Editorial letters

My vote really does count
By Stephen H. Cornell

I was musing the other night on the state of Florida, where I presently reside, and the election and presidential politics. Here in this corner of the USA which is often forgotten until we wish to escape winter's worst, or decide to retire from our labors in a sunny tropical clime, and it holds up the election process of the most powerful nation on the planet.

How powerful is the great privilege we Americans wield. And if we had just been a little more neglectful of our privilege and less conscientious to get out and vote this election, perhaps Florida and Oregon would not be making everyone hold their collective breath. It was my senior year in GIHS. Bill Suedemeyer's class in urban planning, which I had elected to take, was having a special visitor! Town Supervisor Raymond P. Griffin had decided to inspect the fruit of our studiousness. The three highest term projects were to be taken back with him to the town board chambers and the next thing we knew about them, a year later as college freshmen, these projects were being synthesized by the town planner into a vast redevelopment scheme for Grand Island. This in turn scandalized certain of the good citizenry of the town who packed the chambers of the council at the meeting scheduled to discuss the plan so full, the discussion had to be adjourned to a school auditorium. Imagine, my humble efforts in academia causing such consternation! Imagine, my single vote in Florida counting so much to a nation! Imagine, the significance of the individual in our society, our great society, our free society, our democratic republic.

Imagine, the ripples that any child can cause with one pebble. Imagine, your vote actually counts! What a country!

Steve and his wife, Lillian and family are residents of Bradenton, FL. Steve graduated from Grand Island High School in 1973.

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