2012 and the Secret Ballot - An Opinion.

The Presidential Election is looming ahead of us, and though over a year away, the battlelines have already been drawn, and the worthless rhetoric begun. What can we do, each of us, as individuals, to break the cycle of rancor and division? It's quite simple. The Secret Ballot. You have it, it's your right, use it.

Imagine an election in which there are no polls to highlight the divide between political factions. Some people might even think about the issues. I have proposed this in 2004 and 2008, to no avail. I believe I was a bit ahead of the times then. But I also believe that it is a viable solution, as well as a possible deterrent, to the forces that seek to keep us split, 49% against 51%, in a continuosly shifting battle, one which serves only the politicians, and the media, running the show.

In this coming election cycle I encourage you, when asked, by friends and pollsters alike, who you are voting for, to reply with something like, "I am exercising my right to vote a Secret Ballot." If they persist, question their loyalty to the Constitution, which they all, on both sides, so vociferously defend.

If the Conservative persists, you can accuse him of betraying the Constitution. On the other hand, if a Liberal is bothering you, you can question his patriotism as well. After all, both sides are extremists, and as such, threats to the order of our society. Numerous as they may be, the faults of the system in place now, pale in comparison to the spectre of Tea Partiers, or Juinor Congressman, running the country. And as for Donald Trump, don't even get me started.

So, vow to vote your conscious. That is your Right. But don't give the 24/7 news cycle the fuel on which they feed, as they continue to influence elections with their "polls." That's your Right, too. And in a more important way, it's also your Responsibilty.