In the wake of Brexit, many are offering their prediction and expertise for the economy, the state of foreign affairs and so forth about what is to come if the United Kingdom does leave the European Union. It does raise some very important questions: will the UK Embassy have to change the day that it hosts its open house since it will no longer be a part of the EU? Will the British who do not like their political situation say they will flee to Canada like Americans?
On a more serious note, Brexit adds to the volatility of the world from which we have not fully recovered since the 2008 recession. Nations have engaged in some unconventional methods to try to spur the economy into action. Some countries, like Japan, have adopted negative interest rates into their fiscal policies, which means that banks have to pay to keep money in the Central Bank of Japan. Many European countries have entered a session of fiscal austerity, very conservative spending and possibly higher taxes. The United States and others have engaged in quantitative easing, purchasing assets to raise asset prices.
However, the lesson from Brexit is not in the consequences but from the process in which Brexit was allowed to happen. The decision of leave or remain the EU was given to the people to vote on as is a possibility when dealing with democracies. The lesson from Brexit should be the need for voters to be educated so that they can make an informed decision about the things that could not only affect them but the world around them. This is becoming more and more important in the United States as we get closer and closer to November.
There are plenty of example of misinformed voters coming out of Brexit. On a segment of BBC, a man voted to leave the EU, believing his vote did not matter. Google has revealed that many people in the UK searched what the EU was after voting had closed. Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media have exploded with regret from people who voted "leave" as they now come to face the consequences.
I am in no way saying that those who are not knowledge about the subject being voted on should not vote, because in general I believe that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, and that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
The purpose of this is to say that just as everyone should have the right to vote, they have a duty to be educated about the topic. Not everyone has the right to vote, even in America, and not everyone has access to a decent education. Thus, we cannot only fight for people's right to vote, we must also fight for them to be educated because voting without any idea is a game of chance. Come November, the United States could play the biggest game of chance in recent history.
