My third published article
Sep. 24th, 2004 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greybetaWell, I turned in my first time sheet for writing articles in the college newspaper. At 6.50 an hour for two hours per article, I came out with twenty-six bucks for my first two published articles. It's better than nothing.
This is the raw version of what the opinion editor has to sift through before the next issue comes out Monday. I'll officially become a staff writer when I get my mug shot on Sunday.
For all new friends who've come by way of my Ferrett sensei, I'm a moderate when it comes to politics. I do lean towards the right on social things. You can see this in my first(this one is not a pdf version) and second(links to the version on my LJ) published articles.
One vote means nothing
Daniel Tu
How many Americans will vote in the next presidential election? Not nearly enough when you consider the number of eligible voters. The exact numbers can be argued, but the fact to the matter is that a large segment of the American public does not vote. If you asked someone why he or she isn’t going to vote, you would get a wide range of responses. I don’t like either candidate. I’m too lazy to register. I hate politics.
Yet, the number one answer would be “My vote doesn’t count.” How do I know this? I saw it once on the Simpsons. In that particular episode, Springfield’s senior citizens decide that vandalism has gone too far. The senior townsfolk respond by pushing for a law that would impose a curfew on anyone under the age of sixty. On the nightly news broadcast, the senior citizens rejoice as the law passes by a single vote. Marge tells her husband Homer that he should have voted. Then the sagely Homer informs his wife that his vote wouldn’t have mattered anyways.
I laughed. Then it struck me. Most people my age feel the same way Homer does. We complain that tuition costs are rising exponentially, but we never bother to vote. Politicians listen to voters, of which senior citizens have the highest turnout. With the baby boom generation born after World War II retiring in greater and greater numbers, the interest in Medicaid and Social Security rise. Providing for our elders will bankrupt our future if we do not pay attention to our government.
America prides itself on being the oldest democratic republic in the world, thanks to our veritable Constitution. However, our Founding Fathers did not envision political parties when they wrote our founding document. Stressing how divisive they could be, the immortalized George Washington warned future Americans of the dangers of political parties and entangling alliances. He wanted Americans to think of their country first instead of adhering strictly to Democratic or Republican philosophies.
Furthermore, our Founding Fathers wanted the enfranchised elite to vote. Remember, white male property owners over twenty one years of age were the only ones who could originally cast a vote. Over time, our nation has realized the value of giving that power to all of its citizens. Unfortunately, we have fallen complacent in our great duty.
In Australia, voting loses its meaning because it’s mandatory. When you don’t have a choice, the obligation you must fulfill becomes a painful chore. What makes the American system so beautiful is that we have a choice. We decide whether or not we want to make an impact on our lives. Contrary to popular opinion, it is easy to get registered and vote.
Americans face many complex issues in today’s political arena. As such, it would be safer to assume no position and refuse to vote. Let the government do its thing because it can’t hurt me. Besides, one vote won’t change much. However, people with similar backgrounds and interests vote the same way. Combining the ideologies of voters creates the formidable force known as political parties.
Although, if America could cast blank votes to protest the presidential candidates in the upcoming election, I would surmise that blank votes would carry at least seventy five percent of the electorate. I presume that Americans, given a choice, would like to choose their leader on individual merit rather than their political connections. Even so, we must accept our system as is, and that means we must vote between the lesser of two weak candidates.
Say I was an average American, and someone asked me whether it was ignorance or apathy that prevented me from caring about politics. I would say that I don’t know and I don’t care. But let us stop being average Americans and start being active Americans. Let us cast our ballots in November.
This is the raw version of what the opinion editor has to sift through before the next issue comes out Monday. I'll officially become a staff writer when I get my mug shot on Sunday.
For all new friends who've come by way of my Ferrett sensei, I'm a moderate when it comes to politics. I do lean towards the right on social things. You can see this in my first(this one is not a pdf version) and second(links to the version on my LJ) published articles.
One vote means nothing
Daniel Tu
How many Americans will vote in the next presidential election? Not nearly enough when you consider the number of eligible voters. The exact numbers can be argued, but the fact to the matter is that a large segment of the American public does not vote. If you asked someone why he or she isn’t going to vote, you would get a wide range of responses. I don’t like either candidate. I’m too lazy to register. I hate politics.
Yet, the number one answer would be “My vote doesn’t count.” How do I know this? I saw it once on the Simpsons. In that particular episode, Springfield’s senior citizens decide that vandalism has gone too far. The senior townsfolk respond by pushing for a law that would impose a curfew on anyone under the age of sixty. On the nightly news broadcast, the senior citizens rejoice as the law passes by a single vote. Marge tells her husband Homer that he should have voted. Then the sagely Homer informs his wife that his vote wouldn’t have mattered anyways.
I laughed. Then it struck me. Most people my age feel the same way Homer does. We complain that tuition costs are rising exponentially, but we never bother to vote. Politicians listen to voters, of which senior citizens have the highest turnout. With the baby boom generation born after World War II retiring in greater and greater numbers, the interest in Medicaid and Social Security rise. Providing for our elders will bankrupt our future if we do not pay attention to our government.
America prides itself on being the oldest democratic republic in the world, thanks to our veritable Constitution. However, our Founding Fathers did not envision political parties when they wrote our founding document. Stressing how divisive they could be, the immortalized George Washington warned future Americans of the dangers of political parties and entangling alliances. He wanted Americans to think of their country first instead of adhering strictly to Democratic or Republican philosophies.
Furthermore, our Founding Fathers wanted the enfranchised elite to vote. Remember, white male property owners over twenty one years of age were the only ones who could originally cast a vote. Over time, our nation has realized the value of giving that power to all of its citizens. Unfortunately, we have fallen complacent in our great duty.
In Australia, voting loses its meaning because it’s mandatory. When you don’t have a choice, the obligation you must fulfill becomes a painful chore. What makes the American system so beautiful is that we have a choice. We decide whether or not we want to make an impact on our lives. Contrary to popular opinion, it is easy to get registered and vote.
Americans face many complex issues in today’s political arena. As such, it would be safer to assume no position and refuse to vote. Let the government do its thing because it can’t hurt me. Besides, one vote won’t change much. However, people with similar backgrounds and interests vote the same way. Combining the ideologies of voters creates the formidable force known as political parties.
Although, if America could cast blank votes to protest the presidential candidates in the upcoming election, I would surmise that blank votes would carry at least seventy five percent of the electorate. I presume that Americans, given a choice, would like to choose their leader on individual merit rather than their political connections. Even so, we must accept our system as is, and that means we must vote between the lesser of two weak candidates.
Say I was an average American, and someone asked me whether it was ignorance or apathy that prevented me from caring about politics. I would say that I don’t know and I don’t care. But let us stop being average Americans and start being active Americans. Let us cast our ballots in November.
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Date: 2004-09-24 06:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-24 11:51 am (UTC)