My name is Sarah Jinright, and I'm not a desperate housewife—I'm an American Housewife. Actually, I prefer to be called a domestic engineer. The job that I do demands long hours, perseverance, and strong problem solving skills. Heads up to those out there who may be confused: I WORK. Call it a volunteer position, call it a non-profit gig, but whatever you want to call it, it's hard work.
So what is the point of this new blog? I want to initiate a family discussion—a family discussion that I hope will require a very large table in the future. What's wrong, America? Though my family currently resides in Portsmouth, Virginia, near my husband's duty station; our home state is South Carolina. Last Wednesday, a local news station in Greenville reported that 9% of the people elegible to vote in South Carolina showed up to cast a ballot. ONLY?! South Carolina, what's going on? It's nothing short of shocking. The news station, on the other hand, seemed impressed by the statistic.
Seriously? Let's put this statistic in household terms. To often politics are far too complicated, so let's keep it simple. Many of us know about the Duggars. They are an extremely large family, and before the birth of their most recent child, I believe there were a total of 18 people in the family. Imagine Mr. Duggar throwing a birthday party for Mrs. Duggar, and then on the day of the party, only he and Mrs. Duggar show up. In that instance, the attendance of 1.62 people (round up to two people) is 9% participation. I doubt Mrs. Duggar would feel like her family gave a rip.
Mr. Duggar would probably call a family meeting and ask the same question that I'm asking. What is going on here? Obviously people aren't participating. Why is that, and what can we, THE PEOPLE, do about it. Let's take it to the drawing board. Let's talk about it. We may not all see everything the same way, but that's why it's so extremely SPECIAL to be AMERICAN. We have a right not to see it the same way. The best way to lose the right, is what so many of us are doing right now. NOTHING.
Do I really plan on running for President? Not at the moment. I'm pretty busy running the country that happens right here in our three bedroom apartment. But I care about the four citizens and the dog that live in these walls, and that's were it starts. Caring. As Irish statesmen Edmund Burke once suggested, “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men (and WOMEN) to do nothing!”
Are you reading this? Then you're sitting at the table with me. What do you want to talk about? What are you concerned about? What can we do? We have to care. We have to try.
