Do you want to know what really grinds my gears?

Politics.

Better yet, the buildup to Election Day.

With the presidential election coming up, I have two words to sum up how I feel about it all: enough already!

Pursuing a career in public relations, I am aware of the business and the amount of money it takes to make a person, corporation or political party candidate look good in the public eye.

When it comes to spreading fallacies and digging into issues outside of the political realm, I get a bad taste in my mouth.

To be perfectly clear, chills run up my spine every time someone even mentions the word “politics.”

There’s no other subject that makes me feel more uncomfortable except for maybe when someone mentions the Green Bay Packers. Skol Vikings!

But I digress. I hate this

subject but it’s something I feel the need to address. Every time I turn on the television, I see a different ad pointing fingers, “Barack Obama did this!” or “Mitt Romney used to do this!” Honestly people, we need to educate the American public on the actual issues at hand that directly affect them.

Better yet, the American public should want to know what these candidates are actually representing, not just who wears a suit better or what Michelle Obama ate for lunch.

Whether you’re in the upper class, middle-class or something lower, you have a duty to yourself and the well being of your future to know where the candidates stand.

We have drifted apart from what is really important and only care about the lowest of the low.

“Oh gosh! President Obama isn’t white and wasn’t born in the continental U.S! He must be a terrorist!”

Really people?

I consider myself to be a moderate when it comes to American politics.

I don’t like to conform to the two-party system because I have differing views on many subjects that could be categorized as Republican or Democratic.

The way I was raised and the ideals that my parents believe have shaped my political beliefs.

After truly becoming educated on what I believe in myself, I don’t feel that I can make this a black and white situation.

Which is ironically what I predict the upcoming election to play to be.

Just because you are African American doesn’t necessarily mean you should automatically vote for Obama and just because you’re white doesn’t mean you should vote for Romney.

Dig deeper than skin color!

So come November please do your state, your country, yourself and me a solid and educate yourself on where each candidate stands on important issues that affect us all and vote accordingly.

Most importantly, actually go vote!

It’s a max of 20 minutes of your day to shape the nature of this country’s future.

Take advantage of your democratic right to have your voice heard in our political system and thank God we aren’t run under a dictator of communists.

You can’t complain about the outcome if you don’t take the steps yourself to have your voice heard!

Election day is Tuesday, November 4, 2012.

Vote, vote, vote!

Contact Erin at [email protected]