Politics Playing a Role in Securing College Education

Politics and EducationIt is another election season, and this means we are going to hear a lot of discussion, debate, argument, and speculation over the various aspects of American society which need improvement. And while the candidates will disagree on many things—sometimes policy, sometimes the reason for obstacles, sometimes the obstacles themselves—nobody can deny that our education system needs a little help. And this is at every level.

College students need to feel like they will be able to get a job in the field where they are studying. Four years (or more) is a lot of time to invest in something that may or not pay off; and it can be extremely expensive. Of course, these are among the many reasons some argue that a university education should be free, at least on some base level, to all US citizens who want to take advantage of it.

College students are, of course, the new voters and, more importantly, the future voters of this country. This generation is going to be responsible for shaping the country for the next generation and so we not only need to ensure that they have the right information regarding each presidential candidates (and their respective policies) but also, we need to ensure that these students learn this information in the right environment. These are not the kinds of decisions one should make under duress.

But duress is something with which college students are quite familiar. Unfortunately, the state of the economy—and America, as a whole—is only adding to the already stressful load placed on college students in America, post-millennium.

As such, this year’s presidential candidates have had a rough run, especially this past week. And some have dropped out of the race, no longer able to hold onto what little control they have over the dramatic shifts our global community is making right now. This, of course, has had an impact on the voters, who watch as the field continues to shrink.

More candidates means more voices, not just from the podium, but also in the crowd. When we have more candidates we have more chance for someone to hear our pleas from the public forum. As the field starts to shrink, the views become more and more narrowly focused.

And college students are hoping they won’t get lost in the shuffle.

Perhaps one bit of good news, today, is that the Education Savings Account bill has passed. This bill will help children who are struggling to get through public school with, basically, a form of financial aid. Of course, opponents argue that the tax dollars could go somewhere else.