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BE CAREFUL, YOU JUST MAY GET WHO YOU VOTE FOR!

Frankly, 'I' am surprised. Apparently, a large segment of voters trust the 6 o'clock news to provide them with enough information to decide which candidate will get their vote.

You're probably wondering how I can be so sure about this and it's very simple; I used to be one of those voters, until September 11, 2001, that is. That's when I became an incurable news junkie and it didn't take long before television and radio news weren't enough for me. I began researching the internet, talking with family, friends and anyone else willing to discuss and debate issues; generally digging for the truth myself.

Prior to 9-11 it was my belief that I was well informed on the issues and candidates, after all, I turned on the local news and occasionally switched to CNN so I could get the big picture. It was a complete surprise to me when I realized I was only getting one side of the story and that was only the newscasters' and editors' opinions. I was not getting pure fact or enough data to form my own opinion. For that I have to do my own research, not adopt someone else's version.

When the race narrowed down to Senators Clinton and Obama most of the news and discussion time was spent on how historical it was; a black man and a woman. Well, all one had to do was look at a picture of them, it didn't take hours of discussion to discern their color and gender. Listen to one speech from each of them and you know that they are talented speakers, another 'fact' the media spent way too much time on.

What about the issues, experience, background, personal integrity, believability, etc? The things that determine what, if any, presidential credentials the candidate possesses. What about the impact that presidency would have on each and every American, America and the world? Not only the next four years but, long term.

Basically I don't care what color or gender the candidate is. I'm not interested in whether or not history is made based upon color or gender. As for a candidate's speaking talents, as long as they can tell me how they stand on the issues and back that up factually that's good enough. In fact, a speaker that can schmooze the wings off a plane at 30,000 feet only makes me suspect that what they're saying is more fantasy than fact or what they think the voters want to hear not what their intentions actually are.

Some other points I track are experience/tendencies prior to and in their current position, attendance & voting records {past and present} did & do they represent their constituents well or just enough to get by, associates {past & present} who do they surround themselves with & receive support from, and, do they waffle with the polls; vote or speak one way & when unfavorable poll results come out they abandon that position & pass the buck, whining & sniveling: 'it wasn't my fault ... the devil made me do it, it's his fault'.

I don't follow the polls because I have no faith in them. I have been a registered voter and licensed driver with a telephone for over 30 years. To date no one I know has ever been asked to participate in a poll. With the possibility that a small group is responsible for the results, I don't want a candidate elected that won't stand their ground and explain why.

Again, yes I am surprised as well as stunned. It's scary to think that so many votes may be cast based upon color, gender or someone else's opinion. It's time to wake up and pay attention to detail, after all, it's your future too.

Learn more about this author, Brandy Stetler.
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