I don't vote.
I've never voted before. I don't really care; it seems like a waste of time to me. I wasn't 18 for the last presidential election, but I probably wouldn't have voted anyways. I could've sent in absentee ballots for the 2010 congressional elections, but I didn't.
I get most of my political news from "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." I didn't watch the debate. I watched "South Park" instead.
I get lots of emails and Facebook invites to lectures, seminars and discussions on different political and social issues on campus, but I don't go. I don't even read the email. If I open something and see it's been sent to a listserv, I just keep on going with my life.
I'm registered as an independent, and I say that it's because I don't want to be locked into a party, it's really mostly because I don't want anyone calling me asking for money.
I couldn't tell you who my governor is, let alone my senators or congressman.
But I don't think my country's perfect.
I think it's weird that we have so much debt.
I know that our education system could be better.
I don't like that we can't even talk about higher taxes for the extremely wealthy.
I'm not sure how I feel about the whole health care thing, but I'm also not sure how cool it is that so many people are uninsured.
The whole equal marriage rights thing seems like more of a fairness issue than a moral one to me.
I'd really like to get a job some day, and I don't particularly want anyone in my family to lose theirs, so the unemployment numbers scare me a little bit.
I have opinions. There are things that matter to me.
But a smart, albeit annoying, voter would say to me, "You don't vote so you shouldn't complain." And they would be correct.
Sometimes in order to move yourself forward as a person it's important to be plainly honest with yourself.
I am a child of my generation. I'm disillusioned with my country's politics, from the way they're played out to the way they're covered in the media to the way they're talked about in public conversations, to the point of total apathy.
But I suppose the only way I'll ever feel better about it is if I get off my lazy butt and do something about it.
So yeah, I don't vote. But maybe I should.
Contact Kevin Noonan at knoonan2@nd.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
