Why Don't People Vote? Why Should They?

I wrote a post a few days ago, on an entirely different issue, about how I'm not too old to learn. It still holds true, especially regarding all things politic.

Many of us have been fuming for months now over the lack of substance, detail about the positions the candidates supposedly hold on issues important to the voters. Little stuff like the war and the economy and gas prices and health care. What are they going to do and more importantly, how are they going to pay for any of their ideas? Oh, yes, the plans are grandiose. Pay for them? Cut waste. Right. Been there. Heard that.

This morning's Couer d'Alene Press had an excellent editorial - Insist politicians share specifics . It told of how orchestrated obfuscation is within political campaigns. Project Vote Smart canvasses candidates to get their views on issues in an attempt to inform voters. The response to their queries is less than enthusiastic.

When party leaders tell candidates to purposely avoid specifics in preference to pushing values, they should be drummed out of the corp. Mike Wessler of Project Vote Smart had this to say about one unnamed campaign, "It's not our job to educate, it's our job to win."

In listening to all the petty bickering that's driving the campaigns at this point, it's easy to believe this is not only the philosophy but also the prevailing strategy.

As Vince Lombardi once said, " Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." So be it for at least some of the candidates. But what about we voters?

Just what is it we're voting for anyway?