Dear Straight Talk: In 1787, our founding fathers gathered behind closed doors to decide what form of government the fledgling United States would have. The newly-freed colonists held their breath. When the delegates finally emerged, someone asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got — a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin smiled and replied, “A Republic — if you can keep it.”

Today the buzz is about getting people to vote. You commonly hear, “It’s every citizen’s duty.” However, the problem isn’t people not voting, it’s people going to the polls peer-pressured, scared, brainwashed, or lied to. Take negative campaign ads. Informed people burst out laughing, saying, “How could any well-informed voter believe that?” Actually, these ads are designed for the uniformed. Telling them to “vote, vote, vote!” is like instructing ballplayers to run around the bases, while neglecting to mention that they must hit the ball first.