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Next Tuesday is your day. Unless you have voted early, next Tuesday is the day set aside for you to have your say in the direction of your government. Please take your obligation seriously.

It makes no difference what I think. It makes no difference how much you like or dislike a candidate’s commercials or how slick the mailers are that fill your mailbox. It makes no difference if you know one or both candidates or even if you like or dislike their personality.

What is important is this: Do they have the same values that you have, because for the coming two years, they will be your voice in government.

PAST IS PROLOGUE

We have serious problems in Washington. Now is the time to ask yourself: Does your favorite candidate support or oppose the current administration in Washington? It would be best to look past what campaigns are saying and you decide where you want our nation to go. Consider Congresswoman Spanberger. Before her last election, she was coy about who she would vote for as Speaker of the House. Once elected, she fell in line and supported Nancy Pelosi. The same is true for every Democrat.

If you believe that President Biden is taking the nation in the right direction, you should vote for a Democrat for Congress. Letting him keep a majority in the U.S. House and Senate will guarantee more of what we have seen in the last two years. If you believe unbridled spending by the federal government will serve the nation well, you should vote accordingly.

If, however, you understand that borrowing trillions and trillions of dollars to buy votes is wrong, you need to vote for candidates that will keep President Biden in check. Debt that our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren yet unborn will be saddled with is evil. As evil, defining legislation as ‘The Inflation Reduction Act’ knowing it will do no such thing.

INFLATION

If you believe that inflation is acceptable because it forced employers to give raises, then look around. Your raise is being eaten up by the cost of everything you need.

ENERGY COSTS

If you believe that America should get off reliance of fossil fuel, I respect your opinion. However, think through the issue. Currently, we receive about 20% of our power from wind and solar. We would not have achieved that high a percentage rate if there were not trillions of tax dollars in subsidies. To continue the growth of those forms of energy, subsidies and mandates will continue to be needed.

A wiser direction would be an ‘all of the above’ approach, letting the free market decide what is best for each household. What is right for urban Northern Virginia might be far different for Southern Virginians. If you believe that the best way to force the nation off fossil fuel is to reduce

the flow of crude oil and force the price of gasoline up, vote accordingly. If you believe that this is a poor way to treat those who are on a limited budget or must travel distances for work, you should consider what Biden has done to accomplish his goal and vote against his party.

If you believe that it is right to deceive the public, then vote to support this type of action. If you believe that by draining our strategic oil reserves to artificially drive down the price of gasoline that his policies created, then now is the time to stand up and vote accordingly.

EDUCATION

If you believe that our children are nothing more than pawns to be brainwashed by those who want them to think and act differently from the values that they have been taught at home and church, then vote accordingly. However, if you believe that our schools should educate our children with the skills needed to have a successful future, then now is the time to go vote for those who would advance these beliefs.

SECURITY

If you are unconcerned about crime and having a secure border, then vote to continue the lawlessness of the last two years. Likewise, if you believe that America should decide who enters our country and understand that laws must be enforced and officers respected, vote accordingly.

It is in your hands; vote as if your family matters!

Frank Ruff Jr. represents Lunenburg in the state Senate. His email address is Sen.Ruff@verizon.net.