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The “Why” of Voting

Having looked at the “what” of voting, it makes sense to discuss the “why” of voting.  When we vote, what are we voting for?  Why bother voting?  I’ve heard the question asked so many times, “Why should I vote?  What difference does it make?”

My husband was invited by friends to go to their church, York Alliance in York, Pennsylvania, for a presentation on politics and religion, which we were fortunate to attend.  It was the second presentation, and to prepare for 2024 presentation, we watched the first one from 2019.  In that recording, the Pastor said something that made great sense of politics and why they matter: because we’re voting for the society we want to live in.  Miriam Webster Dictionary defines society as: a) the total complex of relationships between people in society, and, b) relations or conduct in a particular area of experience, especially as seen or dealt with from a political point of view.

We’re used to governmental control in some areas.  We don’t think it odd that, if someone gets angry at someone else, they don’t have the right to attack and harm them, however angry that person gets.  (Anger management anyone?)  If you think someone is charging too much for something we want, we still can’t pay less, or worse, steal it.  Living in Pennsylvania, parking spaces are especially difficult to find when it snows.  People hand shovel the space outside their home, and it’s not unusual to find chairs in spaces that have been cleaned out to keep it available when they get home from work, or shopping, or whatever.  Is it legal?  Not really, but people respect others work and try to keep other’s spaces clear.  I once parked in space not far from home that had a chair in it.  I moved the chair because my car was dying and leaving it in the middle of the street would have blocked the road, and I wanted my children, who were in the car with me, to be safe.  When the owner came out to speak to me, she didn’t yell, she listened, and she knew I wasn’t trying to take advantage of her household.  As soon as my husband got home from work, he walked to the block one where our car was and brought our car home.  It all worked out because the homeowner and I want to live in a society that works for everyone, and while she could have thought I was stealing her space, she knew having my car there for a bit wasn’t going to mean she lost something.  (Very little is a zero sum game where someone getting something is a loss for someone else.  When we assume it is, we all lose.)

Anyway, we vote for the society we want.  Allowing people to fight physically because they might disagree with us is something we don’t allow, so we vote for those in various positions who won’t support physical hostility.  We vote for how we want to live, including whether or not we want our children to be educated more than wanting a company to pay less taxes.  When you hear proposed legislation, or hear about a Supreme Court decision, or read about an executive order, it makes sense to see how this is going to impact the society we live in as a whole.

Appropriately, next is a look on the how the three branches of government work together to maintain safety and health, and the society we want for our families and ourselves, although more fun things following it.  Catch you next time.


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