A Service of The Arrow             Saturday October 15, 2000

    Ah, election season. That happy time we all wish came every month as opposed to every four years…the enduring national process whereby everyone’s faith in democracy and freedom is reaffirmed as millions of the country’s civic-minded flock to the polls to cast a vote for the man they find most qualified todfvu76tg5rfgi8*&^!@#$…

   Pardon me. The presidential debates were playing in the background and I passed out on the keyboard.

    Who are we kidding? Every four years, I hear the same self-congratulatory drivel from pundits, politicians and teachers. Awestruck, they hold up the electoral process as a shining tribute to America’s political strength and bemoan the existence of the country’s non-voting majority.

    Here’s what really happens: every two years, hundreds of prospective politicians rise up out of whatever woodwork they inhabit and begin the long, arduous process of buying as many votes as possible. They clutter the airwaves with political advertisements that usually involve smiling children, smiling senior citizens, or a shameless combination of the two. They collect special-interest endorsements like so many cheap baseball cards. And they do their best to convince the American electorate that they will give away more in tax credits and entitlements than their opponent.

    This is not to suggest that the sad condition of the national electoral process stems from the personal malice of public servants who derive sick pleasure from tampering with the health of American democracy. There most certainly are decent, incorruptible men and women who enter politics to satisfy a sincere desire to serve their country and constituents. Unfortunately, before they can even begin, they must win the favor of a disinterested electorate that, in spasms of envy, usually votes for the candidate who promises them the most from the public till.

    Young voters, though, are rarely promised such concessions. We’re caught in a bit of a Catch-22. Politicians rarely offer programs that benefit us, so we don’t vote. Then, because we don’t vote, politicians don’t offer programs that benefit us. Without candidates who address issues important to youth, there is little incentive for young people to vote for someone who hardly acknowledges their existence.

    In contrast, issues that impact elderly voters are treated like dire matters of American peace and security. The dominant issue in this year’s election centers around the idea of providing seniors with free prescription drugs under the Medicare entitlement program. It has quickly become an unquestionable orthodoxy that seniors deserve to have even more money taken from America’s younger workers and placed in their hands. It’s no wonder candidates are so eager to win their favor; senior citizens comprised fully one-third of the voting population in the last national election.

    Social Security is an issue even more important to the future of America’s young voters, and our choices are even less attractive. A recent poll found that 46 percent of young Americans believe in the existence of UFOs, while only 28% believe that Social Security will still exist when they retire. After watching Al Gore and George W. Bush in their first presidential debate on Oct. 3, I’m beginning to believe more and more in the existence of aliens and less and less in the continued life of the Social Security pyramid scheme.

    Voter apathy is a trend that is likely to continue as long as young people enjoy relative security in their lives and politicians fail to explain how their ideas will affect the youth vote. Young voters in America are not rejecting democracy. Democracy is rejecting them.

-senior Andrew Bissell

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