We've got an important election coming up in two years, and some of the hopeful candidates are starting to become apparent. Making this article even more relevant is the fact that I'm writing it from Madison, WI, a pretty politically charged city. Perhaps a better word would be "progressively" charged city. Regardless of who the candidates are, it seems as though we have the same players representing a set of ideals. But even more cliche is the same set of players on the college campuses that back these candidates and aren't afraid to have their voices heard.

For me, politics are a no-fly zone with strangers. You can never predict how someone will act towards your political views, so it can often be an uncomfortable subject to bring up at times. Don't get me wrong, I could talk politics for hours. But then again, it's only for self-pleasure. Who's going to listen to me? Certainly not the politicians, because that would only happen in a democracy, am I right?

So to begin with, most college campuses are pretty left-leaning. With that comes the two classic polarizing figures. You've got your stereotypical conservatives, who would die (and then be born again) for their beliefs. They'll easily tell you how wrong abortion is while simultaneously lowering taxes and advocating for the death penalty. On the other side, you've got your classical liberals. Anything you say to these people can and will be used against you. For example, let's say you're having a conversation with your fellow comrade: "Hi miss, you looked wonderful in that outfit." Response: "Oh my GOD, you are such a mysoginistic bastard. Don't tell me I look nice, because I know you're just trying to sleep with me. What do you think I am, some flimsy whore? I'm a woman, and I have all the same rights as men do and deserve to be treated that way. I bet you don't even like recycling anyways."

I'll use the aforementioned paragraph as an aside to mention that these were some crude stereotypes, and I hope no one takes too much offense to these. But if you do -- well, I could really care less, because the end point in my article will hopefully make you think otherwise. Before I get there, however, let us elucidate some more common political advocates we find on campus.

Sometimes you find the people who try and play both sides who never want to upset anyone (this used to me). Their go to line is: "Well I'm fiscally conservative, but socially liberal." Oh SHUT UP. What does that even mean? You're telling me you're all for conservative economic policies? Does that even make sense? No one would rightfully say that. First of all, we know from empirical evidence that things like trickle-down economics doesn't work. Furthermore, do you even know fiscal economic strategies? If any of us really know the economic policies in full detail, on both sides, I would be highly impressed.

As an economics major myself, and one who carefully tries to dissect economic strategies, it is damn near impossible to actually understand the premise of these policies. To add to that, economics is NOT a predictive science. If you tell me you're going to slash welfare funding, well I'd assume that this would increase poverty. But then again, there are so many factors that go into an economy, we can't ever be certain about anything. Bottom line is as much as you may hate government interfering with your life, it is something that we need. We like our public goods, such as street lights and restrooms. These things need to be paid for, and while more autonomy and less taxes is a good thing, it isn't practical for our society to function and sustain the benefits we take for granted.

Let's keep going, shall we? Sometimes you find the people who have read five minutes on libertarianism and claim this to be their ideology. They worship Ron and Rand Paul and make sure to watch every Clint Eastwood movie that has ever existed. They hate big government, but then again who doesn't? They really value their liberty, but then again who doesn't? After that, they run out of things to say, but by that point we've stopped listening anyways.

The worst out of all these people, though, are the clueless yet involved. Oh man, these people are the ones that make the rest of the world think we are a country full of inbreeding, incest-loving excuses for humans (also very harsh and very sarcastic). These will be the first people to argue on one side or the other and used rehearsed quotes they heard their dads say at the dinner table. More often than not, they'll probably get their facts wrong, and if ever questioned they'll resort to some defensive cocoon that is impenetrable with logical thoughts and ideas.

So I think this pretty accurately sums up the majority of the makeup of thinkers (or lack thereof) on campus. We get into conversations with people that are either on our side, and we just reaffirm what we "believe" in. Or heaven forbid, we find someone who disagrees with us and wants to argue. That usually ends up with some shouting match in which neither side is listening to what the other says, because at the end of it they really don't care.

What has our nation come to, where our political thoughts are so polarized and pre-determined? We no longer think of politics as picking sides on contemporary and moral issues, but rather we have to find a group that has a set of beliefs that we would most like to associate ourselves with. It's disgusting. It makes no sense. Since when have we become the society that has moved away from arguing with each other thoughtfully and carefully. Elections nowadays are not about picking the people that you want to represent you, but they have more so become picking the lesser of two evils. But on top of that, why should we even care?

I want our country to head in what I think is the right direction. I want us to expand care and love to every person in our nation, because I believe that is right. But when it comes to elections and voting, I feel like I'm playing a game that is rigged. Does my vote really count? Some say, "Yes, of course it does!" But to me, I'm not even expressing myself to the fullest extent.

If you haven't noticed by now, our political system needs serious reform. Just a few months ago, Princeton researchers came out with a study positing that the United States is no longer a democracy. But honestly, that wasn't that shocking. The only shock came with the fact that these researchers were bold enough to say it and put it in writing. We were a country that took pride in our government, so much so that we endured a cold-war with the USSR to preserve our faith in democracy and encouraged others to follow in our footsteps. But now we've strayed off the course we set for ourself hundreds of years ago.

Our founding fathers had ideals that fostered the good in all its people. But now what are we doing? Fostering the profit in corporations? It's easy for me to make these complains. After all, I'm a college kid in a college town, and my opinion is as meaningful as it is meaningless. I can't change the way things work, but perhaps I can influence the minds around me.

Instead of us bickering on campuses about what we believe in or what we've been told to believe in, don't you think we should band together and form some sort of social change? People always say that us youngsters think we have it all figured out. I'll be the first to admit that I sure as hell don't. But what I do know -- and this may be feeble-minded of me to say -- is that the representatives in the government clearly don't have it all figured out either. Let's work together, negate the differences amongst us, and move towards a society that values each of its members. Is that too much to ask?