A Time To Vote!

Whew, we are only a day away from hearing the last of all these political ads!  And I must admit I can’t wait!   But in the midst of all these ads, one thing keeps rising to the top of my mind.  And that is how lucky we are to live in a country where we have a voice in who is elected to run our country!

I have talked to many people these past few months about voting and politics in general.  As anyone who is in business knows or is taught, discussing specific politics is one of the excluded networking topics.  But who cannot discuss it in general when there is such an exciting election happening here in Iowa.

I must say that I am especially excited in this election as it may finally be time for us to elect a woman to the U.S. Congress.   As you probably already know, Iowa and Mississippi are the only two states who have never had a female as governor or in the US Congress.  I recently heard Kathie Obradovich,  political columnist for the Des Moines Register speak and she had an interesting observation about this fact.   She does not feel it is because Iowa is more sexist than the other states, but because of three men in our political arena for the past 40 years.   Harkin, Grassley  and Branstad.   The fact that we have reelected these men for the past 40 years has kept a woman from making it into these positions.  So we may be making history with this election!

What always dismays me is when I hear someone say they are not going to vote in the election.   According to Wikipedia, voting turnout has been decreasing since the 1960’s and in the 2008 U.S. presidential election it was only 61%.   There are several thoughts on what is causing this decrease and there is also discussion on whether high turnout is even considered a good thing.   I do know that along with the right to vote is the obligation to research and learn more about the candidates that are running.  Obviously, making your choice based on the TV and radio ads would not be considered responsible.

So with the election just around the corner, consider taking the time to research the candidate’s positions and then making your voice heard by voting for the candidates of your choice.

If the election has already happened by the time you read this blog, please consider taking an interest in the next election, whether it is national or local and supporting your candidates.

Kathi Koenig, CPA

Partner – McGowen, Hurst, Clark & Smith, P.C.
kkoenig@mhcscpa.com
www.mhcscpa.com