Election

Today is Election Day. I have been to three states this past week. In each state the television is filled with nasty political commercials. Billboards are plastered with airbrushed candidate’s faces. You can’t stand to listen to the radio, because all you hear are sound bites from one agenda or the other. The midterm election is inescapable. And however much we try and escape responsibility, reality is always there to meet us on the other side.

I ran into a law school classmate today at breakfast. We were discussing how things have changed in the last six years, since we started law school. Neither of us is practicing law. He has a child. I have moved out of state. He told me his favorite quote, "It is more difficult to do what you want than to do what you do not." This resonated with me. I think this quote applies, not only when discussing the life of a law student who has chosen not to practice law, but also when discussing today’s election.

Regardless of political affiliation, we can all agree, our country is facing some challenges. I saw on television yesterday (I know you shouldn’t believe everything you hear on television, but…) that 45% of all homes sold in the US last year were foreclosures. Unemployment is still high. We have a broken immigration system. We fear terrorism at home and abroad. And our government continues to add to our ever increasing debt load. We have some issues to tackle.

I think this powerful midterm election should remind us, “It is more difficult to do what you want than to do what you do not." We want to restore American values, jobs, and stability and to do so, we are going to have to make some tough choices. It would be easier to avoid these difficult decisions that will require sacrifice in the short term for success in the long term. But it's easier to make instant gravy rather than homemade, and that certainly doesn't make for a better dinner. I am hopeful this election will bring faces to the table who are ready to make unpopular decisions and tough choices. I am hopeful this election will further policies that will get us back on track to being the great country we are. I am hopeful when you vote today, you will remember, “It is more difficult to do what you want than to do what you do not."