Tune out noise to cast a sacred vote

We know what you're thinking. We feel it, too.

Every time you think it can't get worse, it does. The mudslinging has been worse than ever. There's been more of it than ever, too, with these third-party groups joining the fray.

Serial embellisher. Banker to the mob. Incompetent tax hiker. Scary Neanderthal. And, of course, one of the most popular exaggerated labels this year: comrade of Evil Incarnate, also known as Democratic Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. It's been downright nutty. Even Democrats are sending out mailers trying to tie their Republican opponents to Stroger, who seems to be the most unpopular public figure since Osama bin Laden.

You're tempted to teach the politicians a lesson and skip it all. Why bother to vote? It seems impossible to choose well or wisely anyway. Every candidate seems so flawed though we know very well that many are honorable and hard-working. Still, when the advertising makes every race seem like a fight to define the lesser among all these evils, how do we choose?

We know it seems especially tough, but choose we must. More than ever, it is critical that we all take this duty of voting seriously, no matter how painful it may seem. No, there's no guarantee the outcome will be what you think it should. There's no guarantee the winners will perform better than we expect or better than their predecessors. Still, we must do our best.

The state of Illinois faces a $15 billion deficit. And there's an $80 billion unfunded pension liability that will surely drag down our grandchildren if we don't start fixing it. Our past two governors, a Republican and Democrat each, are convicted felons. Local governments face fiscal crises too, as most of us struggle personally. At the federal level, the national debt is obscene following the funding of two wars. And the rhetoric our politicians and some of us spew at each other about health care reform and tax cuts for the wealthy is downright shameful.

Given all of that, it's nothing short of a miracle, really, that we have people among us who want these jobs. Who want to try to get us to better times. Think about that. Sure, the cynical view is that they're in it for the money, power and jobs, but really, would you trade places with them?

Each vote is painful. None of our problems will be solved by outcomes Tuesday. Still, if you leave the decisions to others or throw your vote away on a non-contender, you're shirking your duty. You're foregoing an opportunity others have died for in other lands.

The information is out there. In these pages and on our website and in many other places. You can weigh the propaganda and find reliable facts about candidates' experience and intentions. And then you can vote. Each election is a bit of rebirth. It's a sacred opportunity. Don't give in to the temptation to give up.