Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?

What has changed in your life since George W. Bush was installed as president of the United States? Have you seen a pay raise at work? Have gotten a better job? Have you lost your job? Have you been harassed by the FBI for something you posted on the Internet? Have you been questioned by Ashcroft agents for books you've purchased? Do you really feel safer post-9/11 because of the actions the president has taken since that awful day?

Have you asked yourself any questions at all about either presidential candidates - questions that you took the time to try and have answered?

If not, why not? If so, did your questions and answers lead you to any conclusions about Bush or Sen. John Kerry?

Is everything I'm asking sound like mumbo-jumbo or unintelligible blather to you? Well, if it does, might I suggest that you're probably an uninformed citizen who has no business making decisions about government representatives. I could be wrong but, it would seem to me that, at minimum, to be a legitimate voter, one would delve at least a little bit into the character, records and platforms of the candidates. In other words, one would go beyond the party line and actually dig into the issues that interest or concern one and find some answers.

No? Well, OK. It's your country (and mine) and I believe any idiot has a right to continue being a fool. But I would ask that you make an attempt to improve your conscious hold on reality just a little and inform yourself about even ONE issue BEFORE you vote.

Now I'm all for getting out the vote - I think our system of government is excellent in its construction - though maybe not so excellent in its performance. What's required is that I, as a voter, have a responsibility to my country to my community and to my neighbors to study, if only for an hour or two, the positions staked out by each candidate, lift the covers from the smokescreens and get my mind wrapped around the possibility that either candidate may have solid arguments and/or viable visions for our nation's future.

Just a thought. Last note: If you're eligible, please vote.