The human element

Originally published in the Valencia Voice

I sat down last night with the intention of fully expressing my opinion on recent political issues, but I quickly realized that I don’t know much about this election at all.

Among the ocean of informed opinions, I was lost and cast adrift on a raft of utter ignorance. I couldn’t help but think, “I can’t be the only one.”

We are the same generation that, two years ago, marched, rallied and petitioned all the way to election day for the things we believed in. Regardless of who you voted for, we were united in our stance against apathy and stagnancy. What happened?

Now we face an election where the choices our citizens make will ultimately decide whether or not our government will remain in a stasis for two years. I’m not here to argue whether that is good or bad, because I under- stand the argument on both sides.

How deep must our party affiliations bind us, in order to brand us as patriots? How many times must we campaign, or scream, or fight, or throw 24 year old girls who disagree with us to the ground as our comrades pummel?

We live in a nation where things have gotten so desperate, that even TV personalities are holding their own marches and rallies in Washington.

I may not fully understand what’s going on, but I certainly know what I want. Progress.

Steady progress for the next few years is what this country needs in order to get back on track. It’s the only way our nation’s crises will ever be cured.

Our foreign issues are grave and numerous. Our education is far from representative of the most powerful nation in the world. Our economic policies are more comparable to some kind of crazy slapstick routine rather than an actual financial plan. Face it, America. We’ve got more problems than the cast of “Teen Mom!”

The solution of course, is vote. If we want progress, we have to demand it. Tuesday’s elections will decide the kind of America we live in for years to come. It’s up to all of us to do our part to insure that no matter what our individual opinion might be, it will be heard.

So on November 2, stand up for the only opinion that really matters, yours.