It's better to regret something you have done...

So, I used to not vote when I was young. I thought that not participating in the process was the only way to fully protest my belief that our government didn't listen to the pleas of the poor, the unorganized workers, the temporary employees, the anarchists, the atheists, and so on. I argued with many individuals over drinks in bars, argued with my wife and other family members, said my voice would never be heard, to try to stop the politicians from either sides didn't make any difference. I kept saying that until I saw a third party try to make a difference and get shot down. By the time that had happened I had decided to vote for the third party, and all the people who wanted me to just vote now wanted me to vote for someone else.

The problem is as I got older, I thought maybe something might change. I saw that my voice still might not be heard, but some of the elections, on a local level were being won by just a few (hundred) votes. So I could affect something. Why should I let those who vote make my decisions?

This could be one of the most important elections of our lifetime, people say this every time another election comes up. Don't listen to them or me, but go out and vote because to quote the Butthole Surfers, "it's better to regret something you have done, than something you haven't done."