Voting is a mysterious process. Upon initial examination, it seems logical that the citizens would vote for the presidential candidate with the best plan for the country. A president's primary responsibility is to run a country successfully.

Often, however, citizens will vote selfishly for the candidate that will help them the most. For example, a wife with a husband fighting in Afghanistan is likely to support a candidate who will end the U.S.'s involvement in the Middle East so that her husband will come home.

For others, emotion plays a large part. People vote with their heart. One person may vote for a candidate because, "He just looks more like a president should" or "He has a trustworthy demeanor and I just like him". Race is also a factor. Retired Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, said, of the Republican Party,

“My party is full of racists … and the real reason a considerable portion of my party wants President Obama out of the White House has nothing to do with the content of his character, nothing to do with his competence as commander in chief and president, and everything to do with the color of his skin … that’s despicable.”

No matter how good a president Mr. Obama is or has been, some people will never vote for him simply because of the color of his skin. Emotion often triumphs all other thought.

For this week's journal entry we'll hold our own mock vote. Only the candidates' plans will be revealed at this time. Candidate A, lonely dinosaur, is on the left. Candidate B, Mario in a Pikachu costume, is on the right.

*To clarify on healthcare, Mario in a Pikachu costume supports privatized healthcare (i.e. citizens pay for their healthcare) as opposed to lonely dinosaur who supports government paid healthcare

**To clarify on taxes, lonely dinosaur would increase taxes on the rich while Mario in a Pikachu costume would reduce taxes for the rich

Cast your vote for one candidate and explain why you chose that candidate. Next week, the mystery candidates' true identities will be revealed and we'll see who we have elected President.

-Brenden Lee Teacher

american mentally with japanese tendencies, parisian sensibility

#65, Vote