The Fourth of July is a special day. It reflects what we hold dear about our nation. Freedom, patriotism, and independence define it, and flags, fireworks, parades, and barbeques celebrate it. But as the Fourth approaches and we look forward to the celebration, our community should reflect upon the reason it exists and our responsibilities as American citizens. The greatest of those responsibilities is to participate in our democratic system and vote.

When it was born, the United States was so different than other Western nations because it was formed on the basis that people should hold the key to their own destiny, and therefore ultimately control the government that makes society’s rules. The Revolutionary War was fought because Americans did not feel that it was right to be told what to do without any say in the process. Since then, when men and women wearing the uniform of the United States fight, the underlying reason has been to defend the right of our citizens to participate in our own government. The quest for freedom is, at heart, the struggle to defend the right for everyone to vote.

The low voter turnout statewide in the last primary, particularly in Doña Ana County, is worrying for a number of reasons. Why do so patriotic a people refuse to take the small amount of time to vote and make their opinions about their society count? We hear reason after reason: I don’t trust the system; there aren’t any interesting races; it takes too much time. None of these excuses is good enough.

There is a growing number of Americans who do not trust their government. They call politicians crooks and liars (in a few cases they are right), and boycott the system by not voting. This reasoning makes no sense. The beauty of our democracy is that you can change it if you do not like it. If you are that disgusted with the system, vote for people who want to change it and make them stick to their promises. Or run for office yourself and change what you don’t like.

For those who think that there are no interesting races to vote on, think again. Local offices (city, county, school board, etc.) have a huge amount of power over our everyday lives. Examples include road maintenance, clean water, and the education of our children. And in New Mexico all of our judges are elected, making it imperative that people choose knowledgeable, honorable individuals to see over the most important criminal and civil decisions made in our society.

The most common reason not to vote this year was that people did not know or care about the election. To read about the candidates in the paper, make an informed decision about who you want, and then go and fill in a box at a polling place does not take a great deal of time. It is a small price to pay for the reward received—a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

It is massively important to understand that when citizens do not vote, a very small group of people control the governmental process. If politicians are not held accountable by the people, it becomes easy for them to fall under the influence of special interests that do not have the best interests of everybody at heart.

As the Fourth of July approaches, and an important November election draws near, please remember what it means to be an American citizen. Don’t let the sacrifices of so many go to waste. Do your duty and vote. For, as Ronald Reagan once wrote, “Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should.”

What are we doing about H2O?

Water. We drink it, bathe in it, and grow our crops with it. It is the basis of life on our planet. In some places it comes in abundance, but here in the desert we recognize that water is a limited resource. It must be used carefully. As we enter yet another season of drought, it is the responsibility of the government to regulate the use of our community’s water resources so that future generations will enough to live on.

There are many small things that can be accomplished on a local level to assist with water conservation. First, we can regulate building codes so that all new buildings are required to have low-flow shower heads and toilets, and that xeroscaping is used on a majority of land so that watering of landscaping can be reduced. New developments and golf courses can be required to use gray water for irrigation of public green areas.

Furthermore, government agencies (like cities, counties, and universities) should look to this technology, and should not water their areas in the middle of the day when water is most likely to evaporate. We can also seriously enforce existing rationing codes so that people will be encouraged to only water their lawns and wash their cars on designated days and at night.

On a state and national level there can be much done as well. First, most of the water on our planet cannot be used by humans because it contains too much salt or other minerals. Research funding for better desalination techniques can allow prices to drop and more local governments to utilize this technology.

El Paso has developed a desalination plant, and Alamogordo has looked at building one for a decade as much of the water beneath our feet is unusable because of high mineral content.

Second, more research can be done to increase the efficiency of drip irrigation systems used in our desert environment. Though traditional and relatively easy, flood irrigation using arroyos in the desert allows for a lot of water to evaporate in to the hot, dry air. Technologies such as drip irrigation, where pipe systems with holes are installed below the ground to give water directly to the roots of growing crops, are being used almost exclusively in places like Israel with similarly dry climates. If we could develop ways of doing this more efficiently, many acre-feet of water could be saved.

The state in particular should look at changing its policy regarding water rights. Currently, if you own water rights and do not use them you can be in danger of losing them. This encourages inefficient use of water on a regular basis. By enacting a new policy that stimulates better uses of water we can save much. Furthermore, the state should look at establishing a water court similar to the one set up in Colorado to handle water-specific legal matters. This will allow things like water desalination to be implemented easier.

Third, all government agencies can do a better job of educating the public on where water can be saved on a day-to-day basis. By just turning off a tap between use when washing dishes or brushing teeth, an average person can save gallons of water every week. However, many people seem to be unaware of the potential savings to be gained by these methods. In Santa Fe, where the problem is much worse than in Las Cruces, it seems as if every public restroom has a note asking citizens and visitors to save water. At the very least, we can all start broadcasting public service announcements and sending mailers explaining what can be done for water savings.