Voting your conscience

October 21, 2010|By MICHAEL BROIHIER

Opinion

Internationally known motivational speaker Zig Ziglar has spoken to millions of business leaders and is widely respected for his business acumen, however, one of his recommended steps for business success often causes his audience to laugh at him. Ziglar tells extremely competitive business and salesmen and women to, “Hire nice people.” Back in the 80s and 90s you could see the stunned looks on people who’d paid top dollar for a Ziglar seminar when they heard this laughable advice.

Weren’t they in a take-no-prisoners battle with their corporate enemies? There was no room for the weak in their cutthroat, winner-takes-all world, was there? But Ziglar was adamant; nice is neither weak, stupid or noncompetitive, and hiring pleasant, industrious and conscientious employees was a key to building a successful business. The same applies to your elected officials, who are, after all, your employees.

Next Tuesday is Election Day and your opportunity to hire or retain those employees who will impact our lives for a long time to come. Many of you have made up your mind; you might even have a sign or two in your front yard declaring your support of the various candidates, but take a moment between now and Tuesday to reflect on how you made your decision.

Back before the May primary, there were absurd rumors going around about some of the candidates that had a significant impact on the results of the voting. It is hard to imagine the malignant mind that would manufacture a half-truth or outright lie to gain votes, but it happened nonetheless, and several fine candidates were eliminate purely on the strengths of odious lies carefully spread.

That is why it is important to examine your conscience for each and every selection you make. Is your decision based on what you KNOW of a candidate’s character, capabilities and record, or is it simply based on something someone told you? If someone has been convicted or even accused of crimes, it’s a matter of public record and easily proved or disproved. If you haven’t seen it in print it probably isn’t true.

Is your vote based on some rumor of marital infidelity, nepotism or corruption? Where is the proof, and more importantly, what is is the source of the rumor? If it is coming from an opposing candidate or one of their supporters it is probably a load of manure and sound grounds to vote against the accuser.

Are you voting for someone because you or someone you know has been promised a job? The number of appointed positions available is finite, and if a candidate earns your vote this way, be aware that there will be another person who loses their job, not because of incompetence or improper behavior, but because of political opportunism.

And finally, God forbid that your vote is swayed by any of the asinine rumors you’ve read on internet sites like Topix where candidates have been accused of everything but cannibalism. You’d probably make a good choice voting for the candidates with the most negative things posted about them on Topix.

Zig Ziglar used to encourage business people to surround themselves with optimistic people, and when you consider the list of candidates you should too. Look for men and women with a positive message for the future. Pick the candidates that have clearly explained where they want to take our city, county and country and how we are going to get there. Lastly, vote with a good heart and leave the polling place assured that you have selected candidates who will make bold decisions based solely on the welfare of those they represent.

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