Don't forget to vote!

Yeah, that Greek/German/whatever guy telling you, an American, to go vote. How arrogant of me, isn't it?

Well, in all honesty, I think being an American is a great thing, but sometimes one can't see past the borders. I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new: American politics don't only influence the US. It affects economy in Germany as well as it does influence decisions in Japan. This is why the whole world is watching you today - I could be wrong, but I don't remember people around the world taking that much notice of the elections here in Germany some years ago. Or of the ones in England, in Spain, in France etc. (Okay, you may have noticed France, but that was because of Carla Bruni, admit it!)

As much as I hate to say that a single nation leads the world (it's just undemocratic), it's the US that still takes decisions and shapes the world. So US politics do interest me, because they tell me what comes tomorrow. Please, don't misread this statement and say that I hate the US! I don't! All I want to do is remind you that today you don't only decide for a 'local' leader.

Voting is a privilege and a responsibility. Whether you go vote today or not, you will be responsible for the course of politics in the next four years. If you don't care for the rest of the world, that's fine, but you'll still be responsible for the decisions in your community that will affect you directly. By voting, no matter for which party, you stand up to your decision. You stand up for democracy, you stand up for your rights, you stand up for freedom of expressing your opinion.

To me it's an honor to have this right! And I hope you see this the same way.

So please, don't forget to vote!