Coogs should be inspired by Saudi women

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud announced on Sunday that the women of Saudi Arabia will now have the right to vote and run for public office.

In a region that typically puts females in a subservient position, this is a big win for advocates of women’s rights. Even though this is a small step in reform of a much broader problem, it’s amazing to see how far Saudi Arabia has come in the last few years.

Saudi women should be applauded for the courage they have displayed as they fought for such rights.

One only has to look back to this summer, when Saudi women fought for the right to drive, to see how dangerous it can be for Saudi women to advocate for change.

In the US, women have had the right to vote since the 19th Amendment was passed in 1919, and men have obviously had the right to vote for much longer.

It is kind of sad how people all across the world, including Saudi Arabia, are fighting for their right to have a voice, whether they are man or woman, young or old, but here we all already have the right but so rarely exercise it.

In the 2008 US presidential election, voter turnout was at 62 percent, which is the highest it has been since the 1960s.

In Texas, the voter turnout was at 54.4 percent. For the midterm congressional elections of 2010, the turnouts were even lower with the country at 40.9 percent and Texas at 32.3 percent.

Why is it that in a country that was founded on the principles of democracy, that is supposed to be run by the people for the people, we can’t even be bothered to vote?

Can the US be truly considered a democracy when less than half of its population shows up to vote in congressional elections?

It is shameful that US citizens take their right to vote so lightly when people in other countries are fighting and dying for the same right.

We should be inspired by the women of Saudi Arabia, and learn from their example.