Wise people have long asserted that “not to vote is to vote and not to speak is to speak,” but many people believe their vote does not matter, and thus will not bother to cast a ballot.
At the same time, many of those who do vote will do so without taking into consideration a variety of factors that have serious consequences for their own well-being.
During an election, many millions of dollars are invested by various political parties, and relentless pressure is placed on the public by media outlets and campaign operatives. Therefore, wise people must step back and engage in responsible reflection before making their decision.
They must make a sober assessment of the real actions taken by the candidates, as opposed to their manipulation of information and doubtful promises. Moreover, it is imperative to know that a great deal of relevant information is not readily available in many media outlets.
But everyone, not just the wise, must consider the fact that, whatever decision they make, it will affect them and their families personally and directly.
The character of the people running for office is important, but their overall policies may be much more significant. Since nobody is perfect, one may not like the character of a certain politician, but many other things have to be considered as well.
For example:
- Do we want to have economic security in our country?
- Do we want to allow rampant inflation to take away much of our hard-earned money?
- Do we want our leadership to manage the wealth of our country in a responsible manner?
- Do we want an honorable, strong and effective police force to protect citizens from criminals?
- Do we want to be able to protect ourselves from criminals, should the police arrive too late?
- Do we want to have a strong military to protect us from enemies foreign and domestic?
- Do we want reliable and powerful national stability to prevent hostile challenges from our enemies?
- Do we want responsible border management to protect the resources and security of our country?
- Do we want to preserve our liberty and freedom of expression?
- Do we want equal opportunity to excel?
- Do we want to be energy independent?
- Do we want to transition to renewable energy in a responsible and gradual manner?
- Do we want to secure our food supplies for years to come?
- Do we want to nurture creative education and research, so as to excel internationally?
- Do we want to use the time spent in our educational institutions efficiently and productively?
- Do we want parents to have a say in the choice of education for their children?
- Do we want to stand up for historical fact and our traditional divine values of equality and justice for all?
- Do we want to learn from our past, encourage success and discourage mediocracy?
- Do we want parents to have a say in the healthcare choices of their children?
- Do we want a fair and trusted justice system, where everybody is treated equally under the law?
- Do we want to be treated equally and fairly by our government?
- Do we want to encourage individual initiatives and creativity to promote innovation?
- Do we want to limit the bloated size of government?
- Do we want to limit the heavy-handed taxation of productive individuals?
- Do we want to prevent politically motivated persecutions?
- Do we want our leaders to follow our laws?
- Do we want to restore respect and admiration for our leaders?
I am confident that the majority of the people will respond affirmatively to most of the points that I have mentioned, and therefore, I hope that each person will take a serious look at the facts, ignore deception and manipulation by self-serving individuals and vote in a responsible manner.
The decision to vote will have to be taken irrespective of any previous political affiliations, should they be on the left, the right or anywhere in between.
May we have a better future to the benefit of all of us.
Dr. Shmuel Katz was born in Hungary and raised in Israel. He served as an IDF officer in the Six-Day War and gained extensive trauma experience during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He is double-boarded in surgery; a fellow of the Israeli Surgical Society, the American College of Surgeons and other medical societies; and is on the board of many pro-Israel organizations.
This article was originally published by Israel National News.