Get out and vote!

After almost two years of non-stop campaigning and being inundated with almost non-stop cable "news" coverage of this Presidential election, the time has come. The time to get out and vote and make your choices on local, state,and federal issues ... and of course, on who will be our next President and Vice-President. I remember when I was growing up that Election Day was special. My parents took me to the polls which were just around the corner from our house, and located in the basement of the Fewsmith Church on Union avenue in Belleville, New Jersey. I stood outside the "curtain" and listened to our neighbors discussing how this year's election would change everything for the better. Those elections rarely did. But this election just might be the one that does. What is the most important observation that I have gleaned from these tension filled months is that we have more people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds involved - and that's a great thing. But the opportunity for involvement cannot stop tonite as the stars twinkle over the White House, our challenge is to now be sure that we keep these tens of millions of new voters involved in the day-to-day business of our country and our government. If not, this great opportunity will be little more than a failed experiment in cable news anchor hubris. Your vote today is just the beginning, not the final activity that gets dusted off in four years. We need major changes to take place that will effect our food world: food safety, health care, renewable agriculture practices, a wake-up call to the FDA and USDA, nutrition education, sustainability, traceability, balance of trade, and of course a renewed economy. How can we get involved and force the change? That is what our votes should be about.

fter almost two years of non-stop campaigning and being inundated with almost non-stop cable "news" coverage of this Presidential election, the time has come. The time to get out and vote and make your choices on local, state,and federal issues ... and of course, on who will be our next President and Vice-President.

I remember when I was growing up that Election Day was special. My parents took me to the polls which were just around the corner from our house, and located in the basement of the Fewsmith Church on Union avenue in Belleville, New Jersey. I stood outside the "curtain" and listened to our neighbors discussing how this year's election would change everything for the better. Those elections rarely did.

But this election just might be the one that does. What is the most important observation that I have gleaned from these tension filled months is that we have more people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds involved - and that's a great thing. But the opportunity for involvement cannot stop tonite as the stars twinkle over the White House, our challenge is to now be sure that we keep these tens of millions of new voters involved in the day-to-day business of our country and our government. If not, this great opportunity will be little more than a failed experiment in cable news anchor hubris.

Your vote today is just the beginning, not the final activity that gets dusted off in four years. We need major changes to take place that will effect our food world: food safety, health care, renewable agriculture practices, a wake-up call to the FDA and USDA, nutrition education, sustainability, traceability, balance of trade, and of course a renewed economy.

How can we get involved and force the change? That is what our votes should be about.