While the economy is tanking, lawmakers in the House rejected President Bush’s big multi-billion-dollar bailout plan to save Wall Street. The Senate is scheduled to vote on this bill tonight, but it has changed a little bit since Monday.
Last night, Kentucky ’s Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky , along with Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid from Nevada that would add large tax measures to the bill. Senate leaders think the House will have to approve the bill with the added tax cuts, since they are appealing to Republicans and they will seem important to most Democrats.
With this being said, I went to Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Winchester yesterday, to ask students what they thought about the big bailout. I was surprised to find that no one knew anything about it. The general consensus was that young people don’t care about the US ’ economic status.
Danielle Terry a nursing major at BCTC says she is too busy with work and school to worry about the economy too much. She says, “My parents voted for these guys in the government, and I trust my parents. I should be able to trust the people they elected too.” When asked if Danielle would vote in this next election, she laughed, and said no. “I don’t follow politics or that election stuff. I figure my parents can make the right choices for our country again.”
Malcom Calibur is majoring in computer science, and a self-proclaimed “geek” of the internet. He says he doesn’t know a thing about politics either. “When I am on my computer, I am checking Facebook, email, MySpace and websites that interest me. Politics don’t interest me.” I asked Malcom about the economy and if he was scared about gas prices, or being able to get a car-loan some day. Malcom says, “No, I’m not worried about anything. It’s not affecting me, right here, today. I’m not in a position where I need a car, or want to buy a house. I just want to get my school loans straight. This country will right itself.” Malcom is also not planning to cast a vote on November, 4th.
Winchester , Kentucky is a small town, and small towns come with small town problems. Issues like who just died, who got married, and who ran the stop light last night are what the hub of the town. In the nine months that I have been with MTV’s Choose or Lose campaign, I have not been able to talk to one person in Winchester, the town where I live, who claims they know anything about the government. Not one.
College-age students are apathetic toward the government because they assume their fathers and mothers will make correct decisions for them. Students can admit they want change, and they are able to tell me what they want to change about the way things are (gas prices, the environment, grocery costs) but they aren’t willing to vote. They want to leave that up to mom and dad.
So, for the sake of Winchester , and Central Kentucky, I hope that the generations that came before us (those in their mid 20’s) are able to make great decisions for my generation… because according to folks in Winchester , the future is in their hands.