Get Up! (by By Geshalem Perez aka g*)

I often wonder what some of us Train of Thought-goers do outside of the weekly gathering. I wonder if anyone else is politically active at all. I know a lot of us are conscious people living the day-to-day; some scraping by, others a bit more well off but what I realized is that when we take a step back and look at the bigger picture, we are all in this together.

It doesn't matter what our socio-economic status is, or where we went to school, or what we do for a living. What does matter is that we are all a vital piece of the puzzle to create a more progressive San Diego. That's right, you and me, and her and him, and that other person, too. The most important thing to consider is this: in order to create and land ourselves in better jobs and living situations (because, let's face it, who doesn't want a better job or living situation?) we must all participate and focus our energy in...politics.

No matter what your view on our local, state, or federal governments are, we are a vital force to be reckoned with when it comes to helping elect working-class friendly candidates or propositions which help working families. And no, it doesn't really matter what party anyone belongs to, because as long as we educate ourselves and move to action in some way, shape, or form, we can help make those positive changes we want to see in this city, state, nation, and world happen.

I believe that it is our duty as human beings to get involved in the political process as much as possible so that we actually get a say in what goes on around us. In turn, if we fail to participate and instead focus our efforts on playing video games, watching the latest novela, e-stalking your friends friends on Facebook, or simply doing nothing we will never break free from the strong chains of the machine that control those distractions.

So, why is it important to get involved in politics? Well, if we don't, we can't complain about the decisions other people make for us.

Getting the word out on a candidate, proposition, or issue that may affect our lives is key even if we are or are not U.S. Citizens. To those who think otherwise, think about this: think about how many people you interact with on a day-to-day basis, those that you have casual or serious conversations with. U.S. Citizen or not, chances are you may be able to influence at least one other person, if not a handful. All it takes is a simple conversation, a little confidence, and knowledge on what proposition or which candidate you're speaking of to engage those around you.

For those qualified to do so:
Voting matters because every vote counts (check out the Juan Vargas vs. Mary Salas June Primary race; Vargas won by a whopping 22 votes!!).
Voting matters because it helps us stay involved/informed with current issues.
Voting matters because it truly gives each of us the opportunity to voice our concerns (and if a good number of us are concerned about the same thing, we might actually be able to make a difference in addressing those concerns!).
Voting matters because it can wake up a group of people (for good or bad it can wake them up!).
Voting matters because we can sway politics and policies to our favor.
Voting matters because it helps level the playing field between large (evil) corporations and hard working class people, like us.
Voting matters because it's frustrating not being able to (trust me, I know because I just became a U.S. Citizen two years ago, at 25 years young!).


But, no need to start the debate once elections are over because...they'll be over and done with and unless you have the time, energy, and resources to petition against that new law or elected official-which, chances are you may only have 1/3 of that equation-your arguments will be null and void and too late to combat the votes cast. Your arguments will fall on def ears, shrugged shoulders, and that nagging voice inside saying "you should have voted because now you can't complain about the decisions other people made for you."

HOW TO GET INVOLVED THIS ELECTION SEASON:

1. Remember, you can't vote unless you're registered; you must re-register if you've moved or changed your name.
   a.    Register today by clicking the link: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/voters/Eng/Ereg.shtml
2. Learn more about whom our local labor movement has endorsed:
   a.    http://www.udwa.org/political/state-elections-impacting-ihss/#state
   b.    http://unionyes.org/endorsements-upcoming-elections
   c.    SPREAD THE WORD!
3. Volunteer with the UDW Homecare Providers Union by contacting Geshalem Perez at gperez@udwa.org