What's the most important event of the year? Three guesses. Is it the concert you're going to go see this summer? Nope. The new James Bond movie this fall? Try again. The Presidential Election? You got it! It may seem lame, it may seem boring, and it might not be the most exciting thing going on in 2008, but it's the thing that will have the greatest impact on your life. Obviously, a Presidential Election is important, and it's important every four years that it happens. But for many people, it's only important on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, a.k.a. Election Day.
The thing that people have to realize is that the selection process starts the second a candidate begins campaigning. And for this election, that started a year ago. Why should we care who wins in the primaries, who gets chosen to run? All Republicans and Democrats are the same, right? Wrong, and the fact that it's wrong is compounded by the fact that there are so many different candidates this year. These candidates all have different opinions and ideas about how the country should be run. And, compared to the previous few elections, all of these candidates have a relatively equal chance of being nominated. For example, the first three Republican Primaries were each one by a different candidate. And there is a huge number of issues at stake in this election.
So if you care about the war, if you have an opinion about it, there's probably a candidate who agrees with you more than the others do. If you care about global warming, the economy, the environment, healthcare, or any other nationally relevant subject, it's in your best interest to support the candidate who feels the same way you do. Get educated about the candidates, about what they believe. Watch debates. If they're boring, read the newspaper. Don't like to read? Watch the news? Still boring? Watch The Daily Show or any other TV show that deals with current events. Pick a candidate, and support that candidate. Go to their rallies, volunteer for them, help raise money, whatever it takes. Encourage your parents to do the same. They can vote, and if statistics are true, there's a good chance that they don't. So get them to pick a candidate, or if they're too lazy, help them make the choice. Tell them to vote in the primary, not just the election.
Do whatever it takes to make sure that the person who you think is best to run the country will become President. You need to make sure that your voice gets heard, that your opinion counts, that the country is run the way you want it to be run. If your parents don't vote, they're not doing you any favors, either. You need to make sure that when you have kids, they grow up in a world that gives them the same chance you have. To do all that, you need to take your chance. It may seem lame, it may seem boring, but you need to do it. Take a break from MySpace, put down your headphones, turn off American Idol. Make sure that if you or your kids or your grandkids ever decide to run for President of the United States of America, there'll still be a United States of America to be President in.
