Too many Americans skip Election Day as either a "so what" or, a "they are all crooks" or, an "I'm too busy" effort. But like the lottery, relationships and life, showing up and participating are keys to success. And if you don't like what's happening, your vote (and the analysis it gets from candidates and political operatives alike) goes a long way in making the politicians sit up and take notice. They know every vote counts. Moreover, the zealots on both the right and left will be voting their causes - don't let them have the field to themselves.

In politics today, it is usual practice to vilify your opponent. "He regularly associates with a person convicted of a crime," may be as innocuous an association as they belong to the same Rotary and the conviction may have been for anything from a traffic violation to a dispute with the IRS over certain deductions. And the cry "he has voted for taxes 2 gazillion times," doesn't mean any of those votes had resulted in higher taxes and doesn't tell whether a "tax rider" had been put on legitimate legislation that deserved to be passed and once there, the rider was not easily removed. Nor is there any certainty that cagey political operatives have not induced "friendly" legislators to introduce "provocative riders" to bills in years past merely to help create a voting record they could later use against a particular candidate.

As with new brands and special offers at the supermarket, politics is very much a buyer beware game - and facts can be construed in ways that lead to a truth, to a half-truth or to an intended deception.

The United States Election Project http://elections.gmu.edu/voter_turnout.htm shows voter turnout (eligible voters) for the Presidential Year 2004 Election to be just over 60%. In non-presidential years, turnout drops. Democracy flourishes in discourse. Liberty's price is an active electorate. On Tuesday, November 8, do your homework on the issues and the candidates then take a moment to participate in the lifeblood of your nation and vote.