Meghan Harmening | Contributing Writer
After all of the excitement has died down from each party’s national convention, many of you may be wondering, “What’s next?” It’s a simple question that many of us are merely unsure about. The simple answer? Be curious. Learn about new issues that you may not know about currently. Explore different viewpoints of different political parties. At the beginning of this journey, you may think you are an Independent that leans Democrat, and by the end of your exploration you may find that you are actually a full on Republican, Libertarian, Democrat, or Socialist. Who knows?
But it’s time to start exploring. For the next seven weeks until the Presidential Election, I will help you to discover new viewpoints, give you questions to chew on, and bring up a few issues you didn’t even know existed. It’s all in the process of becoming a more educated voter. It’s important to know the issues at hand to know which issues are of the most value in your mind. Once you know that, you will be better equipped to vote for the most capable person (in your point of view, of course).
That’s the thing, though. Everyone has different views. It’s crucial that we all become knowledgeable on the issues in order to inform others. Many college students could not care less about who we have as a president for the next four years. Yet college students are affected greatly by the decisions our president makes. If you have student loans, you’re affected. If you work a part-time job, you’re affected. If you plan to get a job right after graduation, you’re affected. If you are in the military, you’re affected. Finally, if you have any moral values whatsoever, you’re affected. All of these situations can affect each and every one of us in different ways depending on who will be our next president.
These are the things we need to explore in the next seven weeks so that we know how to make the best decision for ourselves, our family, and our country. It is also necessary that we, in a sense, “do the dirty work” for our friends. If your friends are not taking a stand on political issues or if your friends do not care who the next President of the United States of America is, it is your duty to inform them. Help your friends to care. Show them how vital it is to the future of our America to know the issues and vote. You could even use the time to persuade them to think how you do on certain political issues. The young people of America need to care more about America’s future. If we can all care a little more, learn a little more, and be a little more involved, ultimately the future of our country will be in better hands.
Photo by Grace E. Bodey
