Show Vote or orbie Die Cf Aaron Zundel The Globe Last year on election day I stood in a very long line of people waiting for my chance to vote I was at 23 the youngest person in that line I was also one of about ten people under the age of thirty who even voted there that day I know because I asked In 2004 CIRCLE a University of Maryland think tank dedicated to youth voting found that youth voting in Utah has fallen 19 percent since 1972 It is the largest decline of any state with the exception of two with whom we we tied-we took first place right along with Nebraska and Kansas But the numbers get worse The study also found that nationwide only about 47 percent of people ages 1824 1824 1824 18 24 turned out to vote in 2004 And in 2002 a non presidential election year they found that only 19 percent percent percent per per- cent turned out I might be able to understand understand understand under under- stand if it was the same percentage percentage percentage per per- of people voting every year It would mean that only a little more than half of college students are completely incompetent a statistic I happen to agree with But what those numbers numbers numbers num num- bers say is that people think o only y the presidential election is is which p which l is noC is not true The fact is that local leaders are going to have more of an effect on your to day-to-day life than any Need to register Start here http http 0 ns ov w. w t I 1 t Y I. I Here are some resources fl Il to get you started on the issues Utah Democratic Party http Utah Republican Party http United States Communist Party http l Federal ones Things like zoning tax money allocation allocation allocation alloca alloca- tion liquor laws school funding and just about any other issues you can think of are decided at various local levels much more than at a Federal level So two weeks from now if youre you're really concerned about what's going on around you Id I'd suggest suggest suggest sug sug- gest that you head straight to the voting booth because it matters If you dont don't go you run the risk of waking up and finding out that the city council has zoned re-zoned your property so a group of aquatic ic ninja pygmies can build a topless old folks juice home bar where your house used to be And nobody wants that As for the rest of you the ones who dont don't care or dont don't vote at all you people make me sick j- j J.- J. r L Last week k the p people i in- in Iraq came out in force to vote on a new constitution Police had to walk up and down the lines of voters telling them not to stand too close together in case a bomb went off Those people risked their lives to exercise their newfound freedom And for the first time in my life I was ashamed to be bea a young American Those Iraqis saw something something something some some- thing greater than themselves themselves themselves them them- selves and put it all on the theline theline theline line to be a part of it All my generation does is sit on its it's fat lazy collective ass watching reality television sending the occasional text message all the while expecting someone else tomake to tomake tomake make their decisions for them Honestly I think the terrorists terrorists terrorists ter ter- deserve more respect than you nihilistic parasites At least they're doing something something something some some- thing they believe in There is no excuse not to take two hours ii that t I. I year year- i o and go have hand handin hand v vin in your own destiny People died to make sure you have that privilege and you disgrace disgrace disgrace dis dis- grace them by feeding off the fruits of their labors with out contributing some of your own The excuse I hear my peers give all the time is I dont don't vote because I dont don't know enough about the issues I believe that It is not however a legitimate excuse In today's electronically electronically electronically cally driven world you can become reasonably well informed on just about anyone any anyone anyone one issue in an hour In fact if you start today in two weeks when the ballot boxes open you could probably be bewell bewell bewell well versed enough to watch CNN and not miss beat Another excuse I hear is my vote wont won't make a dif dif- ference Well Ive I've got news for you at a 19 percent voting voting voting vot vot- ing rate it doesn't take many people to make a difference In fact with those sorts of numbers if any one minori o voted V t C in Jo force the th majority y would be crushed The last and possibly worst excuse I hear is I just dont don't care about the issues It doesn't matter to me It does matter It matters because those who refuse to take an an active ve role in society are destined to be enslaved to it So on Nov 8 go vote And vote for anything I dont don't care if you vote Communist or write Osama bin Laden in as your mayoral candidate just freaking vote Earn the right to sit on your couch watch MTV and stuff endless amounts of high fat low nutritional nutritional- value food into your face Have pride and self- self respect in knowing that you were part of something something something some some- thing bigger than Total Request Live |