I don’t know what everybody else on campus is thinking about the upcoming 2008 Presidential election, but I am having a hard time figuring out which candidate to vote for.

This is a first for me. The 2008 Election will be my third presidential election. In my first election, I was sick of the Clintons and did not want Gore even in the picture. So, I voted for Bush. I voted for Bush the second time for two reasons; John Kerry was his opponent, and I didn’t like him. And the other reason was as a U.S. Navyman, I believed Bush was good for the military. He made sure we got the benefits and the pay we deserved.

As I’ve gotten older, I tend to lean towards the more liberal view. I don’t necessarily agree with the Democrats, but then again I don’t agree with the Republicans either. I never voted strictly by “party.”

In my 20’s, I’m learning more and more about who I am and who I want to be. I find myself more humanitarian than anything. I find myself more compassionate towards others. I used to be like, ‘Who cares about those people in Iraq or Darfur?’. The only person I cared about was me and those in my circle.

Now, I’m starting to realize that it is important to conserve and recycle (and I’m not doing it for Al Gore’s sake either). And I enjoy it. I feel like I’m doing my part by recycling, by using reusable shopping bags, walking more and doing less driving. My gym is right down the street so why not walk. I would probably also walk or ride a bike to work and school if I didn’t need my car for errands for my boss.

I support gay rights, although I don’t choose that lifestyle for myself. I’m not religious, but I am spiritual and believe in God. I am pro-choice, although I don’t know exactly what I would do in that situation. I see many parents who cannot have children of their own and believe adoption is a great choice. But I do not want abortion to be used as a birth control. I support our troops wherever our president sends them. I may not agree totally with our leader or the Iraq War, but our troops deserve our support as they are fighting for all of us. I support immigration, as we are the land of the free, but I believe immigrants should go through the system to obtain legal status.

Though I don’t yet know the exact candidate I will vote for, I will vote. Hillary is a smart woman, but I don’t want to see her as president. I still don’t trust her from when her husband was president. Obama scares me because he says he is so anti-war, yet if he is elected, he’ll send our troops to Pakistan – why? I still don’t know. The other democrats I just don’t know well enough to trust. My favorite at the moment is Rudy Guiliani. I became a fan of his after 9/11. I believe the other republicans are a too strict in their beliefs and won’t allow Americans to be themselves. I think Mitt Romney might be good, but I don’t know how I feel about his Mormonism. I’m not into religions. I also believe in the separation of church and state, something this country was founded on and I’m not sure Romney would be able to separate them.

The presidential election is one thing that makes this country so great. We have the right to have our own opinions and beliefs. We have the right to support what we choose. So, as the election nears I ask that each of you to vote. It is our right as Americans and not everybody has that privilege. If you don’t know where to start, a website I have found very helpful is www.rockthevote.com.