The 2010 Midterm Elections are just around the corner, and the news is always full of stories pertaining to that particular subject. These elections are scheduled to be held on November 2, 2010 for 37 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate. 34 of the seats are for six-year terms that will begin January 3, 2011 and end in January 2017.
With such important elections coming up, it’s not hard to turn on the news or pull up a news website and find some information on the issues. Every day there is an article about this candidate or a commercial for that one. So, wouldn’t it be safe to say that students on this campus are fully aware of the issues and know how they will be voting come November 2? Actually, shockingly, there are students who do not even know that elections are about to take place. Would America’s future please wake up!
Sometimes I find it hard to believe that people can be so ignorant about the issues that drive this country. I listen to people complain and complain about problems that they feel this country is having. I listen to people complain about our government and the horrible job it is doing. I listen to people complain about how nothing ever gets done or promises are never kept. Then I ask these people if they vote in any elections. The most common responses that I receive are that no, they do not vote or that they don’t put much thought into who they vote for. Really people? How is that going to solve anything? Those people sitting high up in office are there because we voted them in. If you do not vote or vote willy-nilly just to say that you got to vote, then you have absolutely no right to complain in the end. To those who say that our country is run by idiots who have no idea what they are doing, I say look at the people holding the ballots.
President Obama spent the weekend trying to recapture some of the big-stage excitement of his 2008 campaign, imploring voters not to reward what he called “Republican cynicism and incompetence.” He told voters not to sit out the November 2 elections. Why should the president have to remind voters of their enthusiasm or even remind them to vote?
As a country of complainers we should be running to the polls to make sure some type of change is put into place. Americans are frustrated, especially about the economy. If people do not go out and vote, nothing good will come from this election. President Obama admits that we are in a hole, and that it is going to take some time for us to get out of it. But, no progress can be made if Americans are helping to dig the hole even deeper. We do not want this country moving backwards, even though some people suggest that we already are.
My advice to the student body and the young voters of America, vote! However, be an educated voter. You wouldn’t go into a final exam without knowing something about what the test was about. Therefore, you shouldn’t fill out a ballot without knowing what the election is about. If you are completely clueless, which I expect some of you are, it’s not too late. Like I said, every night there is something on the news about the upcoming elections. The internet is also a quick glimpse into all of the issues. Any news site will provide you with information from all sides to help you catch up, keep up to date, and help you form your own opinion.
Ultimately, it all comes down to laziness. Complaining is a much easier task than actually being proactive. Why would we keep up to date on the elections and the issues, when we could just sit at home and complain about President Obama on our couches in front of the television? Because, last time I checked, President Obama is not going to visit your home and ask you what you think about the issues.
You need to get up and vote to get your opinion counted. If you don’t, nothing is going to change the way you want it to. That just means another two years of complaining, not something I am particularly looking forward to. Let’s make this election count so that we can make use of the rights that we have to have our opinions heard.
