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Show The Signpost Friday, September 26, 2003 Editor in Chief: Wendy Leonard Phone: 626-7121 VIEWPOINT J h'Th at '$Gmm 1 , , f , Page 4 Editorial Taking an active role in democracy Earlier this week, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the U.N. General Assembly. Annan said there might be a need for fundamental changes in the structure of the U.N. to accommodate collective security for all nations involved. President Bush followed soon after, telling the Assembly there is no neutral ground in the fight against terrorism, and urging the U.N. to take sides. He spoke about the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and also cited more recent terrorist attacks that occurred in different parts of the world, including attacks on the United Nations itself. With such attacks and other threats to security weighing heavily on the minds of most Americans, it is becoming more important to take political action. Whether Democrat or Republican, for or against the current Bush administration, liberal or conservative Americans can make a difference in politics. It all starts with casting a simple vote. A report released Monday by the Representative Democracy in America Project said the nation is failing to teach the basics of taking part in a democracy, and as a result, teenagers and young adults are less likely than older adults to value voting and understand the way government works. The report, based on an Internet survey, focused on people ages 15 to 26 and found that young people took a significantly more active role in democracy if they had taken a civics class. Although taking civics classes is a good way to leam about government, it shouldn't be the main reason to participate in a democracy. With young heroes serving this country every day in the United States military, some of which even give their lives for this country, it is almost shocking to find that only 48 percent of people under the age of 26 who are eligible to vote said they cast ballots in all or most elections. Although some initiatives are difficult to understand, and some names on the voting ballot may be unfamiliar, these are not reasons to shy away from taking an active role in society and casting a vote. With local elections taking place the first week in November, every registered voter should become informed and vote. Voting in a local election may not seem as important as voting in a General Assembly of the United Nations, but it can make just as much of an impact on the lives of local citizens regarding businesses, laws, but most of all, security. The Signpost Editorial Board 11 n oThe iisyuni u)osn Editor in Chief Wendy Leonard 626-7121 Managing Editor Paul Garcia 626-7614 News Editor Natalie Cutler 626-7655 Sports Editor Travis Clemens 626-7983 Sports Editor Danielle Blaisdell 626-7983 Copy Editor William Hampton 626-7659 Features Editor Colleen Coleman 626-7621 Entertainment Editor . Kendra Allred 626-7105 Business Editor Carolyn Losee 626-7621 Graphics Editor Amanda Pace 626-7661 Photo Editor Jennifer Larson 626-6358 Advertising Manager Devon Crus 626-6359 Online Editor Phil Ludlow 626-6358 Distribution Dave Witesman 626-7974 Office Manager Georgia Edwards 626-7974 Advisor Allison Hess 626-7499 Publisher Dr. Randy Scott 626-6464 Signpost Fax 626-7401 The Signpost is published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the semester. Subscription is $9 a semester. The first copy of The Signpost is free, each additional copy is $ .50. The Signpost is a studenl publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University students. Student fees partially fund the printing of this publication. Opinions or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. The Signpost welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include name, address, telephone number and the writer's signature, Anonymous letters will not be printed. The Signpost reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of space and libe! and also reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Letters should not exceed 350 words. Bring letters to the editorial office in SUB 267, mail to: The Signpost, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah 84408-2110. Gospel and government f Schaun Wheeler columnist : t I Like many students at Weber State, I follow with great interest the never-ending editorial battle that takes place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in The Signpost. I used to get riled up as liberals and conservatives slung their mud and jabbed their jibes. Now I usually read the latest edition of the debate, smile good-naturedly (yes, even when the attackers have me in their crosshairs), read another newspaper to catch up on national and world events, and notice the similarities between our country and our little Weber world. Then I worry. I worry because of a decision made by both the White House and the Democratic Party concerning the upcoming election. The decision is to focus this year's campaign on turning out the core voters the loyalists of each party. Why are our politicians zeroing in on those people who already feel a strong affiliation with a certain party? Because that's all they need to get elected. In the last decade, America has seen a dramatic decrease in swing voters those who have no strong party affiliation, who could potentially vote either way. Estimates show that swing voters comprise anywhere from 7 to 30 percent of the electorate, with most estimates falling on the very low end of that scale. That basically means Republicans and Democrats don't need the Independents and theI-vote-according-to-my-conscience types nearly as much as they used to. Those ideological labels are really starting to mean something. There are still enough swing voters to make a difference (if they vote), but their numbers are dwindling. Here's the scary part. David Brooks recently pointed out that "there used to be many conservatives in the Democratic Party and many liberals in the Republican Party, groups that kept their parties from drifting too far off center." That kind of mixture in the parties was necessary in order to get the swing voters. No swing voters, no anchor holding the parties in the center. No center, no compromise, no consensus, no need to work together. If this trend continues, we could see a government split fairly evenly down the middle, with both sides unwilling to compromise for fear of losing the votes. That doesn't make for very effective governance, or a very unified country. The fight in our university newspaper, very much like the fight in our national legislature, is turning into more of a holy war than a debate. Pegging liberals or conservatives with the blame for all of the evils and misfortunes in our country (or in our community) carries graver consequences than the lack of good manners that we have already seen. The black-and-whiteness that each side portrays proves no points and makes no friends. If recent world events have shown us anything, it is that we need friends. This debate has taken an ugly turn, with individuals treating ideas as if they were as real and as constant as the sun. Both sides feel like the goal is to beat the opponent, to win the war. Liberalism and conservatism are not gospel. They're government. That means we compromise, we end up with outcomes that don't entirely satisfy us, and we hold our country together. And maybe, just maybe, we can be civil to each other at the same time. |