By GAVIN WESTFALL
Staff Writer

I hope my fellow classmates had a peaceful and refreshing spring break. Did you recharge your batteries as an adventure seeker or a sleep seeker? With school back in session it’s time for a serious topic… politics.
Many people have a love/hate relationship with the public affairs surrounding politics. I could ramble all day about my views and opinions, but with a subject so widespread and personal, I think it would be a waste of time. My goal is to spread awareness about politics. As a political science major, I study and follow politics on a day to day basis. And for the record, before majoring in political science, I couldn’t have cared less about what was happening locally or in Washington. This was due to the false belief that I had no say in the outcome. Well I was very wrong, and that is why I want to encourage my fellow comrades not to be apathetic when it comes to our system of government.
I will not make this a history lesson, but, remember the United States is a federal republic, a state where the people and their elected representatives hold supreme power, meaning that the officials we elect are solely in that position because of, you, the people and make decisions for the Nation on your behalf. If you do not get involved, who will? One answer could be…most likely a small number of people, not having your best interests foremost, who can influence repressive changes for our nation. Make sure to educate yourself on what branches of government are responsible for what affairs, and seek out your own state/local/municipal representatives in the event that you wish to voice your opinion on certain matters.
Second, do not always believe what you hear in the media whether on television, newspapers, or the Internet.
I do not want to admit this about my possible future career field, but the arena of politics is very corrupt. Politicians are the ultimate salesmen; they will try to persuade you with obscure statistics while rarely ever stating where they came from. It is easy to tell people what they want to hear but hard to back it up.
I can almost guarantee that each of you has experienced the result, or the lack of a result, from a politician’s deceitful campaign promise that has been abandoned following the election.
Finally, be an informed voter.
Do your own research before giving a candidate your vote. Make decisions and form opinions for yourself. I cannot stress this enough. Many people are like sheep when it comes to politics. They simply follow the voice of the herd because they are too afraid to get involved, speak out or be different. This influence can be from parents, friends, teachers, coworkers, or others. Politics are the backbones of almost all public matters and government affairs. Therefore, unless you want the poorly informed individuals to rally for personal matters that affect you, like whether you can be fined for taking out the trash on a Tuesday or Wednesday night regardless of pick up time, or how the feds tax your hard earned income, I insist you get to your local voting booth.
This is an election year for Georgia Congress and Governor, go vote.