2008 Woodie Awards
Find your voice, use it and vote
Jessica Laven
Issue date: 1/14/08 Section: Opinions
As we all know, 2008 is a big year for politics. Presidential hopefuls beg for votes, promising health care here, tax cuts there, and "change" everywhere.
While "change" is a buzzword being tossed around with the upcoming election, it is important for every citizen to ask themselves which types of change they would like their government to handle - and vote accordingly.
Key issues such as abortion, welfare, immigration and the like dominate debates and interviews, and it can be very easy to be swayed by candidates based on their well-rehearsed answers to questions they are asked every day.
Because we are at a university, it is obvious that many students here are voting for the first time, and it certainly is an important rite of passage for each and every one of us. As voters, it is up to us to do the digging and find out more about candidates. They certainly will not tell you their weaknesses, and any vulnerabilities pointed out by other candidates are bound to be rife with slant.
Media outlets are not much better, as CNN and FOX make abundantly clear. Perhaps the worst way to formulate an opinion, though, is by basing it on the feelings of your family and friends. Listening to grandpa's take on Obama or mom's distaste for McCain is unbelievably persuasive, if not because of your true agreement with it, but because of the trust you give to those closest to you.
In other words, do your homework. When you don't vote at all, you lack a voice, of course, but when you vote for a candidate without informing yourself about them fully, you do a disservice as well.
The fact is that every hopeful has strengths and weaknesses, and those should be carefully weighed before giving your endorsement - and vote - to one candidate over another. While key issues like those listed above are indeed important, it is also necessary, as college students, to look at how each candidate feels about education and university spending, as well as their positions on things such as health benefits for college students. It's also a good idea, as a voter, to look at each candidate's platform and decide which issues are most important to you. An excellent resource to give you a basic idea of platforms and stances can be found at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/ under "Select a Candidate."
"Change" is much needed, but should also be directed. We need to stop accepting or dismissing things because we have labeled ourselves "democrat," "republican," "libertarian," et cetera, and start voting for people based on what they plan to do in office. It's easy for any candidate to throw a political affiliation in front of their name and go to the races; to truly have "change," though, we need to change; holding candidates accountable to the promises they make during their political run, for instance. Making sure that politicians are representatives of the people, instead of panderers to corporations. Replacing nepotism with fair and equal representation. With these things, "change" will be more than a buzzword. It will be an expectation.
Jessica Laven is in the graduate education program and can be reached at jcl2w@mtsu.edu
While "change" is a buzzword being tossed around with the upcoming election, it is important for every citizen to ask themselves which types of change they would like their government to handle - and vote accordingly.
Key issues such as abortion, welfare, immigration and the like dominate debates and interviews, and it can be very easy to be swayed by candidates based on their well-rehearsed answers to questions they are asked every day.
Because we are at a university, it is obvious that many students here are voting for the first time, and it certainly is an important rite of passage for each and every one of us. As voters, it is up to us to do the digging and find out more about candidates. They certainly will not tell you their weaknesses, and any vulnerabilities pointed out by other candidates are bound to be rife with slant.
Media outlets are not much better, as CNN and FOX make abundantly clear. Perhaps the worst way to formulate an opinion, though, is by basing it on the feelings of your family and friends. Listening to grandpa's take on Obama or mom's distaste for McCain is unbelievably persuasive, if not because of your true agreement with it, but because of the trust you give to those closest to you.
In other words, do your homework. When you don't vote at all, you lack a voice, of course, but when you vote for a candidate without informing yourself about them fully, you do a disservice as well.
The fact is that every hopeful has strengths and weaknesses, and those should be carefully weighed before giving your endorsement - and vote - to one candidate over another. While key issues like those listed above are indeed important, it is also necessary, as college students, to look at how each candidate feels about education and university spending, as well as their positions on things such as health benefits for college students. It's also a good idea, as a voter, to look at each candidate's platform and decide which issues are most important to you. An excellent resource to give you a basic idea of platforms and stances can be found at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/ under "Select a Candidate."
"Change" is much needed, but should also be directed. We need to stop accepting or dismissing things because we have labeled ourselves "democrat," "republican," "libertarian," et cetera, and start voting for people based on what they plan to do in office. It's easy for any candidate to throw a political affiliation in front of their name and go to the races; to truly have "change," though, we need to change; holding candidates accountable to the promises they make during their political run, for instance. Making sure that politicians are representatives of the people, instead of panderers to corporations. Replacing nepotism with fair and equal representation. With these things, "change" will be more than a buzzword. It will be an expectation.
Jessica Laven is in the graduate education program and can be reached at jcl2w@mtsu.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Greg
posted 1/15/08 @ 8:12 PM CST
Jess ftw.
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