For all of you voters who constantly and willingly give away your power by not voting, maybe you should take a look at the budget that House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are supporting.  If you are a Billionaire, multimillionaire or even just a millionaire you will probably love it but if you are an average everyday hard-working American, you might find it to be somewhat discouraging.

This is a budget that the Republicans managed to get through the House and the Senate has espoused a similar version of the House budget.  According to an article by Alan Fram in the Associated Press, “Both budgets embody a conservative vision of shrinking projected federal deficits by more than $5 trillion over the coming decade, mostly by cutting health care and other benefit programs and without raising taxes.”

The article also says that “Over the decade, Obama would raise $2 trillion in higher taxes from the wealthy, corporations and smokers while granting tax breaks to low-income and middle-class families.  He would boost spending on domestic programs including road construction, preschools and community colleges and veterans.”

Finally, the article states that “The Senate budget would cut $4.3 trillion from benefit programs over the next 10 years, including annulling Obama’s health care law.”

I don’t know if those Democrats who voted in favor of this budget realize that it provides another avenue for Republicans to continue to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) but it does.  According to an article by Scott Wong in The Hill, “Marring the House blueprint with the Senate’s budget would allow Republicans to use a rare procedural tool to either repeal Obamacare, pass tax reform or raise the debt ceiling with 51 votes rather than the usual 60.

I have said time and time again that whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent you should always vote!  We must always remember that many people suffered severely and some even died so that all people could have this right.  It is too precious to just cast aside as if it is something that has no value.

I have also said that no matter how many hurdles are placed in your path or how convoluted they might be; you must overcome them and vote.  Especially since the U.S. Supreme Court passed Citizens United, voting is the only way that the average American will be able to overcome the power of lobbyist and big money.  If we fail to vote and make our voices heard then billionaires and millionaires will always be able to buy and own the Congress and, in essence, the country will be run by them.

I don’t believe that most Americans would agree with the budget that the Republicans have proposed.  In addition, it has already been shown in poll after poll that most Americans – Democrats, Republicans and Independents – approve of Obamacare and are being helped by it.  Notwithstanding, the Republicans continue in their effort to repeal it even though they have been unsuccessful for the past five years.

The best way and possibly the only way to get any politician to stop ignoring us and favoring big money and corporations is to use the power of our vote.  Then, no matter how much money is spent by those entities to influence them, if we don’t vote for them their money will be spent in vain.  Once that happens, the spigot will be shut off because those entities are always all about the bottom line.

The 2016 Presidential elections is fast approaching so it is important that all eligible voters start now to assure that we will be able to make our voices heard through our vote.  In order to be able to vote we must be registered and that means that prior to that time, we must have successfully navigated any obstacles that were placed in our path.  I must do this and you must do this because you should always remember that your vote is the most important one of all… unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis