: Tim Seigfried
It's one of those years again. That's right, a leap year. A year that is going to be so busy that we actually need another day added to our calendars in order to fit everything in. Regardless of what the scientific community tells you, leap years don't exist to keep the calendars synchronized; instead, there is a far greater reason for the leap year:The Presidential Election.
The genius who thought up the idea of the leap year did so in order to prevent us from losing a full day of our lives watching the election unfold on television, while we blissfully remain ignorant to the rest of the outside world. Anyhow, now that Super Tuesday has come and gone, Americans are left with a limited selection of candidates from which to choose on the Presidential Menu. As the field diminishes with each passing day, options dwindle to nothing more than a garden salad and the smoked catfish.
After everything unfolded last week, we were left with a clear front runner of the Republican party in John McCain, who proved that people over 70 really can live a normal life - not that there was really a debate over that. On the other side of the political spectrum, the Democratic party narrowed its choice to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Others that suffered a crushing blow on Super Tuesday include Mitt Romney, who spent over $30 million out of his own pocket to finance his campaign before dropping out of the race. What a shame, now he is only worth $200 million. Former Senator John Edwards ran a solid campaign, but he was forgotten faster than a Jodie Foster movie. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has made some headway during the primaries, but his campaign is all but a lost cause at this point, despite the fact that he had Chuck Norris as one of his main supporters. Many critics point to his foreign policy as his biggest weakness, but the truth is that his campaign slogan of "Chuck Norris IS the electoral college" turned a lot of people off after Norris would lie in wait outside of voting booths with the intent of roundhouse kicking anyone who voted for McCain.
All joking aside, this election is vitally important to our nation, just like every election that preceded it. History could be made during this election, and with the impending recession looming around the corner, Americans have to be more involved in the process than ever.
Isn't it important to them (or yourself) what the state of the country is? How are taxes? What's the unemployment rate? Will the draft be reinstated? (The answer to that is no, but you get the point.)
One of my biggest pet peeves with people is when they complain when things don't go their way, notwithstanding the fact that they did nothing to help their own cause. The same thing can be said with the voters in this country. The last time that we had a voter turnout of over 60% was in 1968. However, those same people who don't vote will sit back and complain about the state of things. But here's the thing: If you don't vote, you forfeit the right to complain. It's true, if you don't participate in the political process, then why should you complain? No one goes into a restaurant and says "surprise me," do they? That would be ridiculous.
Classic excuses:
But I don't like any of the candidates. Last election, there were literally over ten people that you could have voted for. If you don't care for the Republican or the Democratic nominee, then vote for someone else. At least your voice will be heard.
But my vote doesn't make a difference! True, one vote might not determine the election, but what if it did? That's the power that voters have.
But I'm too busy to pay attention to this stuff. Sure you are. But you're not too busy to browse YouTube for hours, watch wrestling on cable television, or stare at the walls of your apartment or dorm room and complain that there's nothing to do in town.
But don't I have the right not to vote? I suppose you do, but non-voters don't impact a vote, thus...stop complaining.
Voting is a right that is given to most, something that other countries are fighting and dying for on a daily basis. It's a privilege more than anything else, and every single person in this country who is able to vote should be registered and in line come November.
The genius who thought up the idea of the leap year did so in order to prevent us from losing a full day of our lives watching the election unfold on television, while we blissfully remain ignorant to the rest of the outside world. Anyhow, now that Super Tuesday has come and gone, Americans are left with a limited selection of candidates from which to choose on the Presidential Menu. As the field diminishes with each passing day, options dwindle to nothing more than a garden salad and the smoked catfish.
After everything unfolded last week, we were left with a clear front runner of the Republican party in John McCain, who proved that people over 70 really can live a normal life - not that there was really a debate over that. On the other side of the political spectrum, the Democratic party narrowed its choice to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Others that suffered a crushing blow on Super Tuesday include Mitt Romney, who spent over $30 million out of his own pocket to finance his campaign before dropping out of the race. What a shame, now he is only worth $200 million. Former Senator John Edwards ran a solid campaign, but he was forgotten faster than a Jodie Foster movie. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has made some headway during the primaries, but his campaign is all but a lost cause at this point, despite the fact that he had Chuck Norris as one of his main supporters. Many critics point to his foreign policy as his biggest weakness, but the truth is that his campaign slogan of "Chuck Norris IS the electoral college" turned a lot of people off after Norris would lie in wait outside of voting booths with the intent of roundhouse kicking anyone who voted for McCain.
All joking aside, this election is vitally important to our nation, just like every election that preceded it. History could be made during this election, and with the impending recession looming around the corner, Americans have to be more involved in the process than ever.
Isn't it important to them (or yourself) what the state of the country is? How are taxes? What's the unemployment rate? Will the draft be reinstated? (The answer to that is no, but you get the point.)
One of my biggest pet peeves with people is when they complain when things don't go their way, notwithstanding the fact that they did nothing to help their own cause. The same thing can be said with the voters in this country. The last time that we had a voter turnout of over 60% was in 1968. However, those same people who don't vote will sit back and complain about the state of things. But here's the thing: If you don't vote, you forfeit the right to complain. It's true, if you don't participate in the political process, then why should you complain? No one goes into a restaurant and says "surprise me," do they? That would be ridiculous.
Classic excuses:
But I don't like any of the candidates. Last election, there were literally over ten people that you could have voted for. If you don't care for the Republican or the Democratic nominee, then vote for someone else. At least your voice will be heard.
But my vote doesn't make a difference! True, one vote might not determine the election, but what if it did? That's the power that voters have.
But I'm too busy to pay attention to this stuff. Sure you are. But you're not too busy to browse YouTube for hours, watch wrestling on cable television, or stare at the walls of your apartment or dorm room and complain that there's nothing to do in town.
But don't I have the right not to vote? I suppose you do, but non-voters don't impact a vote, thus...stop complaining.
Voting is a right that is given to most, something that other countries are fighting and dying for on a daily basis. It's a privilege more than anything else, and every single person in this country who is able to vote should be registered and in line come November.
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