It's an election year.  We all know that, it's part of the national culture to go out and vote every 2 years, and you can't avoid the national candidates on the news these days which may or may not be a good thing.  So why am I writing about this in a blog that I've themed on helping the world?

Because our world needs a lot of help, and I'm not just talking about acts of charity.  I'm not just talking about feeding the hungry, or clothing the naked, or making donations.  I'm talking about leadership, about our society's vision of the future, about our collective repsonsibility for the wars our country is involved in, and what we need to do about all of that.

It's a big plate, isn't it?

I don't think anyone will doubt or disagree that our country is facing some serious issues.  Some are problem, and others are incipient problems, but none will go away on their own.  Look at some of them:

There are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  No one can deny that the United States was attacked, or had a right to fight back, but it should be clear to everyone that neither war has been well managed.  Both of those countries, and the US military, have suffered tremendously, and there's no indication that they'll get better anytime soon.  And there's no easy solution for the Army.

There's the economic situation in the States.  The economy boomed for more than a decade, but that growth is sputtering out now.  The housing market has collapsed, and in many places, people can't give away houses.  All the government talk we hear is about how to stimulate the economy, to prevent a recession.  That may not be possible.

And there's the deep divisions in Congress.  Partisan bickering has reached an all-time high, and it has the potential to paralyze the Congress.  Back in 06, the Democrats were given a majority and a mandate for change, but after 2 years, they're less popular than the most unpopular President in recent history.  The scary part is that the divisions in Congress reflect a real Red State/Blue State divide in society.  Think of the enormous gulf in experiences and ideas between Mike Huckabee and Barak Obama, but without the personal niceness, and you'll get an idea of the problem.

And all of that is just the tip of the iceberg.  The next President, and the next Congress, will need an extraordinary vision, and courage, to face these issues, which puts a huge burden on the voter.  That's us.

We need to make some choices, and soon, about who we want to see leading our country, and we need to make our voices heard.  The ballot box is one way, but only one.  Yell.  Go to your city council meetings, write your congressman, write your state legislators, write your state governors, get the word out on how you feel and what you want to see.  I don't think it matters if you and I agree or not.  What really matters is that we are heard, and that the leaders know we're being heard.  That's the beauty of a democracy, that our voices really do matter.

So make a difference.  Don't ignore the election season.