The Price of Apathy

As I wrote in an earlier blog, I’m a product of the 60’s. I grew up with the Civil Rights movement and the Viet Nam war. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were killed within weeks of my high school graduation, and I was drafted into the Army during the war. Because my friends and I argued and debated issues like race, the war, society on facts and not rhetoric, I was sure my generation would ultimately fix things. However, the tenor of the political discussion throughout American society over the past few years has me more convinced than ever, that we just screwed it up differently. Unfortunately, I’ve also come to realize that the generation behind us doesn’t seem prepared to fare any better.

There are big decisions being made by our elected representatives in Washington and Harrisburg, decisions that will impact our families and us for years to come; yet few people seem to give a rip. TARP, health care, immigration, the economy and financial reform are dominating the national discussion, while local and state leaders are trying to figure out how to get by financially. Educational funding is being strained as never before, and tough decisions will have to be made. The educational system is critical to our future, but local school districts are being challenged to do more with less. Do you know who your elected leaders are? Do you know where they stand on the issues that are most important to you? Have you checked the facts or are you just repeating spin? Most people eligible to vote answer these questions with a no. Apathy throughout our communities is a major issue. If residents don’t know what’s going on, there is no way they can participate intelligently. If they can’t participate the system is weakened. If we are to grow as a community, we must ask questions, and get involved. At the very least, look into political candidates, get the facts and see who best represents your views. Then vote!

Elected leadership will be making important decisions about you and your family’s future. Shouldn’t you ask them what their views are? We as a society cannot afford to be apathetic. I believe Plato was right when he said, “The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”