By Michelle Eigenheer–
As the weather has turned cold, the political climate has been heating up, swinging voters into the feel of a presidential election year. Unfortunately, the average college student has no idea.
The youth of today is tragically ignorant, not bothering to educate themselves on current events or politics. What most of them do not seem to realize is that the decisions being made in government today directly impact their lives when they leave college. The person elected for president this year very much decides whether or not today’s college students will graduate and be able to find a job, affordable housing, medical care, or any other number of things that are vital to life in the real world.
However important it may be to follow politics, many college kids have a hard time trying to find opportunities to watch the news. It’s also difficult to sift through the things that your professors and peers are telling you about politics, attempting to find out what’s true. Many people take things at face value and believe things that maybe they shouldn’t. No one should believe that Republicans don’t care about poor people simply because one of their professors says so, and no one should call Barack Obama a Socialist just because that’s what they’ve heard their roommate say. These are fundamental political beliefs that should be decided by a person after they have educated themselves on the topic.
By remaining inactive, students are handing their futures over to other voters who will not represent their interests. Doing this is irresponsible when the alternative is to just make an effort to avoid ignorance and then vote based on what they have learned.
The staff at The Louisville Cardinal wants you, the reader and average college student, to educate yourself on what’s happening with this year’s presidential race. Each week, until Election Day, follow the Cardinal’s efforts to keep readers active in the political scene.
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Photo/Flikr:An Honorable German
