Decide Who Has Control Over Your Life
Monday, October 25th, 2010
We are often turned off from voting by some combination of disillusionment, disinterest and cynicism. Obama let us down. Or that issue has nothing to do with us. Or one vote doesn’t matter and they’re all the same, anyway.
There’s certainly something to be said for all that, but decisions are made by those who show up.
On November 2, New Yorkers will craft the future of the state by voting for the next governor, state senators, and more. The outcome will impact, among other things, the MTA, which this month approved raising monthly unlimited MetroCard prices to $103, even after drastic service cuts.
The governor appoints the MTA chairman and both major gubernatorial candidates have criticized the current chair, Jay Walder. Carl Paladino has called for his ouster and according to *The New York Times*, “Historically, few chairmen last longer than a year after a turnover at the State House.”
The state senate, which is also up for election, is often out of touch or in the pocket of special interests. This month, Democrats were found to have cut sweetheart development deals for prominent party donors. And to show how in sync they are with New Yorkers last year, after the assembly approved the legislation, the Senate rejected a bill which would have allowed same-sex marriage in the state.
Although many of the challenges our generation faces seem insurmountable, others can be solved on this local level. Global warming is may seem out of our hands, but we can lower the cost of living. In a statewide election with only eight million voters, one voice makes a difference. The price of your MetroCard is too high? So is mine. You think everyone should have the right to marry whom they want? So do I.
Yes, our leaders let us down, but what right do we have to complain if we never asked them to change things in the first place?
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