Can you really complain

As of recently we have been bombarded with candidates for local elections. The students of our university have been called upon to cast a vote for local leaders.
I have noticed that there are a few organizations that have not become active in getting the student population to vote. This is obviously a great thing that needs to continue. More often then not, we as young Americans find ourselves complaining about issues that affect us both nationally and locally. But do we really have the right to complain if we have not played an active role in selecting our leaders?
In the past election, the black voting turnout in Louisiana was 35 percent according to estimates made by Secretary of State Fox McKeithen. However at the time white turnout was more than 50 percent. These numbers represent a big disproportion that we need to adjust in this years’ elections.
So again I, reiterate can we really complain about the status quo if we have not cast a vote? Surely we can not. However more often then not, we find ourselves complaining about road conditions, the price of education, the current state of Louisiana schools and health care premiums.
Many people do not realize that their vote may have a great impact on the things that we find ourselves fretting about.
The most obvious example was the 2003 presidential elections, when the world watched recount after recount to determine who would be the next president of the United States. Think about the millions of Americans that were affected by the outcome of that election and until this day are complaining, but never cast a vote.
I believe that we put ourselves at a great disadvantage when we do not vote and continue to complain about the things that are not available to us. The power of change lays solely in the vote that you cast. It can not be stressed enough that we need to have change here in Louisiana, but that starts with us going out and voting for the person that best represent our needs.
The are so many ways that one can view the elections but all should view them as your chance to elect the person that can get the job done. I believe that if you don’t take an active part in the voting process then you don’t really have the grounds to participate in the complaining.
This is not to say what to think, but rather what to think about.