Ignorance is NOT bliss

How can people say that they do not care about the outcome of the Presidential election? Now, granted, there are circumstances that could definitely make you feel that the outcome of America's presidential is less important than say, feeding your baby, or the survival of your family. I'm not talking about those situations here, though. I'm talking about the people like those that I sit by in my high school psychology class and other middle class Americans under similar circumstances. When our teacher asked who cared about the presidential election, two students raised their hands. One was me. Now, how does this happen? Isn't this supposed to be a democracy? How can the people rule...if they don't care--if they are so apathetic that their own president makes no difference to them? American voters have enough trouble trying to use their popular views to choose their President with the electoral college bouncing around, and unit rule very efficiently stomping on the true majority veiw (in some cases). While there are some people who do care, like me, there are far more that I have encountered that don't. One of the most intruiging and puzzles cases of the "I don't cares" was from a friend of mine who serves in the military. His viewpoint was that since he had to do what he was ordered to do no matter what it didn't matter who was doint the ordering. To me, this was very confusing. i didn't understand how that could not matter. The presidential pick influences what wars we are in in what places, and even where his troop could end up. People think that the president will not influence their lives, and it is appalling to realize that even after the financial crisis that we are being sucked into currently they don't see what could happen to them. in my opinion, the outcome of this election will directly effect the amount of money the average American has to spend. FDIC, my friends, will not mean anything if the federal government is in a deficit that can't be put back into the black. If you are a student, the next president could be the deciding factor on whether you can get loans and scholarships to fund your way to college. The choice which will come down to McCain vs. Obama (sorry third parties!) will influence the next eight years, and possibly even the course of history in ways that we can't imagine today. Even if we could, it's really best not to. Our government is at a fork in the road, and I, for one, am hoping they take the path less traveled, and do the smart thing and elect a president who will do his best to save America from it's financial quicksand. If they don't, many of these currently apathetic individuals will find out just how much their vote, or lack thereof, affected them.