Timing Is Everything

The topic I chose for my argument paper is one that I chose because of its timing. I feel it is everyone’s constitutional right to vote, and this election is a turning point in our government, so if you don’t vote you have no right to criticize our government. I have a list of arguments a mile long but I will share a few of them with you, but not all because I don’t wish to spoil it for you.

The candidate choices
The first time an African American has won the nomination of his party
We are in indebted up to our eyeballs to China
Slumping economy
Bailouts
War in Iraq
School reform
No Child Left Behind
The appointing of supreme court justices
Floundering global image
Outsourcing of jobs and technologies
Environmental issues [global warming, arctic drilling]
Gas prices/ oil dependency
Cleaning up corporate America
Repairing our infrastructure
Reforming social security

Those are just the tip of the iceberg, I think people who are voting for the first time need to be aware of how presidential elections really do impact us, because no matter who you are, you are affected by at least one or two of the issues I’ve mentioned and probably know a couple other issues that do affect you that I haven’t mentioned. I am using a broad variety of sources to research my topic, I’ve been trying to use both right wing and left wing news sources as well as some of the debates themselves. I also feel it is important that I show the history of suffrage as well as information on this specific election. I will have to lessen my ideas and try to consolidate them to a reasonable amount. My topic is obviously timely because we elect our next president who will either make or break our nation in 30 some odd days. I feel as though I have a strong connection to, even though it is the first election I have the privilege to vote, it is not the first election that I have followed. Ever since I vaguely understood the idea of politics I’ve been following the presidential elections. The first conscious memory I have is watching bill Clintons reelection in 1996, then I remember watching Bush Vs. Gore in the ridiculous election of 2000, and I finally got active in 2004 volunteering with the democratic party in Seattle while I stayed there that summer. I just want people to understand the struggles many Americans went through to have the right to vote and make it so future generations would have that right and now we’re all very apathetic about the entire political process and often take no interest in the topic of politics, especially the age group that just became old enough to participate in our democracy. I just hope to change the apathy that the majority of people have towards the simple process of going and voting for the next leader of the united states, because if they don’t I feel as though they have absolutely no right to criticize our government if they don’t take advantage of their constitutional rights.