I believe that among the most thankless of volunteer opportunities is that of youth sports referee/umpire. How do such activities exist without them? My argument is that making decisions such as of fouls, disqualifying play, transgressions, balls, strikes, touchdowns, goals, game time expired, etc., is extremely important, as well, in the marking of a ballot.
I believe voting involves judgment calls about policies, character, abilities, experiences, work ethic, self respect, personal values (and more than I can think of at this moment). Each and every vote is a paint dot on the canvass of what each of us envisions this nation (and democratic system) is going to look like (metaphorically speaking). The reply attributed to Benjamin Franklin in regards to what kind of government was created in 1787 is “a republic, if you can keep it.” Keeping it is where citizenship is crucial.
I am far from celebrating what seems to be the decision rendered recently, since the values that my Marine Corps officer parents (both!) demanded of my sibling and myself were apparently not shared by half of the voters. The government that we get is the one for which we individually voted.
