Moving To Canada?....Seriously?

The recent presidential election has pleased many while discouraging others. Many of my facebook friends posted a common theme on their status the night of the election: Obama? I'm moving to Canada! The conservative community has made similar statements voicing their negative attitudes about being part of a country under the leadership of President Elect Barrack Obama. Does it seem strange to anyone else that these people would chose to remove themselves from United States society at the drop of a hat? I'm sure that they are trying to make a bold statement, but attempting to do so in an extremely ineffective, irrational way. Running away from a situation that opposes a given groups' opinion shows fear and instability. The nation’s collective support of the new president, regardless of personal opinion, would have a major impact on our government and, in turn, the nation. A more vested interest in the United States government doesn't necessarily require a hard-core republican to adopt the President's view or agree entirely with his policy. The founding of our country’s Constitution set up government to be by the people and for the people. The key term here is PEOPLE. People have a voice in government that they rarely use. Those who create so much controversy and noise have an opportunity to use all their efforts for good (or at least what they consider good).

Those elected to government offices have a responsibility to work for the good of the United States. This means that their office serves those who elect them. Citizens have adequate opportunities to lobby for change, yet there seems to be so much bark, but little bite. We see heated debates and endless editorials, even facebook opinions. Granted, opinions are healthy and debate challenges ideas. When these stop at only words our nation will suffer and has! Leaders may have policies and ideas, but people taking a stand for issues helps refine policy.

Many have strong opinions and political views, yet are extremely uneducated about reasons for political agenda. This fault does not fall entirely on the general public, as most government officials operate out of the public eye, emerging only for speeches and campaigns. On the other hand, people could make time and effort to more actively participate in government. Both are at fault, but both have a Constitutional responsibility to work together. Sometimes citizens of the United States forget the privileges of this nation because they get tied up in hate or pity for themselves. Arguments arise that the government is a corrupt institution, only concerned agenda in its best interest. The government doesn’t help people so why should people support the government? These people point a finger and makes accusations of hypocrisy, yet refuse to make changes themselves. The success of our nation depends upon the combined efforts of ordinary citizens and leaders. Moving to Canada seems to remove an important part of the equation!