By now you must be fully aware that the Prince George Citizen is promoting the "Your Vote Matters" initiative to encourage the people of Prince George to get out and vote in the upcoming municipal election on November 15th.
Voting is one of the most fundamental rights in our democracy and I applaud Neil Godbout the managing editor of the Prince George Citizen for leading the charge to get people motivated to get out and vote on November the 15th.
This Seniors' Scene Column is also a great place to applaud seniors who vote because the majority of seniors do exercise their right to vote. I know I do. By the time we are seniors we have come to realize that our time is running out. We have learned to not beat around the bush; we have learned to speak our mind.
Voting is a way to speak your mind and to let your voice be heard. Our vote is our voice. When we vote on November 15th seniors will have the savvy to choose candidates who will listen to the issues that are important to us and to our community. When we vote it also means that we are looking out for the future of our great city and our next generation - which boils down to our grandchildren. Our grandchildren are a pretty strong motivation for most of us.
City Council ultimately plays the card that decides our financial future. They will decide how much we will pay in property taxes and how those hard-earned tax dollars will be spent. We know that if we don't vote for what we believe in, others may rise up and vote for things that we do not agree with. We are fully aware that we may not like living with that outcome so we show up and we vote. We speak our minds and we want strong leaders.
Listen up, candidates: Our votes matter and we know it. Each and every vote has equal weight and collectively we pack a lot of weight.
I am personally a proud member of the Scarlet O'Hatters Red Hat group so I asked my sisters - the members of this noble institution - if they intended to vote in the upcoming election. The score: 100 per cent of my Red Hat sisters will be voting. In fact Erika Harders said, "I vote in every election.I truly believe that if you don't vote, then you don't have the right to complain!"
Retired school teacher and Red Hat member Sandy Moseley also agrees and says, "Yes I will be voting. It is important to me to voice my opinion in this democratic way."
Red Hat member, Susan Adair is quoted as saying, "I will definitely be voting. I consider the opportunity to cast my ballot a right and that being a woman and living in a free country is not to be taken lightly.
"We all seem to feel free to express our opinions about how politicians are governing. In my opinion if you can't take the time to vote you don't have the right to express your opinion. It makes me sad that so many take the act of voting so lightly.There is no excuse not to vote."
This past weekend 47 of us BC Tel and TELUS retirees and our partners met at the China Sail Family Restaurant for our semi-annual gathering to enjoy a great meal and to catch up on the latest news about one another.I asked the group if they intended to vote in the upcoming election. The score: 100 per cent of these retirees will be voting.
The Elder Citizens Recreation Association (ECRA) welcomes you to the ECRA Drama Club's presentation of "LOL 2" (Laugh Out Loud 2). Show times are: Friday, November 7th at 7 pm, Saturday, November 8th at 2 pm and Sunday, November 9th at 2 pm. Tickets are $10 per person and $5.00 for children 12 years and under; tickets are available at the ECRA office and at the door at 1692 Tenth Ave., 250-561-9381
October anniversaries: 60 years for Swede and Amelia Peterson and 55 years for Roman and Gertraud Hildebrandt
