Week Eleven Journal Entry

There was one substantial point brought up by Derek C. Bok about the distrust of our government which then leads to lower levels of civic involvement (most notably in voting turnout). I am always reminded of how adamant my grandfather was about exercising our freedom to vote. He had a much greater perspective on such matters and blessings than most people I have every known, and he involved himself in many situations in which he defended or supported some decent cause. I have come find elections, especially the presidential and congressional elections to be almost as thrilling as a sports event. I get just as excited and anxious. During the last election I was stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. and I remember staying up all night monitoring the updates on my laptop computer. Even though I had to be up very early the next morning, I wanted to be current with the results of the election.

This trend in diminishing levels of American participation in voting is becoming increasingly evident as many of the politicians are aggressively trying to appeal to illegal immigrants for gaining more votes. There is a large sector of the average American demographic that is retreating from these types of civic participation primarily because they are becoming more aware of the corruptibility in all levels of government. As a result, the politicians feel that they have to tailor their message to other elements of the population. This also has a negative effect in that the average American who deems to vote regardless of the corruption is also less likely to vote now, because the politicians are ignoring the issues relevant to the average middle class American citizen.

I will continue to remain engaged in the function of our government, and I will do my part in taking advantage of the freedom to vote. I will show my support for those politicians who appeal to my concerns most appropriately.