I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I’m going to take a stand. I’m going to defend it. Right or wrong, I’m going to defend it. — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Primary season for the 2014 elections is well under way.  It’s time to get involved.  If you’re not registered to vote, please remedy that situation.  Learn about the candidates and the issues.  Don’t just study the people who are running for office.  Learn who is supporting them financially.  If you want to know how someone will act after taking the oath of office, look at who is bankrolling them.  You should also learn about any down-ballot referendums.  Go beyond the simple wording and look at how it could be interpreted, folded, spindled, and mutilated.  Anything that lowers the amount of power in government’s hands tends to be good, while the reverse tends to end horribly.

If you have the time, seek out the candidates and causes you support.  Give of your time and talent.  Write letters, make phone calls, talk to your friends and family.  Even if all you can give is a couple of hours to deliver yard signs or reach out to voters, it will make a difference.

And finally, get your butt to the polls, both for the primaries and for the general election.  The more of us who show up, the more the politicians have to listen to us.  When in doubt, I tend to vote against the incumbent.  If they have the advantages that come with already being in office, then they ought to have made a big enough impression before I get to the voting booth, one way or the other.   If you can’t tell the difference between the Democrican or the Republicrat, then consider third party or independent candidates.

Get registered, get educated, and get involved.  The republic you save could be your own.