Links referenced in this vlog

• Vote Smart
• Rock The Vote
• Deaf Vote
• Voters Unite

Cheryl: I may be the first to say this, as a deaf woman myself, I would never be willing to vote for Satan even if it meant that I would have to do without deaf services. I am willing to put my needs last. However, God is always on our side and we will never have to do without again. McCain helped in the ADA act of 1990 and we wouldn't have grown as much as we have without him. I am very thankful. Also, I thought that politics were boring and wouldn't watch the news either. Its also because it is so disturbing. However, boring or disturbing is not a good reason to not keep up with what is going on with our country. We can't depend on opinios or news from others. The news bias is unethical and the opinions of others are not more important than our own. If we do not keep up, we will lag behind--something that we wouldn't want to do because we have already "come a long way baby." We are in a state of financial crisis, as of this writing, and this affects us who are disabled. We may lose benefits or other needs due to the situation with Social Security and other programs to help us grow, stabilize, and remain independent. This is a time when we need to allow the bordom to invigorate us. We need to take action so we don't have to suffer or any other American to suffer--now or in the future. I wouldn't say a particular state would always remain with a certain party. Times change and so do the people. Never take anything for granted, and never take anything without giving or helping back. It is our way of saying thank you to all of those who gave us a voice and all of those who continue to shout. God Bless America!

Michelle: Thank you!

J.J.: A few comments: 1.)Coming from a state that is ALWAYS blue does factor in your decision somewhat. Massachusetts will always vote democractic...heck..we voted for McGovern. 2.) The electoral college system does factor in your decision somewhat as well. 3.) That being said, I still do vote now and then. I prefer to vote at the state level because I feel the impact of state government more than I do at the federal level. I have voted in about half of the presidental elections. Some I just skipped because I knew it would be a landslide...i.e. Clinton vs. Dole...and for Bush vs. Kerry..Kerry was getting our state vote no matter how I voted. 4.) The lack of a politican that has a "Deaf Issue" on his platform is a huge factor for me. I'd vote for Satan if he promised 100% closed captioning everywhere. Just my 2 cents... -J.J.

Jimmy: Every vote counts! In American history, one presidential election was thrown into the House of Representatives and decided by one vote! As for Florida, we don't really know how many votes Bush and Gore got because the dirty Republicans stormed the room where the vote counters were and scared them away and got the counting stopped. There were one or two counties that never got counted. Then it was the Supreme Court, dominated by conservative Republican appointees, that gave Bush the election. Not Florida. Gore, not Bush, had the majority of the popular vote! Without the electoral college which is now outdated and a joke, Gore would have been president and I think 9/11 might never have happened. I recall Hilary Clinton saying the electoral college, which was founded in colonial times to keep the large states from dominating the small states, should be abolished. I am still waiting for her to introduce that bill. It's a shame that more deaf people are not interested in politics. I do wish that mentally retarded people and other uninformed people could be excluded from voting. We need more deaf people to run for office to make people aware of issues that concern the deaf community, as some of you have said. Did you know that a deaf man was elected sheriff in Tennessee several years ago? We can do it! Jimmy

Thomas: Lauren, thank you for sharing with us about vote when Bush won by 537 votes. You were discussed how small is this number compared to 500,000 Deaf. I disagreed a little on this. Remember he won by 537 votes - that is for state of Florida only, not entire U.S.A. Florida was last state that was accountable for which candidate needed to win. Dem. and Rep. Electoral Colleges were hot! Either one can be won from that vote in state of Florida. Normally there is 300 millions people live in USA but usually 1/3 of people who actually vote which represents 100 millions. Number of Deaf is still too small to count. Don't forget what state Deaf live in. When candidate won state, Electoral College is adding up. The highest score of Electoral College for all U.S.A., candidate become president-elect.

Hugh: Great Job Lauren! Come on PEOPLE! VOTE! Smile.....

john: I encourage everyone to check out Ron Paul. This man can make a real difference for everyone. Go to his website and ASK about the issues that affect us. You may be plesantly suprised by his answers.

Ryan: Lauren, you were absolutely right that 537 votes determined our U.S. history dramatically. WOW! I always vote as usual, but I do know that a former hearing (not deaf) co-worker did not vote in the past. Deaf people, please do not feel bad because many hearing people failed to vote, too.

Keith: I vote on every Presidential election. I get an impression that a majority of approximately 80 deaf co workers where I work never vote. I wonder why... passive or allow "hearies" take over???

Kim: I based my voting decision by talking to co workers. I depended on them to answer my specific questions. I found the news and television too confusing and too boring because they did not address topics that were important to me. I wish we had someone to bring up the deaf issues with our presidental candidates. We've lost so many funds for captioning, that it has taken us a giant step backwards instead of forwards into the future. How can we bring up deaf issues for the candidates, when we are a minority? Things like captioning, movie access, and interpreting just to name a few are just not addressed. I would base my vote on how the candidate would address the needs of the deaf. But this just isn't addressed, so I'm not as active a participate in the election as I would like to be. Thanks.