GeoClan.com welcomes Shane Daniels to the World Family. This senior from West Chester University has big dreams and things to talk about so be sure to check him out regularly.

In regards to the American political structure and this year's upcoming election, this theme continues to plague a majority of American minds, especially young adults (ages 18-25) within the United States. Many of us fail to understand exactly why politics and government seem like one big giant scheme that constantly lies to it's citizens and tries to create a world where America is the embodiment of perfection and that 'God Blesses America' and no place else. 

As the election draws closer, Why is it that both Presidential candidates and the American people, for that matter, seem to be more concerned about degrading each candidates' character rather than focusing the attack on the candidates ideas or plans of action.  How many times do you see a television ad attacking John Kerry's heroics in Vietnam and belittling his service to his country or how often do you hear about Bush's 'no-show,' or better yet, lack of service to his country?  Not to say that 'loyalty' is not an issue when it comes to deciding who you want to Head your nation, but we seldom hear about Bush or Kerry's plan for the thirty-million Americans that live in Poverty, 24% of whom are African-American and 27% being Hispanic (www.census.gov).  Nor do you hear about the increase of suicides among teenagers within the last thirty years.

According to 1-teenage-suicide.com, a website seeking to raise the consciousness of Americans in regards to suicide, the suicide rate has tripled since 1970. Not to mention, 79% of all suicides happen to be men and teenage boys.  Or what about the fact that America and Bush spend $399 Billion on military and defense, but only 34 Billion on America's educational system (True Majority.org). 

Wasn't it the great 'dreamer' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who once said . "If we assume that mankind has a right to survive then we must find an alternative to war and destruction. Don't ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the weapon of love. We must have the compassion and understanding for those who hate us. We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate. But we stand in life at midnight; we are always on the threshold of a new dawn ( Martin Luther King, Jr., "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence" in Strength to Love 1958)."

What does this exactly say about us?  What about the rise of Aids among American women, which also happens to be the 3rd leading cause of death among black women ages 25 to 44?  Who's thinking about the 30% of all American children who grow up in single-parent households, a statistic which directly relates to the increase of suicides among teens?  Three out of every four-suicide attempts involve persons who were raised in R U Serious?  single-parent households.  What does America really care about?  How can a nation for the People, forget about its PEOPLE? 

How can 5% of the population control  85% of the nations wealth (democraticunderground.com)? Anyone with a sense of reality who is not afraid to look at the world as it 'Really' is, will ultimately pose this question. R U Serious?  Are we serious, who do you expect us (common people) to vote for when no one seems to care about what is 'really' affecting our nation's people, especially our youth.  Our youth (who eventually become adults) live with fear and hopelessness and have no respect for parents, leadership, or government. Why?

Its not that our generation is not concerned with voting or politics, many simply believe that such matters are irrelevant to their position in life. In addition to the fact, many believe that politicians are liars and politics is merely an institution of falsehoods.  If you're in a household where your parents happen to be a part of the 46% of American marriages that end up in divorce, do you think your major concern has anything to do with politics? Heck no!

You're going to be more concerned about 'why' your parents are divorced, how come you had to be a part of that situation, and 'why' did it happen to you. Or perhaps you're going to party all weekend (from Thursday to Sunday) desiring to drink your problems away and hoping to forget about the emotional pain you've encountered.  Now, if you're an African American teenager whose father is likely to be in prison (one in three black men in the judicial system), do you think your concern is whether or not Bush or Kerry 'win,' an irrelevant election?  NO. 

That situation psychologically left a feeling of abandonment, fear, and hopelessness inside of you which caused an apathetic attitude towards self and life, consequently, you become another one of the million other black teenage boys who hang on the corner, hustle, smoke weed all day, and do whatever else it takes in order to survive; even if that means violence and murder.  Why don't we look at ourselves and the world as it truly is? 

The majority of our youth are raising themselves while our 'leaders' are bashing each other's characters. WHOA.  Do these "leaders" really care about what's affecting our communities?  Why do we as Americans fool ourselves by pretending we live in some 'Hollywood' nation where everything is perfect and it's not?  Pretending not to see 'real' issues is not cool anymore and it's time that we confront these issues and ourselves.

And for the record, I am getting sick of all these black entertainers and celebrities all over the T.V. and the Democratic Convention talking about voting and trying to rouse' up the black vote.  We all know the majority of blacks vote Democratic, but it seems like they're using these blacks as puppets to get blacks involved.  Now, encouraging anyone to vote is not what makes me mad, but how many of these P-Diddy's or Patti LaBelle's actually sat down with Democratic leaders and devised a plan for the black community, the community that they're trying to rouse'.  More black men are in jail than in college, so who's raising our children?  Twenty-four percent of blacks are in poverty, but did LaBelle or Wyclef sing a song about that or any other issues that are affecting the community that they are supposedly representing? 

It's not a black thing, in between thing, or a white thing, but if these entertainers and so-called moguls are going to parade around like 'it's all good,' then they should know that the community that they're trying to 'win' is in a position where it can advance economically, politically, and socially instead of being in a position of disenfranchisement.  Or else, don't tell me to vote for anyone, without a valid reason as to why I should vote for that person. Now are we Serious?  You Be the Judge. Peace.

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