Voting - Historical Importance & 2012

Brave men (yes—no women) communicated in 1773-74 and traveled to Philadelphia to meet on Sept. 5, 1774. When they left their homes, they were fearful that they would be shot or hung as traitors to the British! They said “good-bye” to their families and thought that they might not ever return alive.

But they were audacious and persevered. They gathered together in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia. The 55 representatives were from all of the 13 colonies except Georgia. The result of their meeting was a protest to the Crown of England for “Intolerable Acts.” The Crown didn’t respond, so the Second Continental Congress met and began the American Revolutionary War.

These are our roots and our collective history. Overtime, we have become more democratic—abolishing slavery and granting the right to vote to women and people of color, for example. And in spite of the urban legend that our nation consists of fierce independents, history informs us that our greatest moments have been created by people who came together to address a problem.

In every election, we should vote in honor of all those who contributed to this grand nation of ours. Personally, I remember the smart, brave Americans who founded our nation, fought to give women the right to vote in the late 1800s and early 1900s, dedicated their lives in the 1960s and 70s for Civil Rights, volunteer in communities throughout the US, and, of course, serve our country in the military.

We must all agree that each person’s vote is important—and counts! I have tried to maintain a broader perspective throughout this election season in this blog—addressing issues like the impact of wealth, etc.! 

But now it’s time to vote and this gets partisan. I am a Democrat. I am a social Liberal and support fiscal responsibility. And I don't always agree with what the Democrats say and do.  

This year, I am greatly concerned about women's rights.  And in this election I have phone banked for candidates and walked precincts.

I have studied the Voter Handbook and because some have asked, I will share how I will vote tomorrow:

President – Barack Obama

Senate – Dianne Feinstein

CD 33, House of Representatives – Henry Waxman

AD 66, State Assembly – Al Muratsuchi

Los Angeles County District Attorney - Jackie Lacey

Propositions:

30-Yes

31-No

32-No

33-No

34-Yes

35-Yes

36-Yes

37-Yes

38-No

39-Yes

40-Yes

County Measures

Measure A – Yes

Measure B – Yes

Measure J – Yes

Measure E – Yes

If you are registered to vote, please—please join me and remember to vote tomorrow. And if you are not registered to vote, I hope you will get registered to vote now—and vote in the next election.

And going forward, I hope to continue this effort—focusing on women's issues, monitoring the actions of all electeds in Sacramento and DC, supporting efforts to establish a constitutional amendment that will address Citizen's United, and...