KIDS THESE DAYS:

At least a couple of thoughts are uniting people of every political party. The first is relief that the elections are finally here, or, bluntly, that they are finally over.

The second is that this is one of the most important presidential elections in the nation’s history.

Despite having heard the “most important election” line before, there is no mistaking the fact that this time it is true.

The nation is at war. Our economy is in bad shape and does not seem to be rebounding in any significant way any time soon.

Consumer confidence is low, and layoffs are multiplying.

The cost and availability of healthcare, an area in which I have many years of professional experience, is worsening. At current rates of increase, healthcare is poised to consume 20% of our Gross Domestic Product. Put in perspective, that will be four times what we will spend on national defense.

Your presidential vote today will take but a few seconds. For many of you, that is also the amount of time that you have spent really getting to understand the positions of the various candidates.

The success of our political process — and the success of the nation — depends on an informed electorate; on people who decide that reviewing a candidate’s website to determine positions on issues is more valuable than reviewing a YouTube video of the candidate’s appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”

Unfortunately, the self-deprecation factor has become a political tool. While in 1968, the worst it got was candidate Richard Nixon appearing for three seconds on “Laugh-In” to say, “Sock it to me,” and exactly 40 years later in 2008 we are faced with candidates who cannot wait to sit with David Letterman or Jay Leno and get pummeled.

The candidates win if they laugh at all the abuse.

Our nation is in the state it is in not just because we have crooked politicians or incompetent politicians but also because the electorate — that’s you and me — has been asleep at the wheel.

For far too long, we have allowed ourselves to be betrayed by politicians who will do and say just about anything to get into office. Fortunately, the hype ends at the local portion of your ballot. There, you must make the important decisions about your police and fire protection, your schools and your trash pick-up. If for no other reason than determining that your local election is more important than the one for the White House, you should know where your local candidate stands.

You need someone who understands that while the common issues of Banning Ranch and the 55 Freeway are certainly very important, they are years away from being resolved, and in the meantime, we have to work on creating better cities for our kids. These challenges are not mutually exclusive.

You need someone who understands that none of the issues we face today, whether it is the freeway, fireworks or fields, exists in a vacuum; that they are all connected, and that almost always, they are connected by a healthy budget. No extra money means no extra fields. No extra money means no safer streets for your city’s kids.

You need someone who understands that elected officials can disagree and still be civil.

More important than any of these recommendations is that you make sure you vote. Yes, I know it sounds like a tired message right about now, but if you have registered, you should vote, if for no other reason than to give you the right to complain about our government.

Plus, voting is one of the best examples of responsibility you can demonstrate to children.

I’m an old-fashioned voter, and there is something about standing in line with my fellow citizens that I like. Maybe it serves as a reaffirmation of our brotherhood. Even as we go in to vote for more people who may betray us.

STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Send story ideas to [email protected].