I’m sure everyone knows by now that we are in the midst of a very influential time in political history. Two candidates are in a race towards the Democratic presidential nomination against the already decided candidate for the Republican Party, John McCain. The presidential race that is to come is possibly one of the most important of our era and huge changes could come along with our next president.

It’s obviously very important for people now to form an opinion about what they think should happen within the next year and I’m glad that my peers have such strong opinions about these changes being made but I have a few requests for those who wish to speak their minds openly.

First realize that the issue of politics is like religion in that people have strong beliefs about both topics and are not easily convinced of the opposite. If you are a firm Christian you will probably never convince a strong Jewish person to believe in Jesus. I don’t see any harm in stating your own opinions as long as you realize that others’ may differ. The same goes for politics. If you are a democrat you will probably never convince a republican that you’re beliefs are correct and theirs’ aren’t. So please, let people know that you care but do not call them wrong and always realize that there is more than one way to look at every situation.

Another request: do some research before you decide to spout off personal beliefs without any background or support for your claim. I recently had to hear a friend stating her opinions, quite strongly, about a certain political candidate without any knowledge of where the candidate actually stood on the issues. Making assumptions about a candidate just because of their party preference is being an irresponsible citizen. If you wish to state your opinions, you should at least make sure that they are correctly formed.

My third request is to not just say your opinion, but show it by voting. Like I’ve said before, this is a historically important political time so we should use this opportunity for change to make a difference. It’s not only your patriotic responsibility to vote, but you owe it to yourself to try and make a change in the direction that you think is best for our country. As far as I’m concerned, you have no right to state your opinion unless you plan on exercising it.

There’s no greater applaud than for young people to try and make a difference in our country, but that doesn’t mean they can do it irresponsibly. By all means, within this next year, decide what you think is best for America. But please make sure your decisions are made wisely with research and make sure you know why you have your opinions. Also be polite to others who disagree. After all, what matters most is that you implement your right as an American to vote.