Thoughtful Thursday – On taxes and tea parties . . .

teapartyFirst of all, my apologies for missing Wicked Wednesday only it was a crazy day at work and of course, even worse, it was Tax Day!

The lines at the Post Office were awful, I’m told. There were dozens in line to buy stamps to mail their tax returns and even more people dropping by to place their returns in the bins labelled for the respective tax centers in the area.

Tax day and tea parties! Now, whether you’re for or against the current tax and stimulus plans, here’s the thing . . .

You have the freedom to speak out about it. If you follow all the rules and behave responsibly, you have the right to stand up and let your voice be heard. Whether or not the politicians and media listen is a whole different thing, but it doesn’t lessen the fact that you have that freedom.

Freedom and responsibility. They go hand in hand.

My daughter and I were talking about this the other day. She’s taking a sociology course in college where they are discussing all kinds of interesting things. Political democracy. Economic democracy.

Democracy period. A fascinating concept to be sure. Wikipedia defines it as “a form of government in which power is held indirectly by citizens in a free electoral system” and goes on to offer various examples of different kinds of democracies.

The bottom line is . . .

Democracy only works if you do as well. Vote. Voice your opinions. Demand honesty from your politicians and the media. You have the freedom to do so, but more importantly, it’s your responsibility to do so.