Vote!

Regular readers of this blog know that I urge all Americans to vote in all elections, local, county, state, and national. We live in the world’s greatest democracy, and unlike the people in much of the rest of the world, we have the right to choose who will govern us. Because of our good fortune, we have a moral duty to vote in every election.

I am more fortunate than most Americans. During my working years, I traveled extensively all around the world. I was able to observe firsthand people who were subjects of autocrats who decided their fate, even whether they were to go on living.

And my readers know that I am sharply critical of the U.S. for what I consider its flaws—the number of gun deaths we suffer, our failure to address global warming, and the number of our citizens who are overweight, for example. But it is also obvious to me that the U.S., for all its faults, is the greatest nation on earth.

It is out duty as citizens to keep it that way. Now more than at any other time in my long life, democracy is at risk in the U.S. because of forces who would turn us into a fascist country. Now, more than ever before, it is our duty to get out and vote.

So be a patriot and a defender of American freedom. Vote!