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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1996)
\ MONDAY: Opinion TUESDAY: Politics WEDNESDAY: Opinion THURSDAY: Politics FRIDAY: Opinion ...J editorials, letters, commentary and perspective BY MAIL: P.0 Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 BY PHONE: (541)346-5511 BY E-MAIL: ode@oregon. uoregon. edu IN PERSON: Suite 300, EMU Voting is a duty, not powerful privilege OPINION Your vote next week may not make a difference, but it’s still an important part of living in a democracy t’s been said over and over. Your vote makes a difference. No other slogan has been used as frequently JLto inspire people to go out and vote as this one. It just wouldn’t feel like election time without hearing some one tell you your vote can make a dif ference. “Rock” the vote, make a differ ence, change the world and vote. The entire rationale for voting today hinges on the assumption that your vote really can make a difference. If that is the rea son we do vote, it is sad to note that the statement is an absolute lie. Your vote won’t make a difference, no matter how badly you want it to. This may be hard to believe after being told it does for so long, but deep down inside we all know it’s true. Your vote won’t change the future of our country; it won’t even have an effect on it. In fact, if you were to stay home and not vote in this election, the outcome would be the same as if you had voted. If you find that hard to accept, think about it for a while. Even at the most lo cal level, there are thousands of people voting, and the odds of an election coming down to your one vote are so small they aren’t even worth mention ing. In fact, if you were not to vote in the next 100 elections, there would be no change in the course of events. That’s not just an opinion. It’s a mathe matical fact. No election is decided by one vote. If your vote has no effect on the outcome of an election, how can we say with a straight face that your vote can make a difference? In reality, any one who tells you your vote can make a difference is either ignorant or lying. Of course there is a common re sponse to this kind of thinking: what if everyone thought that way? If every one did think that way and decided not to vote, sure, your vote would make a difference. That point is only valid, however, in theory, because in reality everyone doesn’t think that way. You have to be pretty naive to re ally expect nobody to show up and vote in the next election. Even if only 50 percent of Americans vote in the upcoming election, that will surely be enough to ensure your vote will have no impact on the election’s outcome. People are going to vote on election day—enough people so that your vote won’t have an impact—and that’s the bottom line. If your vote really doesn’t make a difference, you might as well stay home come election time, right? Wrong. There’s a very important rea son why you should vote, and it has nothing to do with making a differ ence. It has nothing to do with chang ing the world, rocking the vote or any of those things. It has everything to do with responsibility. The reason you should vote is because it is your re sponsibility as a member of a democra cy to do so. Living in a democratic government is not a free privilege. In return for the freedoms we enjoy, we are required to give something back, and that some thing is voting. The one real responsi bility democracy demands of us is that we involve ourselves in the political process, even if only by casting our vote once a year. When you think about it, the only real difference be tween a democracy and a dictatorship is that once a year we have to vote for our leaders. It is wrong to think of vot ing as a privilege; it’s a duty. Those who choose not to vote are failing to fulfill their duty. They are soaking up the rights and freedoms democracy provides without paying the costs. By voting every year, you fulfill your end of the bargain. You reaffirm that you accept the democratic process and the responsibilities that come with it. If there is a danger in people not voting, it is not toward the outcome of a partic ular election, it is toward the future of our government. By failing to cast your vote, you are basically saying you would be just as happy living under a dictatorship as a democracy. By failing to fulfill your duty to vote, you are giv ing up any right to the freedoms you now enjoy. In the upcoming election, millions of Americans will no doubt choose not to vote because they don’t think they can make a difference. While they are correct in their reasoning, they are not excused. Voting is important, not be cause it makes a difference, but be cause it is our obligation. If we really believe in a democratic government, we have no excuse for staying away from the ballot box. Brian Diamond, a sophomore majoting in journalism, is a columnist for the Emerald. His views do not necessarily represent those of the newspaper. CORRECTION The photo of Peter Bartel, a candidate for Lane County Commissioner, printed in the Oct. 29 issue of the Emerald was incorrect. The photo was actu ally Peter Soren son. The Emerald regrets the error. .s\ - The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday through Fri day during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the sum mer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. A member of the Associated Press, the Emerald operates independently of the University with offices at Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. Editor-in-Chief: Steven Asbury Managing Editor Jennifer Carter Night Editor: Thom Schoenborn Community: Jennifer Schmitt, editor. Jean Bond, Christian Hill Entertainment: Nicole Kreuger, editor. Jesse Stephenson Higher Education: Tamyra Howser, in-depth. Laura Cadiz, Benjamin Kwasney Opinion: Ashley Bach, editor. Chris Hutchinson, illustrator. Brian Di amond, Larry Haftl. Sonja Sherwood Politics: Shana Cohn, editor. Doug Irving Student Activities: Kristin Bailey, editor Angie Suchy, Tom Potter Sports: Mark McTyre, editor. Andrea DeYoung, assistant editor Chris Hansen. Ryan Frank, Ryan Halvorsen Copy Desk: Thom Schoenborn, copy chief. Sarah Kickler, Mike Schmierbach, Kendra Smith, Paul Meznarich Presentation: Dennis Bolt, editor. Matt Garton Photography: Mathew Stiffler, editor. Andrew Brackensick, Joe Bunik, Amanda Erickson, Shannon Kilduff, Chad Patteson Freelance: Lara Pittman, editor. On-Line: Nicholas Stiffler General Manager: Judy Riedl Advertising Becky Merchant, director Anne Amador, Lee Yen Beh, Marco Ching, Yujin Chi, Matt Johnson, Anne Miller, Trina Shanaman, Rose Soil, Matt Solomon, Greg Walsh Classified: Tara Sloan, manager. Natasha Lumpkin, Debbie Levy, Heather Moye Production: Michele Ross, manager Ingrid White, coordinator Shawna Abele, Laura Daniel. Trevor Kearney,Tara Knight, Melissa LeBahn, Molly McCanta, Allison Stormo, Mike Young Business: Kathy Carbone, supervisor. Judy Connolly Distribution: John Long, Jeff Johnson, Ferenc Rakoczi Newsroom.(541)346-5511 Display Advertising.(541)346-3712 Business Office.(541) 346-5512 Classified Advertising.(541) 346-4343 LETTERS Nader independent Many people do not know Ralph Nader. He’s been a con sumer advocate for the last 30 years, and now he’s running for president. He’s honest and persis tent, and if he gets elected, it will be by the people — not the corpo rations. Both the Republican and De mocratic parties are equally as guilty for allowing corporations to gain too much power by permit ting them to make huge private donations for public campaigns. U.S. citizens have very little con trol over the quality and manage ment of the public resources we all have rights to: land, air and water. These days, if someone wants to elect a politician who will give them a break on environ mental regulations as well as tax es, they can do it with enough money. Nader and his running mate, Winona LaDuke, may not win this election. However, this is a campaign that builds on the fu ture. People must choose if they will vote with their hearts and conscience or with their fear. If we believe there is a problem with our arrangement of govern ment, then we must choose an al ternative solution to the “republo crat” duopoly that exists now. As Nader says, “if you work at the root of the tree, it’s more likely that the fruits will come.” If you support Nader but plan to vote for Clinton anyway, you are consent ing to the corporate influence of government which is growing and must be ended. Robin Retherford Eugene Clinton vs. Dole All can agree that President Clinton and Bob Dole have their differences. Unfortunately, many can't see beyond the age. Some people even say that one is a bet ter speaker than the other. But those are shallow, narrow-mind ed reasons to vote for the next U.S. president. Instead, a vote should be deter mined by what kind of person you are and which candidate rep resents you best. Clinton has said during the campaign that he believes that “as the president, I am responsible for taking care of you” and “we, as a nation, can be led under my lead ership toward a future and no one will be left behind.” Dole, on the other hand, says he wants to “cut taxes and make gov ernment pinch pennies so that Americans can keep more of their earned money and build their own futures.” So despite character or past scandals both candidates may have been involved in, the vote comes down to whether you are a follower or a leader. I challenge anyone to dispute this. After de ciding what you are, then you should choose who you want to roll the dice on. John Eccleston Eugene LETTERS POLICY The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing comments on topics of interest to the University community. -■ Letters to the editor must be limited to no more than 250 words, legible, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is submitted. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style.
