×

Are we smart enough to vote?

What if I said to you, “Don’t stick that knife into that electrical outlet,” and you did it anyway, because you listened to someone who told you everyone else is doing it and that they’d be your friends if you did.

You get the shock of your life and wind up in the hospital. You’re lucky enough to be sent home rather than being sent to the morgue, and then, once home, you say it’s not your fault. Someone else put the idea into your head.

You wouldn’t seem very bright to a casual observer, would you? Because you failed to act in your own best interest.

Which brings me to wonder. Are West Virginians educated enough to vote?

Of course they are. However, when fed untruths/disinformation we tend to vote awkwardly — i.e. the recent road bond vote and now a pay raise for all state employees and no way to pay for it.

What political candidates and pundits tell us we have no choice but to believe. If we are lied to, then our voting decisions are based on a lie. We are not mind readers, and most cannot discern if the truth is coming out of a person’s mouth.

Most, if not all, West Virginians over 18 are educated enough to vote. By 18, we have the responsibility and ability to choose and vote for who/what we feel is the better choice. We also get to have a bigger stand in politics and get to register as a certain party.

Politicians in West Virginia have for years relied on the assumption that West Virginians (the majority of them, at least) cannot recognize the best political candidate, or best policy idea, when they see it.

A well-educated electorate is imperative to maintain the Mountain State. We have been blessed with for over 125 years. You and I must maintain vigilance in our great state of West Virginia.

We’ve heard a lot about draining the swamp in Washington, D.C. lately. But truth be told, we have our very own swamp in Charleston.

Unconstitutional spending, sweetheart deals, liberty stealing regulations, and corruption exist at all levels of government in West Virginia.

We are smart enough to vote. Unfortunately a growing number of facts reveal an unfortunate aspect that would seem to disprove this notion, and imply instead that democratic elections produce mediocre leadership and policies.

So, when your friends tell you liberalism is good, and you manage to elect people who support it , but soon afterward you find yourself unable to pay mounting bills, well, you’re that kid with the steak knife.

Robert Ware

French Creek

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $3.92/week.

Subscribe Today