Congrats. You have earned your degree. You feel accomplished, relieved, and maybe a bit anxious. This is all good. Take the time to reflect and enjoy on where you are and look to the future. Do all that good stuff motivational speakers say to do. After that, rejoin reality and don't forget about November.
In November, this country will choose its next President, along with many House and Senate seats. That president will then likely in the near future choose possibly three new Supreme Court Nominees. So while you go off to your new job or graduate school, please don't forget about the stakes in November. While you may be a genius with a promising path, who gets elected could drastically change your plans.
To start with the Presidency, we all know how important this is. First of all, it's symbolic. It shows the rest of the world what we stand for and why. And I certainly hope many of you don't want us to stand for what at least one of the candidates seems to believe, or not believe in. Let's just say I'm a bit scared. The president is likely one of, if not the most powerful person on the entire planet. Don't take this lightly. They will have access to nuclear launch codes, sit at the helm of our armed forces, be able to veto and push legislation, nominate supreme court justices, and much more.
Along with this, the Supreme Court is essentially up for grabs. No, we don't elect justices to the highest court in the land. However, it is extremely likely that our next President will choose up to three justices to sit on the court. And these aren't just people in robes sitting and listening to arguments. Think marriage equality, defense of Obamacare, and Citizens United, things drastically changing and shaping our country. Since they will sit in their positions for a "lifetime", it is extremely important that the person who chooses them is competent and forward-thinking.
In addition to this, there will be numerous congressional seats up for grabs. There is more to the government than the presidency, and congress makes huge decisions blocking and creating policy and shaping opinion. In November, you will likely have the opportunity to vote for more than just the president, and it is hugely important that you do so. Regardless of who the president is or what party he/she belongs to, Congress can severely limit or promote their policy. Look at our current situation. The Republican-controlled House has had numerous successes blocking Obama's policy goals to differing degrees of success.
Why should you care about any of this? Why does it matter who is elected? Won't they get anything done anyway right? Wrong. You have to think well into the future here. Do you want to have access to affordable healthcare for the foreseeable future? Do you want to retire with some safety and possibly the help of Social Security? Do you want the government to help pay for your future kid's college costs? After all, at the current trend, I don't even want to think about how much it will cost by the time our generation is having kids. You also have to think about broader things and trends, that may not affect you directly, but will have a great impact on the world. How big should our military be? Should we be welcoming to immigrants seeking a better life? Do women deserve absolute equal rights as men?
Personally, I tend to side with Bernie (or Hillary if I must) on many of these issues, and that's who I'll be voting for in the Fall along with other democrats down-ballot.
That's not to say you have to agree with me. However, you have to make your voice heard. We, as millennials, are ourselves somewhat of a voting bloc. We have the ability to change who our elected leaders are and what policy this country stands on. We can't let older generations dictate the direction this country heads into and then expect us to feel the possible negative ramifications of such decisions.
We must stand and act, and the simplest way to do that is to make sure you vote.
Good luck in life after college, the responsibility is only greater.
