Voting for the next leader of our country is in exactly one week. 7 days. So, who are you going to vote for? Democrat? Republican? Independent? Your next-door neighboor? My mom says that she wants to write in Bill Cosby....now wouldn't that be fun?! We'd all be wearing crazy sweaters and eating hoagies!

I strongly urge you to vote, especially all you women out there. Suffragettes went through a lot of trouble to be able to get us the vote. We definitely should not ignore all they did for women's rights by being lazy on November 4th. How would you feel if you had picketed and protested and even got sent to jail and finally win, just to have the women that you won these rights for not even use them just because they don't feel like going to the school gym that day? In honor of Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth, go to those polling boothes next Tuesday! For more information about women's suffrage:

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=932&display_order=1&mini_id=1286

And, yes, your vote does count. You may think because of the millions of voters in the U.S. and the electoral college and all those big fancy politicians in Washington that you are a little peon and it doesn't matter if you skip out this year, but it does. It's like an upside-down pyramid. We all vote for who we want, and then that determines the electoral college. The electoral college is then made up of politicians per state who had pledged to vote for the same candidate that you voted for. The electorals don't necessarily have to vote for that candidate, but it is very rare that they change their minds. So in an indirect way, your vote does count. Check out the following websites to learn more:

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/lessons/davidwalbert7232004-02/electoralcollege.html

http://www.votesmart.org/election_president_what_is_electoral_college.php

I already know who I am voting for. I won't tell! And I won't try to influence your decision in any way. All I ask is that you take 1/2 an hour out of your day next Tuesday (wouldn't you like an excuse to miss a little bit of work that day?) and make your choice. Each of the major candidates (Obama and McCain) have websites, listed below, which explain their stand on each issue. Help to make a difference in the government and vote on November 4th.

http://www.barackobama.com/

www.johnmccain.com/