Grandma Henke

I’ve just spent an entire night researching the political candidates on the Internet one more time.    I have already voted and nothing I’ve read has made me feel I made the wrong choice, but I have to admit to a little anxiety over all of the conflicting stories that are supposedly made by “reliable and unbiased” sources.    It’s like a crazy maze trying to find truth from fiction.

I have a good number of family members and friends who have gone through the same process as I have and have chosen to vote differently than me.    In past years I have kept my opinions to myself, which is how my parents always handled election years.   It was a very private and personal choice then … and even though we are outspoken now it is still a very private and personal choice.

I am a little worried that no matter who wins this election there is going to be a bit of an upheaval over the results.     It seems to me there has been movement to create a kind of panic/hate between the two sides.   I have heard from a number of people that if the person they aren’t voting for doesn’t win it will be a national catastrophe.   With enough of that kind of propaganda it could very well lead to a self fulfilled prophecy.   It creates a kind of panic reaction when your mind is geared for a disaster.

I hope citizens will realize the big part they play in the success of our United States of America.   We the citizens can have an impact on what happens by our actions and attitudes and by pursuing those issues that are important to us and our families.      I realize Bush has been credited with many failures over the last 8 years but really … can everything that has gone wrong be the result of one man’s choices?   Not in this democracy it can’t.    Washington is made up of many lawmakers and influential people.    The president is powerful, but he is not all powerful and won’t single handedly bring the current government crashing down.  I don’t believe that we can expect a president to be responsible to single handedly save the nation or the world.  He can’t do a thing without our support.

We need to stand up and voice our support for the good representatives we have and replace the ones who are abusing their power … but we must be careful that we don’t become involved in spreading the vicious rumors and lies that become a part of every election campaign.

I don’t know how an ordinary citizen can be sure that their information is correct … but I do believe in the right of every citizen to vote according to their own conscience.

I really pray that whatever happens today will be accepted in a way that our new president will have a chance of success.    If we continue to spread this negativity and show such a lack of respect for our country’s leaders we will continue to lose the respect of the nations of the world.   We the citizens will be our own undoing.

Personally, I believe in Jesus Christ and hope that more people will accept him and follow his standard of living and example.   We would spend more time helping others and trying to understand how they feel, and there wouldn’t be this feeling of distrust and fear …  and the world would have to be a better place to live.