“I remember the night of the 2004 election clearly. I was sitting on the couch watching the election when my best friend called me, crying. Her boyfriend had just broken up with her, and she wanted to talk. As I sat there pretending to listen to her, I realized the election had ended.”
“

I remember the night of the 2004 election clearly.

I was sitting on the couch watching the election when my best friend called me, crying. Her boyfriend had just broken up with her, and she wanted to talk. As I sat there pretending to listen to her, I realized the election had ended.

Maybe it was the fact that I didn’t really want to listen to my friend rant about her ex; maybe it was the sickening realization that George Bush was still our president. Or maybe it was the fact that I was sixteen and couldn’t handle my emotions. But I started to cry, too.

Looking back, I feel pretty lame for crying over an election. But taking everything into consideration, at least I knew what I wanted-and more importantly, why I wanted it.

You can’t go anywhere without hearing about the election right now, including the University of Akron. Rock the Vote came to E.J. two weeks ago, and both the College Democrats and the College Republicans held and or are holding events. I could swear that at least a few unregistered voters were abducted by those people who were attempting to register more voters outside the Student Union. But these events were futile if you don’t know what you are voting for.

I’m not trying to preach. I am nowhere as educated as I would like to be, and I wish I knew as much as some people do. But, I am genuinely concerned that many college students, especially in Ohio, are stepping into this election with the idea that voting for a president is similar to voting on a reality TV show. We want to vote for someone who seems awesome-someone who is our hero.

Maybe you’re going to vote for John McCain because he was a POW, or for Barack Obama because he came up from the working class. And that’s fine. But please, make sure your decision is informed.

Let me put it this way: how many of you actually know what the $700 billion bailout involves? Who is General David Petraeus, and what exactly did he do in Iraq? And what’s the deal with Pakistan, anyway-why do we care?

If you’re pretty foggy on these concepts, perhaps it’s better that you do a little research before you try to convince me that Sarah Palin would make an awesome vice president because she tells great jokes and carries a gun. If the candidates’ Web sites are too boring for you, Wikipedia is an excellent place to start. Watching the next presidential debate probably wouldn’t hurt, either-after all, 52 million other people think it’s cool.

It’s probably unnecessary that you analyze the entire history of economics until you create a way to solve the crisis. But you should at least know that Fannie Mae is not, in fact, a real person. Remember, you’re probably going to graduate during McCain’s or Obama’s presidency. Whose plan will provide you with the best job opportunities? For that matter, whose plan will guarantee that you finish college?

This election will not only affect Washington-it will affect the whole world, the country, Akron, Ohio, the University of Akron, your future career and ultimately, you. Don’t jeopardize your quality of life with an absent-minded vote.I remember the night of the 2004 election clearly.

I was sitting on the couch watching the election when my best friend called me, crying. Her boyfriend had just broken up with her, and she wanted to talk. As I sat there pretending to listen to her, I realized the election had ended.

Maybe it was the fact that I didn’t really want to listen to my friend rant about her ex; maybe it was the sickening realization that George Bush was still our president. Or maybe it was the fact that I was sixteen and couldn’t handle my emotions. But I started to cry, too.

Looking back, I feel pretty lame for crying over an election. But taking everything into consideration, at least I knew what I wanted-and more importantly, why I wanted it.

You can’t go anywhere without hearing about the election right now, including the University of Akron. Rock the Vote came to E.J. two weeks ago, and both the College Democrats and the College Republicans held and or are holding events. I could swear that at least a few unregistered voters were abducted by those people who were attempting to register more voters outside the Student Union. But these events were futile if you don’t know what you are voting for.

I’m not trying to preach. I am nowhere as educated as I would like to be, and I wish I knew as much as some people do. But, I am genuinely concerned that many college students, especially in Ohio, are stepping into this election with the idea that voting for a president is similar to voting on a reality TV show. We want to vote for someone who seems awesome-someone who is our hero.

Maybe you’re going to vote for John McCain because he was a POW, or for Barack Obama because he came up from the working class. And that’s fine. But please, make sure your decision is informed.

Let me put it this way: how many of you actually know what the $700 billion bailout involves? Who is General David Petraeus, and what exactly did he do in Iraq? And what’s the deal with Pakistan, anyway-why do we care?

If you’re pretty foggy on these concepts, perhaps it’s better that you do a little research before you try to convince me that Sarah Palin would make an awesome vice president because she tells great jokes and carries a gun. If the candidates’ Web sites are too boring for you, Wikipedia is an excellent place to start. Watching the next presidential debate probably wouldn’t hurt, either-after all, 52 million other people think it’s cool.

It’s probably unnecessary that you analyze the entire history of economics until you create a way to solve the crisis. But you should at least know that Fannie Mae is not, in fact, a real person. Remember, you’re probably going to graduate during McCain’s or Obama’s presidency. Whose plan will provide you with the best job opportunities? For that matter, whose plan will guarantee that you finish college?

This election will not only affect Washington-it will affect the whole world, the country, Akron, Ohio, the University of Akron, your future career and ultimately, you. Don’t jeopardize your quality of life with an absent-minded vote.

“