It's been a very disturbing year.
Perhaps every year is eerie and strange in its way, but the events from the end of 2001 straight through 2002 have affected this country's mindset in new and troubling ways.
The obvious, of course, is Sept. 11, and as the anniversary looms ever closer the memory of that day rings louder and louder.
Now we have a secret government, corporate scandals galore - including Vice President Dick Cheney's direct involvement in one of the more high-profile cases-, a plunging stock market, our first federal deficit in four years and an overall dire economy. Even our baseball players are striking - again. Things are not looking up, no matter what President George W. Bush says.
So where's the good news? Is there any good news? What happened to the simple days of OJ Simpson and Monica Lewinsky's infamous "blue dress?" Our government officials are ignoring court orders and we're still not sure if Dubya was really "elected" into office. One thing's for certain: these are uncertain times.
After a humbling year we can't take anything for granted. Now, political candidates have begun parading on campus hoping to latch onto the elusive student vote. New Mexican gubernatorial candidate Bill Richardson visited our campus Monday to shake hands and look good, although he doesn't have to go to all that much effort since Gov. Gary Johnson's days of virtual budget deadlock won't leave many people very nostalgic after his term officially ends. College students should really consider this year as a turning point.
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After the events of the 2000 election, it would be dismal to think people really don't think their votes count. Every vote counts. Sadly enough, we elect the officials who are involved in corporate scandals, who ignore the voices of the underrepresented and who insist that global warming doesn't exist.
As political candidates float in and out of the city and UNM, think about the bigger picture. Think about what next year will be like. Think about what 30 years down the road will be like. Think about what we want our country to be.
Think about what kind of people we want to be.
