If presidential candidates had a facebook account

^{_{September 27 2007}}

 ^{_{At least once a day, I find myself getting caught up in the news, eyes locked to Foxnews.com This has been a routine beginning with my first week of college. I have come to rely on the internet for a lot of things, such as national and local news. Growing up, I always remember sitting with my dad on the couch, watching the news on the television. He would explain to me the events that I couldn't quite grasp or tell me how certain situations would have a huge effect on my future. I would like to re-visit those memories; to be able to take thirty minutes out of my day to prop my feet up, sit in my comfortable couch in the living room, and discuss the way the world goes around with people close to me, but it seems as this concept is becoming even more far fetched. It's not that I don’t have a television or couch in the next room, in fact, i have quite a nice one set up. The simple fact is that I am a college student, living with my best friends in a college apartment. Honestly, they don't care about current issues and events unless it strikes them as huge.  The only events that seem to get college students' attention are those of major catastrophes like large scale school shootings or terrorist attacks. Sadly enough, that there is a war going on that we are part of doesn't concern my generation as much as it should. As the election approaches, the time my browser is set on political and news websites increases more and more. I am not going to lie, I'm not a politician, nor am I one who is abundant in political knowledge. I'm just your average full-time college student, working towards a degree, working part time, and embracing the most of every social engagement that comes my way. Its not that I'm a book worm, though I do enjoy reading, and its not that I'm part of any extreme activist groups, though I do love being involved organizations. The point is, that despite work, school, and extra-curricular activities, college students need to make the time to get informed on current events and issues. It is incredibly important in our society for people to be able to communicate their thoughts and opinions on important topics. However, it saddens me to watch as my generation invests more than double their time keeping updated on their friends and acquaintances through facebook and myspace than they do even thinking about who will run our country next term.  Yes, I have a facebook and a myspace, so don't get me wrong.  love these sites as much as the next person and spend an ample amount of time on them. But honestly, how disgusting is it when people complain about the president or an official of any government level position, when he or she didn't even come out to vote. It's disturbing. I just want to tell them all to stop complaining because in a way, they voted for the official by not voting against him. I never realized I had so much frustration until these last couple of weeks when I attempted to hold multiple conversations with diverse peers about the election 2008 and it ended abruptly with them not even knowing that Hilary Clinton was running for president. I'm not one to judge the importance of people and events, nor do I want to judge what others do, but it is incredibly disrespectful for people of eligibility not to take the time to vote.I know its cliché, but honestly, voting is one of the most amazing gifts we as Americans have and its as if my generation is insensitive to that fact. I want to ask every person who says his vote doesn't count if he wants to crumble up and throw away his freedom now or later. It's a beautiful concept to have a say in who governs over you, so take advantage of it. Especially eighteen year olds; How many of them do you hear complain about their parents' rules. Well news flash, you may have been born to a mom and dad that you had no choice in, but I guarantee, you can have a say in who oversees your country.}}

^{_{In some way the ignorance my peers have displayed has worked for my benefit. Five of my friends, when asked who they were voting for, said they had no clue and they didn't have time to research it. To my advantage, they asked me to do the research and tell them who I think is the best candidate this time around and they would vote for that person. Good or bad, I guess I get five votes in the 2008 election. This says a lot about my generation, but what can we do? Maybe if every presidential candidate had a facebook account, my peers and I would would spend more time learning about a runner's platform.}}

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