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As we approach the upcoming Primary Elections it may be helpful to pause and reconsider just how important the process of voting is to the future of our community, county, state and nation.
Winston Churchill once quipped, “The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.”
Though cloaked in a humorous way, there is a sad reality in that statement.
We, of course, understand that our founding fathers established a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy, as our form of government.
A Constitutional Republic explicitly requires those we elect to represent the people and they are bound to govern in harmony with our constitutions.
That system, as originally established, limits the government’s power over the people.
Wow! Elected officials are supposed to represent the people? What a bold idea from our Founding Fathers who did risk everything to escape the tyranny of oppressive forms of government.
With those thoughts in mind, ponder this interrogatory. “On which does American youth place more significance; arriving at driver’s license age or voting age?”
Our answers to that question may reveal insight into the maladies facing how we govern ourselves today.
Maybe we have strayed too far from teaching that Liberty and Freedom are obtained by work, industry, thrift and self-reliance. Maybe power, greed and the self-interest of modern politicians have replaced those worthy motives.
Maybe special interest groups have too much desire and spend too much money harvesting uninformed or misinformed voters.
What of those who choose not to vote?
Centuries ago Pericles warned, “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.”
One who says “one vote will do no good must also believe that one vote will do no harm.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
It’s scary to think that a misinformed vote counts the same as an informed vote.
A candidate, possessed by greed and self-interest, seeking the highest office in our State can be dangerous if he is willing to misinform folks to get their vote.
In my opinion we have such a candidate for Governor on the Republican ballot in the 2024 Primary election in March. His name is Bill Graham. He is a lawyer from Salisbury. When I saw one of his first campaign ads, I could not believe his blatant hypocrisy.
Remember Paul Harvey’s “the rest of the story?” The rest of Bill Graham’s story is that he was the lead North Carolina lawyer who sued our hard working family farmers. He put some of them out of business! He is the one who recruited about 500 folks to misrepresent the conditions on some of our hog farms. Some of those farms had never had a single violation.
Knowing that he didn’t have the talent to win a possible $50 million law suit, he teamed up with an out-of-state Lawyer from Texas. The lawyer from Texas was vicious toward our family farmers but very cozy with the Federal Judge and the jurors.
But in his campaign ad Bill Graham proudly says “I stopped China when nobody else could.” So he took credit for the dastardly deed the Texas Lawyer committed against our family farmers.
The law suit targeted American farmers. There aren’t any Chinese farmers in Duplin or Sampson counties.
I have expressed my opinion about him based on personal observations; I was looking him straight in the eyes when he said, “The Chinese have enough money to pay us,” meaning the lawyers.
Our vote is a precious resource. It should not be wasted. It should be a well-informed vote.
We, the people should cherish our right to vote and inform ourselves before we vote!
Jimmy Dixon (R-NC04) represents Duplin and Wayne counties in the N.C. House of Representatives.
