Here it is . after months of speculation, after scrutinized debates and swarming rallies, after so many volunteer hours, so many voter registration drives, so many foreboding television ads and pre-recorded phone calls, so much sweat and so much rhetoric, it’s here. Election week has arrived. The buildup to a political regeneration is reaching its pinnacle.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, we decide.
Who will it be? Will Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin drive us through the toxic sludge of Wall Street and Washington with unbridled, mavericky ambition toward a brighter, Republican tomorrow? Will Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden talk us through the mess of current affairs, pacifying the masses with solid speeches and middle-class tax cuts and while weaving webs of global, Democratic discourse?
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, we decide.
Let’s get real, here: No perfect choice exists. Each ticket offers strengths as well as weaknesses. This choice isn’t simply a crap shoot between the lesser of two evils; it never is. Your vote is a choice between two sets of real, fallible, eminently human beings. You’re not electing a savior. You’re electing a leader. Who will lead this country best?
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, we decide.
Strange, in this electronic age, how different voting is from our day-to-day activities. We are the youth of America. We grew up with MP3 players and in-class texting. We can get any information we want, whenever we want, just by clicking a mouse. We can instantaneously think and retrieve anything.
Voting is different. To vote, you have to register. You have to research. You have to plan. You have to make room in your schedule. You have to stand in line (at BSC 137, by the way). You have to fill out forms. Voting is, frankly, an inconvenience. Is it worth it?
Just ask soldiers, suffragettes and civil rights protesters. Just ask guest workers and laborers. Just ask politicians and judges. Ask anyone. Voting is sacred. Voting is your adult right. Voting is your voice, your participation in representative democracy. Who will speak for us?
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, we decide.
Get yourself to the polling place (again, BSC 137) and stand in line. Wait as long as you have to. Do anything you want to pass the time. Stick it out until your voice is heard. This year, this choice, is essential.
Decide. Speak. Act. Persevere. Vote.
