Everybody who can should vote when given an opportunity. As well, everybody who casts a vote has a personal obligation to research, study, and understand the candidates and issues offered on a ballot. Frivolous voting...voting for candidates who "look good" or "give good speaches", candidates' promises and stands on issues we think "sound good", do not always prove to be the best choices. Understanding the security, economy, legislation, needs and goals of our local, state and national government...our country as a whole, is imperative to making correct choices in any election.

In trying times, such as we are experiencing today, it is possible, maybe even be crucial, that consider putting aside partisan beliefs, while striving to make the best decisions. That might require voting "against the [personal] grain". If we have done our homework, and know in our mind that a certain Presidential candidate has more experience in a most crucial area, whether that candidate is of our registered party, or not, then we should seriously consider what is best for our country, and set aside any desire to "pick" the one we think will win, or want to win. As has been proven time and again, many times, when people want to be on the "winning [election] team", we often find out later that the end result was nothing like what we expected to happen. (Ehem... Does Carter come to anybody's mind?)

Care to share your thoughts on this subject? Do you believe you are fully capable of debating current issues and candidates? Are you totally prepared to make your decisions in the upcoming primary and Presidential election?

What's on your mind?