(#5719) Trying to keep our democracy

      What is our democracy? Simply it is our right to be part of how we are governed. Our vote is the result of who we are and what we want. We all get to cast a vote if we are registered. If you are 18 years old or older you can vote in most cases. Some criminals may not be allowed to vote and some who are mentally challenged as well. Otherwise if you are a citizen of the United States of America you may vote. It isn't required for you to vote but it is a duty if you want to be part of deciding your own future. There is an obligation to being registered to vote and that being added to the pool of citizens who may be called for jury duty.
     That obligation is a part of how our judicial system works in America so that the pool of folks is wide ranging and reflects the cultural diversity of perspectives our nation is comprised. That said, the part about voting is the one that is the prize. Participating in our elections is the foundation of who we are and what we hope to become. We vote for the policies within our democracy that help to pave a path to the future and at the same time fill in the gaps of the present. Logic dictates that cooperation among our citizenry is the best path forward to accomplishing goals, for making our society more perfect through a formula instead of through chaos.
     No other nation on Earth can boast of citizen participation like we started here in America. Our foreparents fought with amazing clarity and strength to give us our democracy over the demands of monarchy and tyranny. There will always be the carpetbaggers who come along and try to wrest our democracy away from us so that they can lust after the bounty we have created. However our national treasure is our ability to work together for common goals and this inspiring paradigm will never be stolen from us as it is our character, not some object. The ideal of democracy is not some physical structure that can be dismantled, it is a hope for the better and best of who we humans may become.