Towards the end of summer, the Dartmouth Editorial Board lamented a perceived lack of political activism on campus ("Bringing political energy to Dartmouth," Aug. 1). In the aftermath of the Democratic Party's decision to add a caucus in Nevada ahead of New Hampshire's "first-in-the-nation" Presidential Primary, the Board wrote that "the student body in general and campus political groups in particular should view this major national change as an opportunity to step up efforts to create a vital and dynamic political dialogue on campus."
With Election Day here, it is incredibly important we take this lesson to heart. And I think Dartmouth students are doing just that.
Take a look at some of the most recent events on campus. Republican New York Governor George Pataki tailgated at a Dartmouth football game. The College Republicans have traveled down to Concord to meet with Presidential candidate and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; a few days ago they met First Lady Laura Bush and New Hampshire's two Republican Senators. The Dartmouth College Democrats have been similarly active, sitting down with U.S. Senator Chris Dodd, a Democratic senator from Connecticut in the Hanover Inn, attending a luncheon with U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, Democrat of Indiana, in Plymouth and hosting "Democracy Day" on the Dartmouth Hall Lawn. With Presidential Primary season about to kick off, these events will only increase in frequency over the next year.
But even more important than meeting Presidential candidates is actively encouraging students to make an impact on local campaigns and elections.
The simple fact is that we cannot wait any longer to get involved. The decisions made by our government today will affect us for a long time to come -- and it is our generation getting the short end of the stick.
Think about it. Our generation is about to be left with a $9 trillion (and rapidly rising) deficit to pay off. Our generation will be forced to deal with the consequences of global warming-and the current administration's refusal to take it seriously. Our generation will endure skyrocketing health insurance costs as the Baby Boomers age, the long-term effects of a failed energy policy still beholden to oil tycoons and Third-World dictators, and an increasingly radicalized Muslim world that views us more and more as its enemy due to our current engagement in the Iraq civil war. And I have not even mentioned the possibility that, when we retire, Social Security might not be around because our government thinks it is all right to raid Social Security funds to pay off interest on the national debt.
But these mistakes don't just hurt us down the road. College students in the State of New Hampshire -- that's us -- owe more debt when we graduate than students in any other state in the nation.
The decisions of today's leaders affect us, and they affect us directly. If the current generation in power refuses to step up to the plate -- and instead passes the buck on to us -- then it is our responsibility to get involved, and to do so today. We need to vote. We need to volunteer. And we need to run for office ourselves.
Today is Election Day. The race for U.S. Congress in New Hampshire is incredibly close, and it is important that students know that they can, in fact, vote in New Hampshire. If you have not registered to vote yet, you can register and vote at the polls today. If you are registered somewhere else, but did not send in an absentee ballot, you can -- and should -- reregister and vote today in Hanover. Your official residence won't be affected. You won't lose any federal or Dartmouth financial aid. All you need to do is bring a state-issued ID (from any state) to the polling place.
American election law is incredibly complicated, which makes it very difficult for young people to vote. It is up to us to know the laws, exercise our civic duty and get to the polls.
Our future, and the future of our country, is too important to stay home.
