The Lazy Majority

To the Editor:

I hope that this week’s letters to The Bee will include a few letters of disappointment in the low voter turnout at the polls yesterday, with only 22.5 percent of Newtowners participating in our annual town and school referendum. There may also be letters of disappointment in the outcome of the vote as well. I share both of these views.

Others will probably speak to those issues more eloquently, but I will add my two cents as everyone is always entitled to my opinion! I wish to speak to the apathy and entitlement that I see rampant in our American small town lives, a bigger issue that I believe played a part in 22 percent voter turnout. I say this because we know that Newtown is capable of 90 percent voter turnout in a presidential election so we can be confident that folks do know how to actually cast a vote when the spirit moves them.

I think that the majority of us are lazy. I know that I frequently am, and I think many of us look or wait for others to do the work. We wait for others to take a stand, we wait for others to volunteer, we want medicines and Botox and quick-fix remedies and we want it all now. We want to keep out immigrants yet we want our under-the-table lawn services and housekeepers. We want to have fantastic community services, including superior schools, but we can’t even manage to get out to vote for five minutes, let alone take the time to really understand all sides of very important issues.

We focus on our all-powerful, almighty kids, running them here and there, yet rarely stopping to think and act outside of our very small worlds. I realize that this vote is not life-threateningly all-important, but we are talking about participating in our community, and who are we if we are not citizens in a community?

Have the courage to go vote No, have the courage to go vote Yes, but vote. If my words anger you, then respond, get involved. Go vote on the revised referendum, expected on May 9.

Sarah Beier

7 Yogananda Street, Sandy Hook                                April 26, 2006