The colorful intensity of Halloween parties has left us (hopefully taking the Hangover Fairy with it), and now it's time for a new kind of spectacle: the presidential election.
As a citizen of the European Union and a U.S. green card holder, I will sadly not be joining the rest of you at the polls tomorrow. In turn, here are some things I hope you keep in mind when you make that choice.
As a woman, I ask that you (whether male or female) think of the repercussions of this election on my body -- and the body of your girlfriend, sister, mother, friend or daughter. Elect a candidate who puts women's issues on his agenda not just when it comes to election-swinging topics like abortion.
Instead of getting caught up in the popular mindset that women's issues are limited to women -- and probably radical ones at that -- consider how they effect you. For example, if you ever plan on having sex, insurance coverage of contraceptives and their availability may interest you. Or try to look at it from an economic point of view: Between March 2001 and March 2004, 300,000 women lost their jobs -- the only sustained job loss for women in the past 40 years.
As a member of the middle class, I urge you to look realistically at your and your family's financial situation. I don't have to ask whether you're better off than you were four years ago. After all, 44 million Americans are living without health insurance, and 690,000 jobs have been moved abroad.
The question becomes: Are you going to be better off after the next four years? Don't think your college degree is going to save you. According to a study done by AFL-CIO, 14 million white-collar jobs could move abroad in the upcoming years. And last time I checked, those student loans aren't getting any smaller.
As a member of a multicultural family, I ask that when making your choice you consider how the past administration's actions have effected minorities. For example, one out of three Latinos doesn't have health insurance and has fewer than 10 cents of wealth to every dollar owned in white, non-Hispanic households. The unemployment rate among African-Americans is double the national average, and both groups lag behind in civic participation, including voting.
Last of all, as a future American, I urge you to vote for the candidate who will, through his actions and words, represent America as the proud, gracious and strong nation it is.
We have been the laughingstock of the world long enough -- insulting others and burning bridges wherever we go. Thinking we don't need friends and allies in the world because we have bigger arsenals and economic capital is shortsighted.
Sometime in the future, whether near or far, the United States will need the help of another nation -- whether in drafting a new environmental treaty, negotiating nuclear zoning or steel tariffs. What this country needs is a leader who is intelligent, strong, charismatic, realistic and capable of pronouncing the word "nuclear."
I wish I could be one of the people who'll get to wear an "I voted today" sticker on Tuesday. But until then, I trust you will make the right decision in picking our next president.
Lucia Bill is a political science and journalism sophomore. Reach her at lucia.bill@asu.edu.
