You Can't Bitch If You Don't Vote

A good, non partisan website to keep you informed. If you don't vote then you get what you deserve.

http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm

or Some Reasons to Vote from the "Rock the Vote" Campaign.


Human Rights
1)In a historic decision in June 2006 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the military commissions at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay and affirmed the protections in Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions which ensure fair trial standards and prohibit torture and other inhuman treatment.

Gay Marriage
1)In October 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that gay couples have the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples under the New Jersey State Constitution, but left it to state lawmakers to decide if such unions can be called marriage.
2)In 2004, voters in 11 states passed initiatives barring gay marriage. In 2006, 8 more states will consider similar ballot measures.

Iraq
1)Nearly 3,000 members of the American military have died in Iraq since 2003.
2)Over 600,000 Iraqi civilians are estimated to have died since 2003.
3)Over $300 billion dollars have been spent on the Iraq War.

Education
1)# Published prices for college costs are up 35% in five years -- the largest increase of any five-year period in the past 30 years.
2)In December 2005, Congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act, which cut $12 billion in federal student aid money. Part of the plan includes a hike in interest rates on Stafford federal student loans (rose from 5.3 percent to 7.14 percent on existing loans and to 6.8 percent on new loans) and PLUS loans taken out by parents (from 6.1 to 7.4 percent on existing loans and to 8.5 percent on new loans).


Reproductive Rights
1)In 1973, the Supreme Court guaranteed American women the right to choose abortion in its landmark decision Roe v. Wade. In response, many states have enacted laws limiting abortion, including laws requiring parental consent and notification for minors to obtain abortions, laws mandating spousal consent and notification, laws barring state funding for abortions, laws banning partial-birth abortions, laws requiring waiting periods before abortion, and many more.

Global Warming
1)The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade. Scientists estimate that global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide .
2)According to the EPA, an increase in average temperature can increase the chances of severe droughts. It may also affect the frequency and intensity of other severe weather, such as storms, hurricanes, and floods.


So, give me one good reason you should not vote.