I voted. Did you?

There's something about standing in line to vote that gives you a different feeling than when you stand in line anywhere else. The patriotism seems to pervade you and you become more connected with people around you. The thought that came to my mind was of other nations and those that do not have the freedom to choose their government officials. Of course there may be times when a country is fortunate enough to have an unelected leader who may actually have the best interest of the people at heart but it's rare. Having the choice to vote for the person you want to represent you is the one time when you have the power over government, however fleeting that time is. Our choices may be limited and they may not be the best we can do, but they are choices. That's something billions of other people do not have. While standing in line there was an elderly gentleman who had just finished voting walking out. He was arguing with someone about a subject that I didn't get the details of, however I was able to determine he was admonishing someone regarding something they did with regard to his voting. He told them they were not to interfere and they needed to respect the polling place and voting rules. He was doing this in a stern but calm manner. I was impressed. Here in our country we the people take the right to vote without pressure seriously and are prepared to challenge anyone who would try to violate those rights. In other countries you could be jailed or killed for standing up for your rights.
For all the imperfections our government and elected representatives have, we still have the power to boot them out of office if we so choose. Sometimes I wonder if that crosses their mind when they make back room deals or have lapses in judgments? Either way, it's up to us to decide whom we deem worthy of being elected, and that's a responsibility we should all take seriously.