Raise your voice and vote - Oregon Association of Nurseries

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DIRECTOR’S DESK
Raise your voice and vote
A struggling economy, high unemployment, a Congress
interested in petty political victories, a president running for
re-election in a time marred by nasty and personal attacks.
Regardless of party, the signature behavior of our time is
measured by political blood spilled rather than rolling up
sleeves and getting to the job of serving the people.
Most citizens feel powerless — more akin to throwing a
single rock in a torrent river and hoping to change its course.
As America’s shoulders sag at the prospect of another presidential election cycle, our industry must engage, model the
behavior we wish to see in others, and vote.
The importance and vitriol of presidential elections
Our nation has a history of elections that are transformational and nasty. Big issues such as banking (1832), tariffs
(1888), slavery (1860), and coping with an economic crisis
(1932 and 2012) are no strangers to nasty, bitter campaigns.
The first real presidential election pitted Vice President
John Adams versus former George Washington cabinet
member Thomas Jefferson in 1796. One of the nastiest
elections, from beginning to the end, was President John
Quincy Adams seeking re-election against Andrew Jackson
in 1828.
Mirroring today’s economic climate, 1932 pitted
President Herbert Hoover versus two-term New York
Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Each of these races is a lesson of America’s
resolve and a reminder that the nation faces
a winner-takes-all scenario every four years.
That is why it is important to have a legitimate debate over this president’s policies and
actions, his successes and failures.
Voter turnout is a national embarrassment
It is shameful that America takes her right to vote so
carelessly. Out of the nearly 207 million people
eligible to vote, most take a pass on casting a
ballot. Those who complain about core rights
being eroded or bad policies being enacted can
point the finger at the one in four who don’t
bother to register, and the 50 percent who don’t
even vote during most elections.
Expecting more of ourselves
Added to apathy, states across the country
As an industry we must challenge ourselves
are enacting an array of new laws and policies
to expect more out of our elected officials. That
to make it harder to vote. These range from
starts by creating a reputation of being solutiona requirement to show a government-issued
and issue-oriented and demanding that elected
ID (one in ten do not have this), cutbacks on
By Jeff Stone
officials work across the party aisle.
early voting, and registration restrictions. These
OAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Our association just finished our political
could result in fewer people voting in 2012
action endorsement process and we were equal between the
than did in 2008.
GOP and Democrats; we supported candidates who are open
to solutions.
Solving problems, not parsing out partisanship
The nursery industry must demand that political rancor
It is compulsory in my family that we watch the
take a back seat. Officials who do nothing but stonewall
conventions by the Republican and Democratic parties.
against solutions should be shown the door. If we don’t hold
Unfortunately, these events have changed dramatically in the
elected officials to this standard, who will?
last two decades.
The right to vote is a solemn responsibility. The only
Conventions used to be where ideas were debated,
person who can take away your right to vote … is you. If we
young and emerging leaders were introduced to the nation,
do not make good choices, the line between necessary poliand promises of a better tomorrow and a new direction was
cies and political expediency becomes blurred. Our nation,
a standard. What we see now is no more than a contorted
circus mirror of ourselves, a heavily scripted and focus-group- state and neighborhood needs for us to weed this political
garden, plant new ideas, and irrigate responsibility. Get in the
driven infomercial. Both parties vilify the other, and so congame and VOTE.
tinues the de-evolution of our institutions.
The fall began in the early 1990s with a 24 hour/7 day
news cycle, leading to a descent to the lowest common
denominator. It is sad when the tooth fairy has more political currency than doing the right thing and solving the deep
national problems we face.
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OCTOBER 2012
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DIGGER