Bob Haase’s Another Can of Worms

Election Day

On next Tuesday, November 4, most of us will hopefully be going to the polls to elect our new representatives.  I think over the years many people have become complacent in voting with some people not even making the effort to go vote.   By complacent, I mean that many people will be going to the polls without even taking the time to research the candidates.

What do you know about the candidates.  If it is an incumbent have they represented you and voted they way you wanted them to on the issues you are concerned with. Have you taken the time to look at their voting record to see how they voted?   If they are not an incumbent, why do you think they might do a better job than the incumbent?

Many people will make their decisions based on campaign advertising that can be very misleading and in some cases bordering on lies.  Most candidates will spend the majority of their time telling you how bad their opponent is and very little time providing details about how they intend to change things.  Most candidates will not provide many details about how they plan to change things because they don’t really have a written detailed plan. 

I think one of the biggest problems with our elected representatives is that they forget who they are suppose to represent.  They vote the way their party tells them to in caucus and not the way the people that elected them want them to.  Part of the reason for this is that their party controls the way they vote and will blackball them if they don’t vote they way they are told. They know that the people they are suppose to represent will very seldom check on their voting record.

Going to the polls and electing someone to office is a right that we have but it also carries with it a responsibility to take some time to find out all you can about the candidate you plan on voting for.  I think that it is getting more difficult to know who to vote for every election because there is so much false and misleading information about each of the candidates.  

When you are looking at voting records see how often they voted along party lines.  Representatives from both parties come up with both good and bad bills and we elect people to represent us not the parties.  If they vote strictly along party lines there is a pretty good chance that they are not representing the voters.  I try not to vote for any incumbent that has voted strictly or closely along party lines because I know they are representing their party and not me.  They should be voting on the bills based on whether it would be good for the people rather than on how it will affect their party.

Spend some time and see how your candidates voted or their position on the things you are most concerned with such as jobs, environmental issues, controlling the budget, education, health and safety, defense and terrorism, and anything else that might affect you and your family.  Make your decision based on voting records and past performance and their ability to lead us in the best direction not just on campaign advertising.  Make your vote count by voting and also by voting for the most qualified and honest candidate. 

Bob Haase is the host of  “Outdoors Thursday” heard Thursday mornings at 9:10 a.m. on News-Talk 1450 KFIZ.