Think today's election issues don't impact your bottom line? Think it's all about Iraq? Think again.

I'm not going to give you a social studies lecture or a guilt trip about your civic duty to vote. So what if other democracies have a higher voter turn-out than America? Many of them, like Australia, have mandatory voting laws whereby non participation is punished by fines or jail. Here, voting is still a right, not an obligation and and in this distinction lies the cornerstone of our freedom.

But a lot of Americans take freedom for granted -- especially on Election Day, when its defense is most vulnerable.

Who protects our freedom? Elected officials. But they keep our safety, independence and the free market (otherwise known as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) perched on a ledge above the slippery slope of government regulation.

Free-market capitalists know regulation is bad. Name your subject. It's the market, not the government, that should decide the success or failure of an idea. But, unfortunately, politics has become more about producing regulation than protecting us from it. So, while your fellow citizens may have 80 million explanations for not voting, all you need is one reason why you should: To defend the free market.

I can hear the excuses now...
"The issues don't affect me personally."
"Neither party represents me."
"My vote doesn't count."
Or "this election is about the war in Iraq."

They all miss the big picture.

Iraq has costs, but withdrawal without stability would be far more expensive in the long run. As for numbers, every vote does count -- just ask Al Gore; and disenfranchisement is the excuse of single issue-voters who prefer victimhood over making a difficult choice.

But, most importantly, the issues do affect you. In a sobering flashback to the so-called "progressive" movement of 1914, next week Americans face more than 200 state ballot measures. Each of these laws will trickle its way through the economy, helping and hurting our freedom of choice. Their shockwave will quickly echo home. In fact, the repercussions of each vote hit much closer than the average NIMBY's backyard... every minute the government's sticky fingers are reaching into your wallet.

And it's not just your economic freedom in the cross-hairs, it's your lifestyle. From coast to coast, regulation has deviously shifted from banning so-called "harmful" products like tobacco and fuel emissions to potentially outlawing life-improving ideas like stem-cell research and domestic-partner rights. Each affects quality of life. You may not be as defiant over a ban on horse meat for human consumption as you are over the fact that six states are voting to increase the minimum wage, but you should be.

Remember, big brother regulation sneaks up on you disguised as altruism right before it moves into City Hall and tells you, "Vote, or go to jail!"

And please don't tell me the market doesn't care. You have to be free to have a free market.

With the Dow at all-time highs, low inflation and real growth, it's hard to deny the current economic recovery. But the rosy horizon of today could be a dark cloud next Wednesday if a slew of anti-free-market voters go to the polls. At a time when America needs to compete more than ever in a competitive world, regulation through taxes, price controls and wage mandates is not the answer. Fortunately, polls don't equal voter turn-out, so regardless what the talking heads say, this election has not yet been decided.

At a minimum, you must have an interest in how your tax money is being spent. If you saw the actual out-of-pocket costs you bear for the decisions other voters endorse, you'd see where your money goes and I bet you'd admit that, yes, the vote did affect you and you wish you had a louder voice.

It's too bad we don't vote on Tax Day; perhaps then people's heads would be in the right place -- defending their freedom by defending their wallets.

Heather Flick

11/5/06