These checks and balances help to keep our government from doing whatever they want and getting away with it. However, this quote says it quite plainly that if the American people choose to be ignorant that they will lose their freedom. It's time to stop choosing to avoid politics and start educating ourselves so that we can make informed decisions.

One more thing. Both Republicans and Democrats are running with about a 12% approval rating. This next presidential election will be completely different from what we have previously experienced. There are lots of presidential candidates. Not two! Educate yourselves and vote wisely. You are our goverment's check and balance.