Know your vote

As we enter into yet another election season there is one thing on the minds of Americans—should I vote, and for whom should I vote?

Yes, you should vote. If you care about anything in this country you should vote. Who should you vote for? Well, that is a different story.

We can't tell you who to vote for and hold your hand through every debate and speech.

We can offer one bit of advice, however. That advice is to read a lot. Make sure you know who it is that you're voting for on a deeper level than, "I happened to hear Michele Bachmann's name when I was flipping through CNN, so I'll vote for her because I've never heard of any of these other cronies."

In order to make an informed decision on a candidate, you need to know their history and know where they stand on issues. You need to see how they stack up to other candidates.

Since we're talking about Bachmann already, let's see what we find.

CNN has a story about Bachmann's recent visit to Jay Leno. In the article "Leno questions Bachmann over gay rights, HPV vaccine" the article says that Leno has frequently made fun of Bachmann but stuck to grilling her. The story is pretty straight-forward. They talked about HPV and homosexuality. Bachmann spoke her mind and so did Leno.

Let's skip over to Salon Magazine.  They stick to the issue of Bachmann's comments on the HPV vaccine. The article, "Bachmann: It's ok to spread lies about vaccines because I never said I'm a doctor," the writer discusses the fact that, in a debate, Bachmann attacked candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry for making it mandatory for teenage girls in Texas to have the vaccine. Bachmann asserted that the drug could lead to mental retardation, which is not necessarily true. Bachmann later justified her comment by saying that she's not a doctor.

"As long as you don't lie about a doctor, you can claim anything you like about medical matters, on TV, and it's OK! (I'm not a doctor, but I hear that if you make your baby wear a onesie with a ‘funny' slogan on it your baby will die)," Alex Pareene, the writer of the article said.

FOX News and the magazine Mother Jones have things to say about Bachmann as well.

 In the FOX News article, "Hollywood Mogul Harvey Weinstein Offers Math Lesson to Michele Bachmann," the article describes Bachmann as "Tea Party darling and presidential candidate."

Meanwhile, in the Mother Jones article, "Michele Bachmann's Gay Biblical Alter Ego" calls attention to the biblical figures Bachmann says she identifies with, such as Jonathon, and their "special friends" (King David in the case of Jonathon).

Whoever your candidate of choice, we encourage you to vote with integrity. Understand whom you're supporting and why you're supporting them.

Don't base your vote on a story and the opinions of your friends. Don't base your vote on a FOX News report, Jon Stewart's Daily opinion or Stephen Colbert's. Research your candidate.

If you do, you'll be exercising to the fullest the democratic freedom to which we're all entitled.