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If you don’t vote, don’t complain

> Next Tuesday, it’s that time of year again, when we get to head for our local polling places and determine how the money we pay in property taxes will be spent.

Imagine if you had the ability at your job to vote on how your boss spent the money that comes into the business.

But you, we, all of us who bother to head out in March to vote at the polls or at our rapidly disappearing town and school district meetings get to make the kinds of spending decisions our bosses at work are never going to allow us to make, so why not take advantage of such an op­portunity?

Interestingly enough, though, a lot of people don’t bother to vote in March. Of course, as is the case with those of us who do vote, the non-voters also reserve the right to kvetch about how their tax money is spent and even about how much they must pay in taxes.

Now, suppose your boss gave you the chance to help determine how corporate income was spent, but you didn’t bother to go to the plant meeting and vote? Do you think your boss, and the rest of the workers, would show you any sympathy if you were irked at the decisions they made without you?

Unlikely.

So here’s the upshot, dear non-voter: We aren’t going to pay you any heed, either.

If you want people to listen to you when you’re unhappy about town or school spending, you have to participate.

And if someone is kvetching to you about spending, your first question should be: Did you vote?

If the answer is a scuffling of shoes, a bowed head and an, "Aw, shucks, I for­got," then just walk away.

Go to the polls and vote on Tuesday.