Don’t Make The Same Mistake

Girl Talk | July 27, 2016

The million-dollar question after the British decided to leave the European Union (EU) was, what is the EU? According to Euintheus.org, it’s not a government, an association of states, or an international organization. Rather, it is made up of 28 Member States who have relinquished part of their sovereignty to EU institutions, with many decisions made at the European level. The 28 (now 27) member states include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In essence, all actions taken by the EU is founded on treaties that have been approved voluntarily and democratically by all EU member countries (Europa EU). There are more than 40,000 legal acts in the EU, but according to Europa EU, the main treaties are: Treaty of Lisbon, Treaty of Nice, Treaty of Amsterdam, Treaty on European Union – Maastricht Treaty, Single European Act, Merger Treaty – Brussels Treaty, Treaties of Rome: EEC and EURATOM treaties, Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community. To learn more about each of these treaties click here

What prompted this history lesson? Well, the day after the Britain’s voted to leave the European Union Google searches revealed that many Americans and nations around the world did know the purpose of the EU including citizens of the United Kingdom who in fact voted 53.4% to 46.6% to withdraw from the Union without fully knowing what they were voting for or the full impact of their decision beforehand. That is astonishing and compels me to think about my own country and how we are currently selecting the leader of the free world. As such, I asked myself, who votes for someone or something they know very little about? I mean really, think about it, would you purchase a house without considering the pros and cons like the location, year built, square footage, condition, amenities ect? Definitely not. Likewise, shouldn’t that same due diligence be applied when voting for a presidential candidate, state or local official, policy, issue, or law? Absolutely, but unfortunately, that is not always the case. Don’t make that same mistake.

For example, we have a presidential candidate who rarely speaks on policies and when confronted to do so unlike his opponent, his responses often appear impractical and of no real substance. For instance, he insist on building a wall and claiming Mexico is going to pay for it without the consent or blessing of the Mexican government, in fact just the opposite; the candidate says he believes in women rights, yet he states that a women who has an abortion should receive some form of punishment; the candidate states that he is against increasing the minimum wage, while at the same time claiming to help the those in poverty and create more jobs- well what good is a job if it doesn’t pay a fair living wage? The candidate states that he is going to be a unifier while excluding Muslims from this country and preventing Mexicans who have been here for years a pathway to citizenship; the candidate claims that his policies will reflect his business savvy and accomplishments which are impressive, but irrelevant to being a commander and chief not to mention the multiple bankruptcies and cases of blatant fraud- does this sound trustworthy. Should his name also include crooked in front of it? He states that he is all about family, which I don’t doubt, yet don’t blame Hillary or criticize Bill for infidelity when you yourself have been married three times.

Given these examples, one can’t help but wonder if voters who say they will vote for this candidate did their homework? Do they seriously know what they are voting for and what the impact of their decision will have on the United States and other nations around the world? This post is not meant to suggest or influence whom anyone should vote for by any means, but rather ensure that before anyone goes to the polls, they have done there due diligence beforehand and feel confident in the return they will get on there investment come January 2017. Unfortunately, there are no do-overs! All too often people get caught up in the hype and vote based on just that, the hype. Others vote based on emotions and anger not logic and what’s best for the country as a whole, hatred not love, appearance and smooth talk, not intelligence and experience and others just don’t vote at all, they believe they are the forgotten ones and sadly their vote won’t count/make a difference or change their circumstance.

Don’t be “that” person! Do your research, make sure you are well informed, recognize the difference between fact and fiction, trust your instincts- if it walks like a dock, talks like a duck, then guess what, it’s a duck; don’t settle for hogwash or allow anyone to insult your intelligence, don’t vote against yourself/or the wellbeing of your family for generations to come; distinguish between intelligence and arrogance, understand in detail who and what you are voting for, know that no one is forgotten and everyone’s vote counts.