Millennials Will Be Heard

If you uncovered this blog thinking it would be the chronicles of an African biologists living with a pack of wild gorillas, then I would like to apologize now.

But you have heard the term, to watch out for the 800 lbs. gorilla in the room. You know you would be scared if a humongous gorilla stood in your proximity.

So what is this blog about and what is with the staring gorilla eyes?

First you should know what my political stance was six months ago. I felt like voting was useless, just like this freshmen at Ohio University writing in today's The Post. Tony Hennan wrote in a letter to the editor:

"Yet this is exactly what voting is: a majority of people telling the rest of the country what they’re allowed to do and how they can live. Not only is there no right over another individual, but the two presidential candidates in this election are the same; the only difference is in the magnitude of their beliefs."

There is not a whole lot there I can argue with, even today when I am pro-voting. So why do I think we, the children of the Baby Boomers, should go out and vote in record numbers?

Because if we show politicians that we will vote, then they will have to come talk to us.

According to this poll from Rock the Vote, there are 44 million potential voters between the ages of 18-and-29, more than one-fifth of the eligible voting demographic. According to the U.S. Census, 26 percent of the population was under 18 in 2000.

We are that 800 lbs. gorilla, though I do not know what would be scarier, an 800 pound gorilla, or one of those freaky, roid-raged gorillas from the movie Congo.

For years, politicians have not catered to America's youth because they think we are flaky voters. We will show up for one election, then miss the next one. Well I am mad as hell that I have to choose between two candidates I do not like. I am sick of reading about lobbyists like Michael Cantrell who make a buck because politicians are corrupt. And I am sick of mainstream media only writing about the partisan students who lean either far left or far right.

The truth is, most college age students, in my estimation, do not give a fuck about being a Republican or Democrat. That is goal no. 1 of this blog, to cater to the non-partisan or independent young voters who just want to know which candidate is going to be the best for them. I do not condemn involved students engaged in College Democrats or College Republicans, but I think the undecided college student gets neglected the most.

For the next three weeks, the time until the election and the bulk of when this blog will count for my Online Fundamentals class project, I will research the issues in the upcoming election and break down, with the help of expert sources, each candidates stance. I will convince the unconvinced why it is important to vote, and finally I will throw in a dab of entertainment because that's what we, the Colbert Report generation, respond too.

Tomorrow will be a big day for me, starting with a trip to see Sen. Joe Biden speak at the Athens Fairgrounds. There I will go talk to students, specifically looking for the undecided voters and see what their concerns are.

In case you do not get a chance to go to see Sen. Biden, feel free to leave me some comments about what you are concerned with and check out the links to the right for other blogs and places of information.