Editorial: Speak up!

If you don’t know the significance of next Tuesday, you’re probably the kind of person who whines about government but rarely or never bothers to vote. If so, shame on you. Shame, shame, shame on you.
There’s a host of important decisions to be made in the primary election. It’s time to select candidates for president, the U.S. House and Senate, the state legislature, attorney general, auditor general and treasurer, and whether you like it or not, some of those men and women are going to retain or win their positions of public trust. Therefore, it’s up to you to know who they are and what they stand for and then give them an earful.
Sadly, some of the state representatives and senators up for re-election this year have no opposition whatsoever — no opponents in Tuesday’s primary nor the Nov. 6 general election. In a free and democratic society, that is pathetic.
Remember, an active, informed, motivated electorate is many a politician’s worst enemy. Citizens who exercise their right to vote every election day are helping to hold elected officials accountable for their actions — or, too often, their inactions — and in so doing, they demonstrate a sense of self-respect and a desire to do their part to control their own destiny. Yes, gentle readers, the politicians listen to the people, but only if the people speak up.
If you sit on your hands on Tuesday thinking that your vote doesn’t count and that the politicians will do what they want anyway, you deserve the consequences. People who don’t vote are essentially inviting politicians to give them the shaft.
Even if you think elections force you to pick the lesser of two evils, or the least of all evils, go to the polls anyway. Because in a democracy, silence is never golden.
Send letters to: pronews@bsmphilly.com