If you are an American citizen and you are not voting this Nov., you’re an idiot.

Not only because the word “idiot” comes partially from the Greek word “idiotes,” or “private person,” a.k.a one who doesn’t partake in public life, like voting (thank you Dictionary.com), but because you are lacking in faculties fundamental to basic judgment. You have a right to vote in this country. You got this for free. Why would you not take advantage of it?

You didn’t have to pay a $675 filing fee to begin the process of naturalization. You didn’t have to take a silly government test, or conduct an interview in the American consulate of your country of origin to simply reside here, or swear off allegiances to all other national ties, including ones you might still be very close to. You were born here, or were born by American parents. You just started existing, and you got the right to vote and to influence your government, which in turn influences the world.

Those of you who voted in 2004, thank you. Even though the outcome turned out to be less than satisfactory, with Bush at a whopping 28 percent approval rating as of Aug. 27, 2008 (you can Google that one), your vote influenced the process. Even if you argue that your vote didn’t influence that process one bit, get over it. Right now you’ve got another chance. A bigger chance, this time, because it looks like it’s going to be neck and neck.

I don’t care if you’re liberal or conservative, if you worship Obama or believe McCain, if you have the hots for Palin or Hillary. Just vote. You can, and because you can, you should. It’s relatively free, except for the cost of gas.

And what’s more important is that it’s a gift to be able to participate in the decision making process of an extremely influential country that the world right now may not respect but must pay attention to. The people who voted, or didn’t vote, Bush into office influenced the lives of billions of people; from Iraqis to Georgians to Afghanis to Israelis to Palestinians, to the few children who weren’t left behind, to the people with AIDS who did receive medical attention thanks to Bush’s PEPFAR, to the residents and former residents of New Orleans.

Take responsibility of that power and this election season. Try to actually learn something about the candidates. They have plenty of literature out there about themselves and their views. Type their names into your browser, add dot com, and you’ll get their platforms.

Read a few paragraphs, listen in on the debates, talk to people about what you believe or think you believe or what you want to believe. Come to some kind of decision based on some kind of criteria which you deem to be just and true, and then vote. In doing so, you are shaping politics, history, and the lives of other people.
Directly.

So don’t be an idiot. Get interested, get involved, get angry, get excited, get going. You’re already behind. And you can do something about this world. Not all of us can so easily.