Decision 2008

Is It Over Yet?
By Jordan Price

The word vote. It is the one single word I have been hearing non-stop, voluntarily or involuntarily, for the past few months, day in and day out. It has been the topic of conversation in school, on the subway, as I’m walking in the city, as I’m switching the channels on my TV, as I surf the net, Facebook statuses, headlines of papers, topics of lectures, arguments with parents, discussions with my boyfriend, topics of assignments… and so on… and so on.

This word has single-handedly invaded my life. And am I ever glad that I will not be hearing that word as routinely for another four years.

Now, one might think I’m being unpatriotic or cynical at the results of a historical, major election. Well hey, I voted for the first time in my life and I won’t lie, I felt a rush of excitement after pressing that little green button in the booth. I knew I had done my part. But along with the thrill of a first time experience came the relief of getting on with my life!

The constant badgering and bothering of every political-minded person in our country, hounding every person to vote is enough to make someone not want to vote. I was almost to the point, where I was not going to vote just to spite every person pressuring me too. Create change! Do the right thing!

Enough already. I voted, okay? Do I need to be told incessantly by classmates in school to celebrities on TV? No. I consider myself to be an average, knowledgeable person, and I think it is rather irritating to be told who to vote for, or just simply to vote, an unnecessary amount of times in an unnecessary amount of ways.

The weekend before the election I made a trip home to Pennsylvania to see my family and vote in my home state. Of course we all ended up in several inevitable political debates, my family taking the conservative McCain route, and me, the “hippie” of the family, taking the liberal Obama route. At the end of our excruciating discussions, we all would force a laugh and agree on ONE thing… this election has run its course and we are all ready to put it to rest.

Am I happy with the result of the election? Of course I am, my guy won! President Barack Obama certainly has quite the job in front of him, and I hope his plans for dramatic change and policy pull through smoothly and for the better in our country.

But I stand my ground when I say; I am ready to move on. There is no longer any point in debating non-stop about the Presidential candidates when the new President has been elected, and America has spoken.

Now, please, let us all move on!