Turning Your Head Won’t Make It Go Away

I’m a political science major and even I’m sick of politics – just like, what seems to be, the rest of the Wittenberg student body.

The government is indeed so bipartisan right now that this election seems to be more about good guy versus bad guy instead of about the policies/issues at hand. There is an overwhelming amount of wariness in regards to the upcoming Presidential election.

Students brought up important issues like student loans, the healthcare bill (that just recently passed its individual mandate) and women’s rights.

However, astonishingly, the economy was not even mentioned. Ask a regular citizen what’s the most important issue facing the nation today, and he/she will most likely respond “the economy.”

Are students at Wittenberg aware that after college, they will be faced with one of the worst job markets in history?

How are they going to pay off student loans?

As their parents, the baby boom generation, continue to age, how are they going to pay for Medicare, Social Security, etc.?

These are some major issues and students at Wittenberg don’t seem to be interested in and/or aware of them. Moreover, perhaps of worst of all, they don’t even seem to care. 

Erin Harte mentioned that she would like to see Americans, including students at Wittenberg, become more aware. What’s it going to take, though?

Students seem to feel that even though they have the right to vote, it doesn’t matter. In fact, many might not even vote and feel that if he/she votes for a third party candidate, that vote wouldn’t “count” anyway.

If students don’t want to hear about politics because they feel the candidates are so insincere in the good v. bad guy game, I’m not sure how either candidate will reach the generation X voters.