The reason I’m choosing to openly talk about these issues is because I’m sick of people telling me what I think.   I’d like to start with a little bit about myself.  My name is Sam Wheelwright and I’m going to be a Freshman at Arizona State University this year.  I’m not writing this to endorse any candidate, only to tell you the way this entire election is perceived in my shoes. I’m a middle class American with a steady job, no political party preference, and very pessimistic idea of where this country is headed.

Throughout my life time, which began on December 5th, 1989, I’ve been a citizen with a life on cruise control until I hit the proper age to do something about it.  I’m now 18, and this is what I’m greeted with.

Lets start with the development of how I feel.  When I was 10, George W. Bush started his presidency.  I’ve grown up listening to this man speak, and the public criticize.  Even the youngest of kids have developed a hating, untrustworthy, and void of all integrity view of the government.  Catastrophe after another, Bush has been stamped in the youth’s mind as the worst president that ever has been and will be. Lie after Lie, conspiracy claim after another, I’ve been waiting my entire conscious life for this election.  So now that it’s here, what do I get?

I turn to Fox and I’m thinking McCain is the man.  He was a former POW, has plenty of political experience, and seems like an all around good guy.  I get the impression that Obama is riding on his status as a minority, and I almost consider him a racist.  They tell me he’s middle name is Hussein, raised Muslim, supports a terrorist group, and even got me laughing a picture of him in a bathing suit.

I go on youtube, type the word “McCain” in, and i get a massive selection of videos that destroyed all the respect I have for him.  Issues he’s flopped on, things he has clearly lied about, and his incredibly low form of bashing an opponent. Type in “Obama” and it’s a completely different story.

I understand that everyone has a past of mistakes they’ve made, unfortunately Jesus isn’t running for candidacy.  But if all a network that claims to be “the truth” has to offer is racist, biased, name affiliating nonsense to throw at me, what am I going to think?  So what if his name really Hussein..?  It’s a middle name for Christ’s sake.  My name is Sam, are you going to hold me accountable for what all the other Sam’s have done?  So what if he’s black.  If you’re going to advocate a nation of unbiased treatment of it’s citizens, why would you even bring that into play?  If he’s black and feels personally about racial group of people, where is the problem?  You don’t have to be black to feel personally about all the african-americans in poverty.  You dont have to be black to speak out about how it’s completely related to the racist past of America that put them in this position in the first place.  However, the fact that he IS black and feels personally about resolving the issue is apparently racist. I find it kind of odd that the only people calling him racist are white people…

I have finally payed attention to the first election I can contribute to, and I hear Hillary Clinton sexist nonsense, I hear McCain is a horrible person who cant hold his temper and intentionally hurts POW families, and the most appalling of all, that OBama is playin his race to win the election.

Women make great leaders, McCain obviously has personal issues regarding PoW’s that have still gone unsaid (kind of weird. See Vietnam Vets Against McCain) and OBama has said nothing that, using my own unbiased logic, would lead me to believe that he is playing his race to win presidency.  Stop feeding me ridiculous amounts of crap, stop thinking that people care if McCain’s wife had a similar recipe for butterscotch cookies as Hershey, and stop acting like it’s racist to play on personal experience of being a minority.  It seems to be impossible to know what anyone is really like, unless you take them to dinner yourself and have a nice chat with them.

In conclusion, as much as I’d hoped that this election would bring forth hope, dignity, integrity, and character, I’m constantly being disappointed and told that this is the new America. Lies, Racism, Sexism, and worst of all, religiously based bias.  People like Bill OReilly, the lies and rumors started by the GOP’s campaign, and insanely stupid and irrelevant issues reported on by the Fox Network ARE GETTING US NOWHERE!

A great quote from Men In Black, “People may be stupid, but a person is smart.”  What are you telling my generation and myself when you report like this?  What does it mean to me when we can make up for years of racism with things like affirmative action, but when a political figure speaks out about helping them in a way that matters, people freak out and call it racist?  It means that you are corrupting my head, making me hate politics, and I feel like there are very few politicians left with the decency to let us know who they really are.  If you want the youth to vote, you shouldn’t make it impossible to find out who these people are.  If you want the youth to be smart, you need to ask the right question, and give us the correct knowledge.  If you want the youth to give a damn about what’s going on, stop with all the fabricated stories and report on what matters.  God Bless America!

Sincerely,

Sam the man.