The idealistic blood boiled in my veins when I read "Why Vote" by Joe Peters '99. Imagine a classmate of mine devoting an entire column to urging the Dartmouth Community not to vote!
As it is, young people vote far less than any other group in this country. In 1992 only 42.8 percent of us voted -- that's compared to a 70 percent turnout for our parents' and grandparents' generations.
For college students, voting is usually our only chance at participating in the political process, whether we like it or not. But the trend seems to be towards indifference and cyniscism about the system in general. In 1966, 58 percent of freshmen rated "keeping up to date with political affairs" an important life goal, according to a study conducted by the Higher Education Research institute at UCLA. In 1990, it was 42 percent. This year, an election year, it's dropped to 29 percent.
So, as disturbing as it is to me, Peters' sentiment may well be a typical one among young people. We are Generation X, after all, though only by a few years. Whether or not we are apathetic and indifferent, many of us are certainly disillusioned. We feel as if we have no issues to rally around -- like our parents rallied around Vietnam, for instance -- and it appears as if the results of any given election don't matter.
But they do, and there are plenty of good reasons that we should vote.
First of all, our representational government is run by politicians, and politicians care about whomever supports them. Voting is the only way to be taken seriously and to bring attention to the issues that we care about.
The idea that not voting because we fail to be impressed with our options makes some sort of statement is dangerous and incorrect. Mr. Peters fails to realize that there is no reason that concerned citizens can't and shouldn't work for change outside the system while still participating in the system.
In reference to this year's election, Peters complains that "The stakes are low, the candidates uninspiring, and the issues stale."
He couldn't be more wrong. Don't doubt that the outcome of the upcoming elections could have a real impact on all of our lives. In fact, this could be very well the most important election of our lifetimes. Let's look at education -- an issue of paramount relevance to this community.
Approximately 46 percent of Dartmouth students receive some sort of financial aid. Federal aid is vital to ensuring the need-blind policy our Admissions office currently upholds, not to mention that without it, many of our most talented students would not be able to study here.
The bottom line is Bob Dole has been voting against student loans since 1965. That means that he has been trying to dismantle and destroy the student aid program since before my parents even graduated from college. Dole has consistently voted to cut the very programs that keep many of us in school. I can't imagine how the man dares to set foot on a college campus.
His latest plan is that 15 percent tax cut we've all been hearing about. How do you think Dole plans on paying for this scheme of his? My bet is that student aid is the first to go.
President Clinton, on the other hand, is the most pro-education president this country has ever had. He created the Direct Student Loan Program that makes student loans cheaper and faster. He created Americorps, the national service program which has allowed 45,000 students to receive tuition assistance for serving their communities. He supports a $10,000 higher education tax-credit for middle class families. He has proposed the Hope Scholarship program that would make two years of college as standard as four years of high school.
And the issues go on down the line. "Uninspiring" the candidates may be, for some, but, they couldn't be more different as to their views on a whole range of issues: abortion rights, the environment, affirmative action, gun control, and yes, the economy, stupid. Voting in this election most certainly represents a clear-cut choice, and not "more of the same and a variation of the same" (Peters again).
