Politics... *groan*.

I know, I know. The subject of politics is reminiscent of spending summers indoors and the equivalent of watching paint dry on a humid summer day, but the truth is, politics affects you every day. How fast can you drive on a highway in different states is politics, how much you pay for your tuition is also politics. So, whether you follow politics loosely on social media when there are debates, or you don't know who the presidential hopefuls are, or are a die-hard, already know who you're voting for type of person, politics are important, and you should be following the different types of politics that affect you, especially if you're a millennial (born between 1980 and 2000) or a member of Gen-Z (born from 2000 to present).

Millennials are the largest generation in United States history at 92 million, compared to the Baby Boomers at 77 million. This statistic just goes to show the huge impact that Millennials have on everything from the economy to elections.

First, the Federal government makes decisions passed down from the Supreme Court that affect the daily lives of Americans. For example, Roe v. Wade legalized abortions, Brown v. Board of Education ended segregation and more recently, Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage. Although American citizens cannot vote on whether these laws pass, there are many other aspects of the federal government that you should be paying attention to so you can be an informed young adult that can talk to older adults about politics and they won't judge you for being uneducated about politics.

Here are some recent Federal issues that have affected my life and have made an impact on many others. All of these demonstrate why college students should be informed about what is happening in the United States and around the world.

In October 2013, Democrats and Republicans couldn't reach an agreement regarding the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," and the government shut down. This affected everyone and 368 National Park Service sites shut down, and millions of tourists were turned away. National museums and zoos closed their doors as well. If you were a federal civilian employee at the time, you had extra holidays! That's great, right? Actually, no. Victims of the federal furlough weren't paid during this time, and only got their wages back when the two sides of Congress decided to kiss and make up 16 days later.

In Miami, Florida, the ocean occasionally rises into people's drainpipes due to accelerated climate change, and is a real concern for the citizens living there. According to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, he has "exactly no Republican colleagues helping me out with this." This being climate change resolutions that have to pass through the House of Representatives and Congress in order to take effect. In fact, only three percent of Republicans in Congress are willing to admit that people are causing the accelerated climate change due to the Super PACs that back them. (Super PACs have reported total receipts of $305,014,588 and total expenditures of $63,568,217 in the 2016 political cycle, just by the way).

The world is still grieving about the terrorist attacks in Paris, France, on Nov. 13, one of our allies since the United States became a country. French President Hollande has condemned the ISIS attacks as an "act of war," and depending on how President Obama thinks we should proceed with peace talks or possibly going to war with ISIS may not affect you, but it will affect someone you know. In fact, it will affect the whole country. The U.S. could see more changes in security and tighter restrictions on refugees that are already strict.

You may have heard that there are a few front-runners in the polls for the Republican Party that includes names like Donald Trump, a TV personality/real estate developer, and Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon. Now, Guatemala just elected a comedian as their new president, so let's see how electing an inexperienced politician goes until primaries and then next November when the real election happens.

Meanwhile, check out some experienced candidates like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, or even someone like Chris Christie, the Governor of New Jersey. Yes, Mr. Trump speaks his full, unadulterated, inappropriate mind all the time, but what's going to happen when he has to have peace talks with Russia, Iran, Iraq, or a mixture of the three? What's going to happen with Dr. Ben Carson speaks in front of hundreds of foreign prime ministers, presidents, and other leaders and has no idea what he's talking about?

Let's do the U.S. a favor and make educated decisions based on what you want from a presidential candidate, senator, governor, or state representative. See who aligns with those values most, and vote for them. Don't just vote for someone in your party because you feel like you have to. (And please don't have one of those people be Donald Trump or Dr. Carson...please.)