I'm Donating My Vote To The Disenfranchised
Within fifteen seconds, two different people approached me and asked for a cigarette. I've cut down to less than four cigarettes per day, and when I do smoke, I walk outside, down the stairs and away from my neighbors windows. The second woman who approached me had no qualms about asking for my now unlit half cigarette. I gave it to her.
Now that the small local recycling joints have been closed and/or moved, I don't see the same number of people looking for recyclables that I used too and I often wonder how they are getting by.
I'm now in my last semester of a six year college stint, having returned to college in my forties to get my computer science degree. I'm a full-time student and a single parent of one. We live on my grants and a student loan. It is safe to say that I am in poverty; I won't have an income for a couple months and will owe on my debt. Yet, I feel extremely privileged. I have a roof over my head and food on the table. I am sitting at a desktop computer writing this post with my favorite cartoon on a small flat-screen TV in my room. I am connected enough to society to follow what is going on and be politically active. I am registered to vote and never fail to do so. Yet, so many people are simply not connected to society enough to be involved. Many are living hand to mouth, with the most pressing issue being where to sleep at night, or how to get the money to pay an overdue bill. Some are dealing with severe addiction and/or homelessness.
These people are just a fraction of those who are not involved and therefore have no say in who is elected to serve the citizens. Even if they were to vote, they would not be of interest to our current corrupted political leaders, because they have no power or money. They are not the only citizens who have no voice; there are millions of children who are just as affected by our current economic and other policies, yet must rely on adults to make those choices for them.
For all these people, we must choose wisely. They are usually, if not always overlooked and uncounted. Every human being in the U.S. deserves to be represented, EVEN those who can't vote. I will choose to use my vote for the candidate who is most likely to consider the needs of all U.S. citizens if elected. In June, in CA and in November, I will be casting my vote for Bernie Sanders.
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I wish you all the best--light at the end of the educational tunnel and a future for you and your child. Thank you for this thread and welcome to the group.
Very well written. 
