Youth Politics

Sometimes people need to just hear it from someone else. If you don’t vote, you have no control over what the government does. Yes, people say how they feel powerless anyway. These people say that no matter what they do, America will do whatever it wants, and the government will do whatever it wants. In fact, people have very little faith in the government these days. People are very cynical and skeptical about our political system. Is it not working? Do people not really have a say?

I think giving up is even worse than feeling powerless. People are creating their own illusion of dis-empowerment. Well of course you’re feeling powerless I’d say, because you no longer vote! People who do not vote and feel powerless are absolutely right. They have no power because they want to have no power. How does not participating help to change anything. Not participating is a conceit. America didn’t become the nation it is today by having people who gave up on what they believe in. Imagine if slaves had given up on trying to gain their freedom. Would they have ever gotten it if they had never tried? It’s hard to say. I’m inclined to say no, because inaction is like agreeing with anything and everything that occurs. Voting is analogous to speaking one’s mind in politics, and if you disagree with something, you need to say it or it will never be heard.

Do you feel comfortable putting your fate in the hands of others? I know I don’t. Why should I? The person who knows best what’s right for me is myself. No one else can tell me what I need or what I desire. Why do people lock their doors at night? Why have a lock at all if you want to put absolute faith in everyone else? Not voting is like leaving your house door wide-open. Not voting is like having the populous tell you what you want and what you need. To some people this is fine, people like being controlled in that manner. However, I cannot live that way, and I can imagine that a lot of you cannot live that way, either. For those who have gone or are currently attending college, remember how incredibly freeing it was to finally get out of the house and live on your own? Didn’t it feel great knowing you were now in almost total control of your own affairs? No one in college tells you what you may or may not do, besides anything that breaks the college’s policies or breaks the law. It is a great feeling to make your own decisions. Voting is a similar deal. You finally get the chance to have your own voice as to how America proceeds in the future. You get a tiny bit of control, for once. I claim a tiny bit of control is better than no control at all. It’s just like my own life. If I had to choose between having no control over my life and a tiny bit of control, I’d take the tiny bit every single time. If you feel the exact same way, and you do not vote, or are not registered to vote, I recommend that you do.

Anyone who does not vote I don’t believe has a say about anything that occurs in this country for the period that officials were elected. They have none. I don’t want to hear criticisms from these people, and I don’t want to hear complaints. They did not vote because they chose that the country proceed in this manner by choosing to do nothing. I have to reiterate that inaction is the same as accepting the status quo, whatever it may be. Thus it is imperative for anyone who has an opinion at all to vote if, for example, I am to take that person seriously and truly pay attention to his/her opinions. As far as I’m concerned, those who choose not to vote have no opinion, or their opinion is that of the majority, whatever majority that may be.

So please, if you care at all to make your own decisions, vote! It’s a painless procedure and it is extremely empowering. What better way to voice your opinion than to tell America itself what you want? If you’re not registered to vote, there’s still time to register! Over on the sidebar you’ll see a banner that takes in voter registrations. All you have to do is click, fill out the form, and you’re done! It’s painless, it’s free, it’s simple, and best, best of all, it’s your ticket to having a voice in America.