LETTER: Research issues, then vote

Editor,

With elections rapidly approaching, it is amazing to me how many of my fellow Americans are completely apathetic and uniformed about the subject. I have never liked politics myself, however, I feel that as a citizen of voting age, it is my responsibility to learn as much as possible about both candidates and give my vote to whomever I feel is more worthy to be the president of our country. I constantly hear people complaining about rising gas prices, how hard it is to find a job, that tuition is going up, etc., and yet only a minority of eligible people vote. Quite a contradiction, isn’t it?

However, that’s not the worst of it. There are people who vote, and can’t even provide a reason why they voted for that particular candidate, (other than maybe their parents told them to). I was one of the few people who actually watched the presidential debates. I didn’t watch it because I thought it would be entertaining, (although seeing the candidates squirm at their opponent’s comments was comical at times), I watched it because I knew it would be informative. While it was hard to wade through the web of distorted facts, I still got a very good picture of where each candidate stood on the issues.

I sincerely hope that if people did not watch the debates, they will still take time to become knowledgeable about both candidates. People should already know Bush’s plan since it has been in effect for four years. However, if you haven’t been paying attention, at least try to learn about it. John Kerry has thoroughly described his plan on his Web site, www.johnkerry.com, and it doesn’t take long to sit down and read through it.

I am not concerned who people vote for, as long as they have valid reasons for doing so. The state of our union lies just as much on the heads of the citizens as it does on the “chief of command,” because they are the ones that put him there. So, next time you find yourself complaining about rising tuition costs, maybe you should stop and go do your “political homework.”

Ginger Bailey