Of all the November elections I have ever participated in, this is by far the most woeful in terms of candidates dealing with the issues that challenge America. The glaring lack of debates, surveys, interviews, and opportunities in general for the public to engage with the candidates exposes a strategy of nondisclosure on the part of the political parties' leadership. (Kudos to Republican candidates for Congress Jim Leach and Jim Nussle, who filled out Project Vote Smart's National Political Awareness Test. That comprehensive, nonpartisan survey of basic campaign issues remains one of the best resources available for voters. Vote Smart's Web site [http://www.vote-smart.org] is a great source for all sorts of information about candidates.) Many candidates were advised not to answer any political surveys by their respective campaign managers and party officials for reasons that can only be self-serving and in direct violation of the public's interest. Yet voters will schlep to the polls because it is our patriotic duty to do so virtually uninformed and blind as to what harm or good we might be doing to our country with our vote. It is no wonder that voters stay home.

But staying home and not voting are precisely what the political machine wants us to do. It banks on our discouragement and apathy. The smaller the actual voting body, the easier it is to control the election results. Parties only have to focus on a small segment of the population who consistently vote, no matter what the circumstances. By limiting information, voters become increasingly disenfranchised from the process. Americans are being summarily manipulated into ignoring their civic duty by the very process that should be aggressively trying to stimulate the vote, not destroy it.

The result is that a paltry 25 percent (and I'm being generous) determines the future of this country. A meager quarter of the population directs policy on how much to tax America's employed, and then how to spend our tax dollars. Would you allow any unknowns to come in and spend your weekly paycheck as they saw fit, not consulting you or allowing you to know their thoughts on how it should be spent? It is really no different at the governmental level. It is still our money, but somehow we don't perceive it that way. Why are we not as vitally interested in how anywhere from 15 percent to 33 percent to 50 percent of the money we earn is being spent, and who is benefiting at the expense of whom? Americans have learned to ignore this enormous responsibility that is ours through an obvious collaboration of politicians and media to distract us from these civic mandates. When you consider income tax, property tax, sales tax, utility tax, and the list goes on, the amount of our earned income that goes to the government is almost unholy when considering how little say Americans have in its appropriation. But we have no one to blame but ourselves. We are simply detached. It seems too big, too complicated to pursue. But that is not true. It is actually quite simple, and Americans hold all the power in this matter. We earn the money, and we have the vote. With today's technology, there is no excuse for not taking the initiative to get informed about candidates and their positions on the issues that we care about. But if we depend on the candidates to tell us, we might as well be waiting for Godot.

About this issue: The bulk of this week's River Cities' Reader is devoted to election coverage. We have analyses of issues in major races as well as statements from more than 30 candidates for office, including from third parties who often don't get their voices heard. We encourage you to use this guide when you vote as a supplement to materials from the candidates themselves and other media.

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