Annoyed.

Today is November 3rd. The day after election day. Election day is a big deal, and to be honest, I had kind of a mixed emotion type approach toward attitudes that I felt were being projected around campus today.

Two of my good friends didn't vote. My dad didn't vote. MY DAD! He is like the most patriotic person out there. And I'm disappointed. A number of my professors made comments today about their dissatisfaction with the election results. I saw so many Facebook statuses today devoted to how much "America sucks" and how ridiculous the results were. One status in particular that just made me cringe:

"America is that drunk friend who made a lot of bad decisions last night."

Hmm.

Here is what I think of that, and every other negative comment I heard today.

We, as AMERICAN citizens, are beyond lucky to be living in a country where the makeup of our government makes a COMPLETE shift in a span of 24 hours... and yet, we DON'T have to worry about our own personal safety. Do you realize the significance? There is no rioting in the streets, no bombing, no fear of people making rash decisions out of anger toward election results. In case that doesn't make sense... Our House of Congress went from being majority Democratic to Republican in a days time. The Senate is also nearly equal in terms of numbers, and ALL WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IS HOW ITS GOING TO AFFECT DECISIONS. We don't have to worry about people throwing rocks into shop windows, or setting things on fire, or shots ringing out in the streets. Quit complaining about the "drunk" stupidity of America, ya fool. That's what I have to say about that...or in particular, that's what I have to say to the person who made the Facebook status. I don't think YOU, as a reader, are a fool. I like you :)

And in regards to voting. We exercise one of our most precious rights as American citizens by voting. We are so unbelievably lucky that we get to personally choose who we want to represent us as American citizens in our government. And not voting is basically saying: I don't care. It's saying to thousands upon thousands of people who have served our country for over 300 years that their GRAVE sacrifices mean absolutely nothing. It's slapping freedom in the face out of ignorance and laziness. I don't know why you wouldn't just vote. It took me five minutes! And it's a pretty cool process, when you think about it. And plus, if you live in a little neighborhood like me where your closest voting place is the church down the street, you run into people you know! I saw my 5th grade teacher and we had a nice little chat. Moving on... Since my state is currently in a recount for the governor race because the numbers are so close, I get irritated knowing that people so close to me just didn't vote. My dad's reason: He didn't know enough about the candidates. So what! Call someone who does. I will be the first to admit that sometimes, politics go WAY over my head, but I still try to talk with someone who does know a thing or two about the upcoming elections, and I get their opinion. I go to people I know well and trust. It's easy!!

It's especially frustrating that the governor race is between the candidate I voted for, and the opposing candidate, whose plan for the future is to tax student loans 10%. 10%!!!!! That's going to affect me (and my friends that didn't vote) and I don't want to see the race go to a person who is willing to put this law into effect. So what if I don't know everything there is to know about the candidate I did vote for? I know enough to know that my vote and yours makes a difference.

That being said, I really don't think it matters whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, a conservative, a liberal, a hippie, WHATEVER. You should still just vote!

Sometimes, I think people get caught up in taking our country for granted. We are lucky to live here. There is no place in the world like America, like it or not. I'm proud to be an American, and I am happy to give back just a little by participating in election day. I wish people weren't so ignorant to the blessings they have in life just by being American citizens.

I promise NEVER to go on a political rant again. But this is something I feel strongly about and something that I feel shouldn't be left unsaid.

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." -Thomas Jefferson