Why We Vote

This perspective was published on Thursday, October 16, 2008 in the Colchester Sun and The Essex Reporter, local weekly newspapers.
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Why We Vote

This is the season for decisions about what we believe is important in our country and in Vermont. Our democracy grants us the privilege to cast a ballot for people who bring a package of ideologies, beliefs and policies that we think will improve our lot. We will cast our votes for a plethora of reasons, but this year the people we elect face intense challenges.

In Vermont our Legislature ultimately decides how our taxes will be raised and spent.The members and their leaders are the people who ultimately set the policies that we live with. Many of us have talked with the candidates in person. We will soon elect these 180 people who, thankfully, are willing to serve in a General Assembly facing a mammoth budget problem.

We will cast those ballots based on hopes, fears, expectations, loyalties and sometimes sound thinking. The rational among us will vote because we believe certain candidates will tackle the issues responsibly. Thinking voters will evaluate and choose candidates because we believe their values and ideas make sense. We trust their ability to implement those ideas in sound policy and spending.

Many of us will vote because we know the persons seeking office as friends, neighbors or relatives. We believe they are good people, trusting them because they are bright, articulate or affable. We may be clueless about the issues facing them, but trust they'll do the right thing if elected.

Others will vote for people because of the letter beside their names on the ballot. These party-line voters are numerous and those votes are based on loyalty, ideology or because they inherited a belief system from their parents or relatives.

Some voters will cast a ballot based on the candidate's gender, sexuality, ethnicity or race. Hopefully, these voters will be few and far between. Nevertheless, the pollsters constantly categorize and remind us how we think about issues. Ignore the pollsters.

Still others will vote out of anger or bitterness toward incumbents, a "throw the bums out" view. Sometimes, a new broom is needed to sweep away the promoters of bad policies or those unduly favoring special interests.

Vermont faces a crucial period in the next few years because government expenditures have outpaced the tax base that can support them and the chickens are coming home to roost. Without a healthy economy and private sector job growth, Vermont simply cannot afford its past spending appetite.

While many legislators see a revenue shortfall as a problem, leaders and thoughful lawmakers should see it as an opportunity to set proper priorities for state spending and policies. We should vote for people who will bring rational leadership for the common good. Satisfying the special interest promoters who wander the Capitol seeking funding for their 'essential' cause only serves to inflate spending. Only more private sector jobs that pay well can generate a tax base to support government expenditures for the common good. A healthy Vermont economy is not a 'special interest.'

Casting a ballot is serious business and should be a thoughtful process. A vote simply because a person is D, R, P, I, black, white, male, female, gay or straight does not create good government with sound leadership. Instead, we should take the time to understand the issues, know which candidates best grasps them and have rational ideas for improving our Vermont economy, thus all our lives.

One mistake we should avoid is believing that the General Assembly can solve all our problems. So, with that caveat, please vote responsibly on November 4.

David Usher lives in Colchester and is on the advisory board of Vermonters for Economic Health, a group promoting a sound economy and fiscal responsibility in Vermont government.