COMMENTARY: If you didn't vote, don't bitch

For the past several months, members of the Cleveland County Commission have struggled with the issue of whether or not to build a county jail.

They’ve also gone back and forth on where that jail is supposed to be located.

This, because the current jail is overcrowded and State Health Department officials are breathing down our necks threatening large daily fines or, even worse, closing the facility.

A couple of months ago, more than 50 citizens attended a county commission meeting to “voice their opinion” about where the jail should be located.

Some said downtown Norman.

Others said Franklin Road.

Nobody was happy.

Now, fast forward to June.

A special election for County Commissioner — you know, the same guys who decide where the jail is going to be located — is scheduled.

And less than 3,000 of the 28,000 registered Republican voters bothered to show up.

Less than 100 mail-in absentee ballots were returned.

And only about 20 of you bothered to vote early at the election board.

I’m disappointed.

Though I am proud of the handful (read that literally) of you who went to the polls — good work. But for the rest of you — those 25,000 who sat around on their collective butts and didn’t even bother to go to the polls — you guys should be ashamed.

And, yes, the rest of this column is focused directly on you.

You’ll be the first one in line to complain about the jail or whatever county proposal in on the agenda, but you don’t have enough energy to go vote.

You’ll want to whine.

You’ll stand and shout at the rain and tell the rest of us how bad government is.

But you don’t do anything to change it.

You don’t participate.

You don’t vote.

Give me a break.

Consider this: While you of the couch potato variety are solidifying in front of your television, a bunch of tired, hungry — but very loyal — servicemen and women are across the globe fighting to bring peace and civility to war-torn Iraq.

And part of civility is being able to chose who will serve as the country’s elected leader.

But voting in Iraq isn’t easy.

Hell, to vote over there, you have to dodge the automatic weapon fire and avoid the well dressed suicide bomber.

Here in American, you have to turn off the television, get off you ass and go.

As I was writing this column, a few people were going to the polls to pick a new District 1 commissioner. God love ’em.

But I guarantee you there will only be a few. I promise you the number of voters who voted Tuesday will be small.

If I had my way, you’d get a stamped card when you voted. And those people with the card would pay less in taxes, get free stuff and get to help make the decisions about what government was doing.

The rest would just have to suffer.

Because democracy only works when people participate.

And 3,000 people out of 28,000 doesn’t make a quorum.

So if you didn’t vote, you can’t complain. If you didn’t bother to go to the polls, don’t send me a letter about how bad the government is; don’t bother to call, either.

You opted out.

You took the easy way.

And in American, the game of government can only be played by those with an “A” game.

If you want to make things better you have to roll up your sleeves and, in the words of Larry the Cable guy, “git-r-done!”

Until then, you’re just another whining couch potato.