How many times have you heard: “I don’t vote because it really doesn’t matter”? The 2000 presidential election proved the idea that one vote can truly be powerful. However, I still hear an overwhelming voice that says, “I can’t really change anything,” and it drives me crazy because American democracy is supposed to give the majority of power to the individual.
Our political system is such that the common person is represented. This representation comes about through elections. We (the common person) elect the candidate whom we feel will do the best job in providing us the services we need. This is where most people give up. They believe that the politician is just lying to the public to get into a position of power. Sometimes this is true. What we don’t realize is that, most of the time, politicians can’t just push one issue straight through the House and Senate; they have to work together with others who are striving toward the same goals.
We lose confidence in our political leaders because we put a “miracle worker” expectation on politicians who are far from such a description. Remember that the American government is a democracy; it is “by the people” and “for the people,” but we must also remember that it takes people to elect politicians. We need to know that the government is here to serve the best interests of the constituents, and if we don’t become voting citizens, then we will never be represented.
Whatever your feelings about the current political situation, you need to become active in politics because you can elect leaders who will lead in a direction that you’ll feel comfortable following. If you have an opinion on anything—really anything—there’s probably some political organization and candidate willing to work for your cause. And if there’s not one, you can start one. (Put your right to assemble into good use.)
American politics is supposed to be all about the common voter. It’s about time we as students take charge of that right and make our presence known. It’s about time we as students become active in politics. You need to know that there’s at least one serious job opening—that of the politically involved student. There’s no application, no interview, no really hard work involved. All you have to do is: ANYTHING. You can research candidates and issues. You can listen—really listen—to five minutes of political news every day. The job of being a responsible American citizen isn’t hard, but someone has to do it.
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