If the Mayans are correct and the world will come to an end in December, there is really no point to the presidential election between Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama this November. However, I think that on Dec. 22, the sun will rise, the birds will chirp and my roommates will skip their showers just to make it 15 minutes late to their finals. In other words, this election does matter. Especially to college students and people entering the job market.
These days college is more expensive than ever, with graduating students entering the workforce tens of thousands of dollars in debt because of student loans. This leads to years of tight budgeting, which results in many graduates living with mom and dad. Now, I am not against mother’s warm chocolate chip cookies or being tucked in at night, but let’s face it – when you are in your 30s and trying to bring a girl back from a bar, you are not going to woo that Megan Fox look-alike with the, “Oh yeah, I still live with my parents” line.
However, hope lingers on the horizon for those who fear living with their parents could lead to the status of “40-year-old virgin”. This hope is Barack Obama.
Barack Obama takes a lot of hits from people because his 2008 campaign was driven by “change,” and, for many, not a lot has changed in the last four years. The economy is still considered by many to be sub-par, and Washington is as divided as Bears and Packers fans on game day. Although things are not looking too good for the country as a whole, I think it is time for our generation – which in the next decade will lead this nation – to take matters into its own hands. A way we can make a push in the right direction for our futures is to vote for Obama. He may not necessarily be the best candidate for the job, but his reforms in the education system and, more importantly, college loans are things to think about.
Fox News reports Obama will double scholarships, financial aid and Pell Grant funding for college students, which will take a big load off of middle and working class families in their quest to pay for college. On the other hand, Business Insider notes Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has offered no solutions to the current student loan debt. The choice is simple – a vote for Obama is a vote to keep our generation from falling into worse debt than some are already experiencing, and a vote for Romney is a vote for a rich politician who has our generation’s interests and future well-being on the backburner.
As our generation finishes up its schooling and makes the leap to the real world, the next step is to get a job. Based off of Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has declined from about 9.6 percent in August 2010 to 8.1 percent in August 2012. This is not much of a drastic shift, but at least it is a shift in the right direction. So why not continue with what seems to be prodding the economy along the right path? If Romney is elected it will mean we have had three different presidents in the last three terms. This also means a third set of principles to govern the economy that has not yet been proven to increase in growth or prosperity. In essence, it is a gamble, and our futures are not worth gambling.
Obama is not a gamble, and if re-elected he will relieve student loan debts down the road. Also, as the unemployment trends continue under the Obama administration, finding jobs will not be such a grueling task in the future. It’s time to think about what is best for you. I’m pretty sure living at your own place with all of your debt paid off would be better than living on your parents’ couch among the crumbs between the cushions.
Hayes Cascia ([email protected]) is a sophomore with an undeclared major.
