By Paul A. Anthony, Editor in Chief
College students are busy people with a lot of things to do, little time to do them and usually not in need of another thing to do on a Tuesday.
* But of course, if you care about abortion, you might want to consider this fact:
The party that controls the Senate has the power to approve or to reject Supreme Court nominees. And at least one justice is likely to retire if the election goes a certain way.
* If you care about your post-retirement security, you might want to consider the fact that Congress has been deadlocked over what to do with Social Security for several months.
If a new Congress takes over with both houses ruled by the same party, that gridlock will end quickly.
* If you care about preventing another terrorist attack, remember that the party in control of each house of Congress has power over defense spending, and the Senate is still squabbling over a Homeland Security Department measure.
* If you care about health care, keep in mind the billions of dollars in spending that separate the two parties dueling for control of Congress.
* If you’re concerned about taxes, don’t forget the current drive in the House to make President Bush’s tax cuts permanent and the drive in the Senate to roll them back. A switch in either house directly affects how much money you have to spend.
* If you care about the environment, remember that Alaskan oil drilling isn’t dead, Yucca Mountain could still be brought up again and the Kyoto agreement remains unsigned. All of these could be good or bad, and each party thinks a completely different way about them.
Likewise, Americans fall easily into the “my vote doesn’t count for much” philosophy, and it’s a valid point. Rarely if ever has an election of national import turned on one vote.
But the 2000 presidential election turned on a voting bloc smaller than this year’s freshman class. Elections in New Jersey, Minnesota, South Dakota, New Hampshire, and yes, even in Texas could turn on similar margins.
Right now, Republican state Attorney General John Cornyn is leading former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, the Democrat, in the polls. But a hefty Democratic turnout in heavy minority areas could change that quickly.
And early voting returns from North Texas show a huge increase in minority turnout.
So why would Democrats in Abilene not jump at the chance to upset the GOP in an increasingly conservative state? Why would Republicans sit back and let that happen?
And why, faithful reader, would you sit back and let others you’ve never met have a louder and stronger voice than yours?
Your money, Social Security, health care and security depend on these elections Tuesday. Those reasons are important enough to fit voting into a busy day.
