Vote Smart, my new ad campaign

Everywhere you go these days, whether people support the war or not, they show their American pride with flags and decals, whatnots and what-evers.

This is all fine and dandy, but when one really looks at the basis of American pride, they should look at Election Day.

They should look at voting. And ot just any kind of voting -- an informed and intelligent vote.

America is based on freedoms and beliefs supported in our Bill of Rights and Constitution and founded with the vote of its people. This should not be done lightly.

In my opinion, one should get informed and know for whom they are voting. This is as important, or more important, than voting itself.

Over in Letcher County, where I’m still registered to vote, we’ve been trying to elect officials based on their beliefs after we get the chance to hear them speak on important issues during a political forum. It’s really not a debate, because the questions are set with a time for each candidate to answer and no actual dialogue occurs.

But we do get the chance to hear what each candidate thinks on important issues. That is, if they show up.

I won’t go into naming names, but when we tried to have our latest installment of these political forums earlier this week, pretty much all the candidates stayed at home. All be it, I’m pretty confident in saying the candidates absent were listening to their opponents actually there (of course while attending their so-called previous engagements.)

This just irks me. How in the world are we supposed to vote for someone for a political office when they won’t even show up and tell us what they’re all about?

I know polls indicate those who show up for these many times lose votes, but these are important events in rural Kentucky. And that’s their job, or want-to-be job. They want to be a public official. A PUBLIC official.

Other areas of the country have had debates such as these for eons. The reason we haven’t is because “they” don’t want you to know what “they” actually support and in my opinion that’s a crying shame. The only way to make sure this doesn’t continue is to not vote for an official who won’t show up at one of these forums.

Perry County is having its own political forum tomorrow night at HCTC starting at 7:30.

I urge all voters to attend and get informed about your candidates and their ideas. Don’t just vote for someone because they’re a member of the same club as you or they promised you this or that.

And I urge you to make an informed vote.

Vote Smart.

And candidates: Show up and inform us so we can vote smart.

(Pretty please with dollars bills and pints of Kentucky bourbon on top.)