Our Perspective......

If you do one thing today, be certain to cast your vote

Make sure you vote today. It is not hard to do, and by one simple action you can change how this country operates.

Only every four years we choose a new leader. By your vote, you can decide who that is.

If you think your one vote does not matter, we urge you to think again.

If your vote does not matter, why is the rush to ask people to vote so intense this year? Republicans and democrats alike have been conducting mass phone calls and e-mails to campaign for their parties.

For example, Jim Nicholson, chair of the Republican National Committee, has been sending e-mails to registered democrats to ask them to vote republican.

This race will be so close, people like Nicholson are concerned enough to remind us of several similar races in American history.

It is thought by many that in each district, the winner of the presidential race may be decided by only one vote.

At least two presidents, Thomas Jefferson and Quincy Adams, won their elections by one vote in the Electoral College.

In Congress, it took one vote to grant statehood to California, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

College students sometimes have apathetic attitudes about voting. A common complaint is candidates never visit colleges, but perhaps if the most underrepresented group (18-21 year-olds) turned out for the vote, candidates would brownnose us a little.

Others complain about the time it takes to vote. Waiting in line for a freedom someone else worked tirelessly for, petitioning, using their tiny voice asking for sufferage, and building that call until equality is realized and you get to vote because of that work is about as easy as it gets. On top of that, those who earned your right to vote, whether you are woman, man, minority or majority were willing to die for your right to choose your leaders.

By not voting, not only are you throwing away your right, you are indicating your apathy for yourself, your country and its history.

If you do nothing else today, go and vote. Take a book, CD player or whatever you want and enjoy that time in line. You might think it to be a waste, but the benefits are more than you can count. Freedom, your voice and your control over our government are what is at stake.

Use that vote to protect your interests. Yours could be the one vote that makes all the difference.

Lack of literature at ASU causes concern

Robyn Dailey - Chancellor Beat

Appalachian State University owns a bookstore and library that are both full of books, so why can't I find the one that I need?

The first week of class, my literature teacher told the class that we did not need to buy the required, additional reading novel until right before we had to read it.

Being naive as I am, I took his advice and didn't go right away to the bookstore to make my purchase.

Much to my dismay, when I went to the bookstore a week before I needed to start reading the book, there were no copies to be found.

They assured me, however, that there was an order placed for the book an it would be in stock in a day or two.

A week later, I went back and couln't believe it when they gave me the same excuse.

I made sure that I went before the scheduled date to return unsold books to the companies, but, apparently, they still had not received the fabled order.

I had given up on the bookstore at that point, so I trudged down to the library to try my luck there. Not surprisingly, that effort too was unproductive.

There were no copies of my book (which may I mention is a classic) available at Appalachian, so I was forced to order it from East Carolina University.

I was able to pick it up later, but by the time I finally had it, I was severely behind in my reading and was unable to follow the classwork because I was reading a different edition of the book.

A friend from the same class was forced to buy the book when she went home during the weekend since there were no copies in Boone.

I spent the last two years at a community college and have never had the problem of books not being available.

Why can't the university order enough books for all the people in the class?

Don't they have lists of how many people are enrolled in each class and which books they will have to read?

Since it is a requirement for me to read the book in order to pass the class, I think that the least they could do is ensure that the resources I need are available.

COMMENTARY

Vote should support your ideals and opinion

Ian Hutchinson

There is an often regurgitated mantra that goes "If you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain." Well, I voted, so can I complain now?

I am, as the media would call it, a swing-voter. I'm one of the voters that strikes fear into the hearts of Democrats and Republicans everywhere. My vote could go anywhere, and by the time you read this, it already has.

However, I was never a fickle swing-voter, just a horribly un-swayed one. I could never, in good conscious, vote for either of the Moron Twins in the presidential race. I'm still amazed that Gore and Bush made it out of the primaries, since Bill Bradley and John McCain were clearly better candidates. McCain and Bradley had ideals, honesty and passion, whereas Gore and Bush are just puppets to their respective parties.

But I suppose if you associate yourself with economic prosperity or ride your dads' coattails, you can get anywhere in politics.

I could not cast a vote for Mr. Roboto or Mr. "Uniter-not-a-divider." In my mind, choosing between the lesser of two idiots is a complete waste of a vote.

I will say that I did write in a candidate that I believed in, and he wasn't green, nor was he Santa Claus. I voted based on my ideals and for a person I could stand behind and thatÕs all you need to know.

Does this mean that I (gasp) split the vote? Yes, you may freely blame me if either Gore or Bush lose -- that way, I will have made your life easier. People always need something to blame other than themselves, so why not blame me, a swing-voter?

In the view of many people, I have arguably "wasted" my vote by not choosing one of the two political golden boys. Well I hate to disappoint you, but no vote is a wasted vote. If I vote for a person I can respect and stand behind, then my vote is just as valid as any other.

But then, there are many people who will vote for candidates they probably couldn't agree with; they just want to be on the winning side.

I was surfing MTV's "Choose or Lose" web site, reading the thoughts of the masses on various issues, and I came upon a letter that blew my mind. The writer, age 55, appeared very into Ralph Nader's stand on the issues and agreed with much of what the Green Party had to offer. However, since the writer knew that Nader had no chance of winning, he would choose to vote for Gore instead.

Now, to me, if you agree with a candidate and embrace all of their issues, then you should vote for the guy whether he wins or not. Voting for someone you don't stand behind simply on the basis that person has a greater chance of winning is a spineless act.

That kind of voting is a waste of a vote.

If you can't vote for someone you can get behind, youÕre wasting America's time.

Will my vote go to a winner? No, but I wouldn't give Gore or Bush the satisfaction of getting mine.

I want the government to know I'm not happy with the political process as it currently stands and by voting the way I did, I have sent that message.

Why do we even have the Electoral College or delegates anymore? Did you know that even when one of the candidates wins the popular votes, that the other candidate may still win the electoral vote? Does that sound right to you? It doesn't to me.

I believe in the importance of my vote, but I also realize that my vote's importance has been diminished. Instead of campaigning to the people in the primaries, the candidates had to campaign to the delegates. Why? Because delegates (whom I have no clue as to how they get their power) have the power to choose a party's official candidate.

If this is a government for the people, then let the PEOPLE weed out the weak candidates during the primaries. The people should have the deciding power of who ends up in the general election. The people, not the outdated Electoral College, should decide who becomes president.

I voted because I hope that vote will someday have the power that I want it to have. Voting has overcome a lot of obstacles, but there are still many objects obscuring the electoral path.

We pulled the vote away from rich, white landowners and eventually got that vote out to everyone. Women and people of different races are able to vote and the voting age was lowered for those who were drafted to defend this country.

I didn't waste my vote or spilt yours, I voted to voice my dissatisfaction and to hopefully help democracy. I voted to defy the expectations of the older generations on my generation. I do care about what happens and when I am unsatisfied, I will complain.

I voted, so that is my right.