The American democratic system as it stands is so hopelessly corrupted by dirty politics and bland personalities that the cynical Generation X knows without even being told that their vote is meaningless. A vote for Al Gore is the same as a vote for George Bush because they're essentially the same person with a couple of quirks as mandated by their party line. What choice is there? Who gets to pick the candidates for president, anyway? Why, other politicians, of course. Did anyone ask the voters if they even WANTED Al Gore as the person on the ballot? Cliches like "every vote counts" are blissfully ignorant of the fact that you can flip a coin and get roughly the same results because there's only a 50/50 choice anyway.
The message has been hammered into the heads of the youth of America countless times already: The president is there to serve the whims of big business and special interest groups, not the voters. So why vote? What difference does your vote make, anyway? Given the general ennui of the American public towards both candidates this year, for instance, the only true difference a vote can make is towards a third party, but because of the restrictions placed on campaign funds and TV time placed on anyone not named "Democrat" or "Republican", there hasn't been a third-party president since, what, the 1800s?
So basically what you're left with is an ultra-cynical political system that condescendingly offers voters freedom of choice where no choice actually exists, and then holds no accountability for anything said or promised by the candidates during the election. So what exactly are the young people of America supposed to be voting for? It's one liar or the other, and once they're in there, god help you if want to actually hold them to responsibility for their actions like everyone else on earth.
Further, let's say you're a minority youth. Right off the bat you know that your interests aren't gonna be represented, because every President since Kennedy has been an old white man. So one is the same as the other for you, anyway. There's no choice there.
What about the ridiculously high percentage of people in America who live below the poverty line? What's the point of voting for them, since every government program since World War II has only served to increase the gap between the haves and the have-nots and give those who were born into money more opportunity to use it to influence the political system to their own needs? How is the one poor vote equal to the one rich vote? What's fair about that?
And how about if one candidate gets a 51% majority and the other gets 49%? The 49% have not only wasted their vote on a losing candidate, but now half the country voted AGAINST the sitting president. That's one of the inherant flaws with the two-party system that no one seems eager to address, because that's the way it's always been done before.
The message has been hammered into the heads of the youth of America countless times already: The president is there to serve the whims of big business and special interest groups, not the voters. So why vote? What difference does your vote make, anyway? Given the general ennui of the American public towards both candidates this year, for instance, the only true difference a vote can make is towards a third party, but because of the restrictions placed on campaign funds and TV time placed on anyone not named "Democrat" or "Republican", there hasn't been a third-party president since, what, the 1800s?
So basically what you're left with is an ultra-cynical political system that condescendingly offers voters freedom of choice where no choice actually exists, and then holds no accountability for anything said or promised by the candidates during the election. So what exactly are the young people of America supposed to be voting for? It's one liar or the other, and once they're in there, god help you if want to actually hold them to responsibility for their actions like everyone else on earth.
Further, let's say you're a minority youth. Right off the bat you know that your interests aren't gonna be represented, because every President since Kennedy has been an old white man. So one is the same as the other for you, anyway. There's no choice there.
What about the ridiculously high percentage of people in America who live below the poverty line? What's the point of voting for them, since every government program since World War II has only served to increase the gap between the haves and the have-nots and give those who were born into money more opportunity to use it to influence the political system to their own needs? How is the one poor vote equal to the one rich vote? What's fair about that?
And how about if one candidate gets a 51% majority and the other gets 49%? The 49% have not only wasted their vote on a losing candidate, but now half the country voted AGAINST the sitting president. That's one of the inherant flaws with the two-party system that no one seems eager to address, because that's the way it's always been done before.
Look at what we have now, nader and buchanen. Nader runs for the green party which has some really really absurd points in its platform. Nader doesn't clear up his stance on many issues including foriegn policy. He'd rather you fill in the blanks. He doesn't seem like presidential material. Buchanen.. ugh well anyone knows whats wrong with him. The 3rd party arguement is pretty pointless until they get an awsome candidate.
Facebook
Twitter