By Molly TolzmannFor many people today, politics and government are something they find fairly uninteresting.
This was true for me because I always felt like I didnít know enough to sound like I knew what I was talking about in a conversation with others. This began to change back in ninth grade, when we had to take a class on civics. I learned a lot about government, and began to realize that being involved could be interesting. I started to follow current events more closely, and I took opportunities to visit places like the state capitol to see firsthand how government works.
Then, a few months ago, I had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. with the National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense, Intelligence, and Diplomacy.
The many places we visited included the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court. While in D.C., I was able to learn about many federal and international issues that I wasnít aware of before. I was also exposed to the views and ideas of others from all around the country. That definitely makes things more interesting now. When an issue comes up, I am aware of many different viewpoints.
Just several weeks ago, I attended Girls State courtesy of the American Legion Auxiliary. This was an excellent opportunity to learn about local and state issues. And, once again, I got to see what othersí views were.
The highlight of the week was our trip to the state capitol. As a member of the House of Representatives, I got to sit on the floor of the House with other members, debating bills and voting on them with the actual voting buttons. It was incredibly fun (yes, politics were fun) to be able to contribute to the debates, since I knew about most of the issues surrounding the bills.
Iím sure I would have found it incredibly boring had I had no clue what everyone was talking about.
Now today as I write this, Iím thinking about one of the biggest disappointments of the yearóthat I wonít be 18 in time to vote in the November election.
I also believe Iíve discovered the reason why voter turnout is so low.
Itís simply not exciting or meaningful when the candidates are just names on a paper. If this holds true for you, take the time to learn where the candidates stand on the issues, and I would be willing to bet that you will want to have your say in the election.
There are many ways to become educated: Read the paper, listen to something on the radio other than your favorite music station, find an educational web site, watch the news, or hit up the politicians themselves. Come November, feel like you earned that ìI Votedî sticker, and think of the poor girl who canít have one.
So, the next time you receive one of those political survey phone calls (you know, the ones where they want ìa few minutes of your timeî) or happen to be watching TV when something political comes up, donít pretend to be ìhaving dinnerî or immediately turn the channel.
While government may not be especially interesting now, the more you learn, the more interesting it will become. The more interested you are, the more involved you will become.
When more people are involved, the country will run like itís supposed to: All the people will have their say.
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