A Catholic is supposed to do what all good citizens are called to do; make an informed decision and vote! A great number of men and women served and continue to serve to protect our liberties. Liberty is the freedom to think or act without being constrained by necessity or force. The United Nations Bill of Rights is founded upon the first three articles: 1. All humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights, 2. All humans are entitled to these rights, 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.
“With great power comes great responsibility”
Despite what Marvel comics and the movies would have us believe, this epic and powerful quote did not originate from a Hollywood script writer, or Stan Lee, not even Franklin D. Roosevelt, or Winston Churchill. It came from Francois-Marie Arouet (a.k.a. Voltaire) an 18th century French writer who was disturbed by the sickening abuse of authority and privilege by those in power while the poor and underemployed starved and suffered around him.
We have been given many rights and freedoms. “To those who much is given much is required.” ~ Jesus, Luke 12:48
Not only have we been given the right to vote, we have the responsibility to vote according to our well-formed conscience. Half of the world’s countries wish they had the freedom to vote!
Check out the Diocese of La Crosse website for more on Being Political versus Partisan.
Need to register? Go to My Vote Wisconsin!
Democracy Index
The Democracy Index is an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, which measures the state of democracy in 167 countries, of which 166 are sovereign states and 165 are UN member states. The index is based on 60 indicators grouped in five different categories measuring pluralism, civil liberties, and political culture. In addition to a numeric score (1 to 10) and a ranking, the index categorizes countries as one of four regime types full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes and authoritarian regimes.
Norway has the highest democracy rank with a score of 9.93 out of 10. Lowest in rank is North Korea being the most authoritarian with the score of 1.08. The United States ranks 20th with a score of 8.05.
Let’s keep the United States a democracy!