I just noticed today that there is so much that, as a citizen of the U.S., I don’t know. Like, for instance: I will openly admit that I know next to nothing about the Health Reform that’s being debated in the media today, and I wonder, whose fault is that exactly? It could be partially my own fault for not investigating it, but perhaps, if the key parts of the Health Reforms white paper were better publicized, more people would be better informed on the policies and programs our government plans/tries to enact. I know that political science is not my forte nor my passion, nor am I suggesting it should be yours. I am suggesting, however, that society get more involved and interested as a whole in politics. There should even be a class that’s mandatory for us to take on political science! Perhaps the media, instead of presenting biased, controversial sides of things, should present the whole story for us to have and examine in our own way.
Politics is important, more so than most people realize. Knowing what’s going on in our country should be one of the top priorities of our daily lives. People are so focused on their own agendas that the average U.S. citizen is confused, and voting has next to no significance because the majority of people don’t know everything about who they’re voting for. People think that they don’t need to be concerned with politics because they can’t grasp it in their day-to-day routines; it simply isn’t a tangible aspect, or so they think. However, politics affects everything that goes on in this country. The President, the House, the Congress…all of those people decide things for us. If you’re comfortable with the ‘great unknown’ and would rather be completely ignorant of the goings-on of our country, than that’s your prerogative. I, for one, would like to have a say, however small, in how this country is run. If you completely disagree with my standpoint, I beg you to reconsider, because the laws enacted (some of the time) do affect us quite drastically.
Now voting isn’t the only thing as a citizen that you should make it a point to do. As a citizen, you should form a valid, well-thought out, rational opinion and stand up for what you believe in! When the voting is done, your work is not! You should write to Congressmen, or at least do something to make sure your view is heard. Don’t take a passive seat on this wild and crazy political train. Fight to be the conductor (or, at least a passenger with an extremely obnoxious disposition)!
