Our
View: Go out and vote, vote (this means
you)
Today
is your last day to vote, Cal State Long
Beach. We urge you to do so to make your
mark at The Beach for our student government.
We know in the hustle and bustle of midterms,
term papers and finding parking spaces,
to many, voting here at school may seem
distant and useless.
But such a mentality is the real useless part here. Voter apathy, whether at
this campus or anywhere else in this country, goes against the ideals our participatory
democracy has fought for and died defending.
It it despicable considering many Americans with the ability to vote on their
own soil chose not to do so. But here’s a grand idea: Maybe it would
help if voting locations were in a McDonald’s instead of a neighbor’s
garage, school or church. That way obese America could get two things done
at once.
American voter apathy becomes even worse when one considers that abroad, in
conflicted zones like the Middle East and specifically Iraq, citizens there
went out on their momentous voting day despite the dangers.
We truly have no excuses here for any elections whether they are local, state
or national ones.
It’s not dangerous to vote in America, or on this campus for that matter.
It’s supposed to rain today according to Yahoo! Weather, but that shouldn’t
matter. It only takes a few moments of your time and, hopefully, if you’ve
been reading up on the candidates in your campus publications, you’ll
know who to vote for.
Voting is important, so it’s no surprise some pretty smart people throughout
history have had a few things to say about it. President Lyndon Johnson once
said, “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for
breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men
because they are different from other men.”
Think fee increases are an injustice hurting your education? Heed Johnson’s
advice and use “the most powerful instrument ever devised by man” to
tell the school you’re mad as hell and you’re not gonna take it
anymore.
Think fee increases are worthwhile? Vote and tell those in charge you approve.
The choice is yours.
Think the incumbents in office now are worthless? Journalist and essayist George
Jean Nathan said, “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do
not vote.” It’s your turn to make a difference and elect someone
new.
On the contrary, maybe the incumbents are doing a real bang up job. Tell them
to rock on with a vote, a smile and sticker that says you voted.
The spirit of the day is vote. Vote, vote, vote. In case you missed that part,
it starts with a “v” and ends with an “ote,” so go
do it.
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