This person disagreed. Voting a straight ticket relieves the voter of the responsibility of learning the issues and of making an intelligent decision based on the knowledge. In other words, it is the easy way out and still maintain the semblance of a democratic process by exercising the right to vote.

Why? A Republic as a democratic process should depend on voters electing officials based on the voters understanding the issues and which politicians support those issues, not blind faith that a particular politician believes the same simply because of his party affifiation.

Also, it is well-documented that any politician will say what he believes the public wants to hear during campaigns and, then, after being elected, do the exact opposite. It doesn't matter whether it be a member of the Republican or Democratic Party.

The tragic but true fact is far too many politicians - no other way to say it - lie in order to get into or remain in office. Afterall, it is a gold mine for those that reach the Congress of the United States.

Therefore, the only way for any voter to make an intelligent decision is to have all the facts possible, including the politician's voting record concerning every issue.

How does he stand on this issue or like issues? Is his vote likely to favor a decision in support of the best for all the people or has it been influenced by special interest groups? In other words, if he votes a specific way, who is most likely to benefit, the majority of the people or specific groups?

Exactly what does the proposed legislation accomplish? Why is this party debating in favor of the legislation and the oppositional party debating against it?

And, who leads each party's debate and why? Senior, influential leaders in parties can have extreme contol over junior members and affect the way they vote, even though special interest groups might not have attempted to directly influence junior members.

Without these facts, it is impossible to make a good decision, with 'good decision' defined as a decision based on the facts. Without good decisions, the voter might simply be supporting an individual who could actually care less about the people in relation to his own self- or party-serving interests.

It is quite well-known Congress is full of people with less-than-desirable integrity. Many writers have stated this more emphatically by stating the house is full of felons. The politicians who have caused this conclusion are far more self-serving than publically-minded and, yet, they keep getting re-elected.

The rub is, if the majority of voters in a party are straight-ticket voters, then those officials lacking 100 percent integrity get into or remain in office because of lack of effort by these voters to not only get the facts, but to act appropriately on them.

Furthermore, a Congress composed of self-serving people will vote in a manner that will best benefit themselves through political/ lobbyist back-scratching and the inevitable corruption which occurs.

In addition, legislation passed in this fashion is not necessarily for the good of the majority of people. If contrary to the welfare of the people, then the Congressional decision has not been in support of the basic premise of a democratic Republic, a self-governing form of government meant for the many. It has been an oligarchical decision, a decision which favors the few rather than the many.

Thus, straight ticket voters who vote blindly, meaning without the necessary facts to make a good decision, are conceivably enemies of our form of democracy by blindly voting a specific ticket regardless of the individuals on the ticket.

And, no, Ladies and Gentlemen, simply voting does not mean one has met their obligation as a member of a democratic society.

It could just as well mean one may have abused a duty won through the sacrifices of tens of thousands of our people fighting for truth and justice, the lauded American way of life.