I don't remember the entire poem, but John Greenleaf Whittier wrote in the 19th Century about "the power of my right hand," referring to the strength every voter has when he or she casts a ballot.
Those words popped into my mind as I walked into McKinley Elementary this morning to cast my first ballot as a Joplin resident. I am always angered when I hear people talking about how they are not going to vote because their votes don't matter. "I'm just one person. My vote isn't going to make a difference."
It's the fact that you participate that does make a difference.
When you consider that many school board or city council races are decided by less than 10 percent of registered voters, it makes you wonder how our system continues to operate.
The power sometimes goes to the minorities (such as millionaire businessmen) who know how to organize, spread money around, and get the candidates they want in the offices where they want them.
At the same time, I agree with what Andy Rooney said a few weeks ago on "60 Minutes." If people haven't bothered to take at least a few minutes to find out about the candidates and the issues, then they should stay at home. If people make their decisions based on ridiculous 30-second advertisements, then I would prefer they stay at home. Our form of government suffers when the people are not well informed.
Unfortunately, school systems across the United States have come to the conclusion that their sole purpose is to prepare our young people for the work world. That was never the most important reason why our system of public schools was etablished.
The public schools were established so our citizens would be knowledgeable about the way our government works, the history of our country, and be prepared to play their role when the time comes, whether it be as a city council member, a school board member, an elected state or federal representative, or simply exercising that most powerful of roles in a democratic society...that of the educated voter.