Politics

I have been interested in politics recently.  Not like POLITICS, more like activism.  Tonight I watched President Obama on C-SPAN in New Orleans.  He talked about all kinds of stuff.  More importantly though, I have been interested in local stuff.  A lot of the other AmeriCorps members here didn't change their voter registration.  I thought it was important for me to vote here because this is where I am living and this is where I know what is going on and know what changes I want to be made.  There is a pretty important election coming up in November for the city of Seattle and King County.  The budget is in a HUGE deficit and there are a few issues that are pretty big deals around here that are on the ballot.  Elections here are now done entirely through the mail.  People will be receiving their ballots as early as tomorrow.  I think it's interesting because I feel like if I have the ballot right in front of me at home, I can do some research and be a more informed voter.  I just think it's really important to vote and know what's going on and to be a voice for those that don't have a voice.  If you don't vote, don't complain about anything.  There's really no good reason not to vote, unless you are just too lazy to do some research.  A lot of people get all excited about presidential elections, but I tend to think that local elections are a little more important.  It's also easier to get involved with local issues.  City council members are SUPER accessible and open to talking to people.

Anyways, I can't say what I think about any political issues, I am not allowed to as an AmeriCorps volunteer. I guess I'm not supposed to sway you as a government employee.  But I can tell you issues that I care about and tell you to go look them up and figure out what you think about them.  Since most (if not all) of you reading this don't live in Seattle, these won't mean anything to you.  But there are three issues that are going to be on the ballot that I think are very important and should be looked at:

• Referandum 71
• Initiative 1033
• Proposition 1

I used to not really care about politics and what was going on in government.  But it really does matter.  We need to do small things to make changes, but we also need to make changes in the bigger, government, structural level.  We need both sides to change in order to make a difference.  It's great that I am 95% plastic free and animal free, but we also really need to work on changing energy policies.  It's great that I am working with 15 homeless and underserved youth, but we also really need to work on housing policies.  We need to come at the problem from ALL angles.  If I want to make a difference in this world, I need to become comfortable with politics and government.

I encourage you to vote in you local elections, to research the issues that you care about in your city and county, to talk to your local council member, and to make a difference in the world.