Do It For Us: A 15 Year Old Speaks Out on the Election

Dear Citizens of the United States of America,

I am a fifteen-year-old girl who is a spectator in this election, for I am unable to vote due to my age which is why I write this to you.

On November 4th, 2008, you will be deciding the future of our country. When you elect our next president of the United States, you are not only choosing the individual who will lead our country for the next 4 (maybe 8) years, but you are deciding what the future of our country is going to be like; how our country will change, or won't. This election is not a matter of gender, race, age or religion, this is a matter of we as Americans understanding that we can no longer sit by as spectators and allow leaders such as George W. Bush to command our country.

You are my voice; you are not just deciding our country's future, you are deciding the path that our country will head down; creating consequences that my generation may be faced with if you do not chose the right path. Thus, you must choose the leader who embodies the paramount qualities in leading our country in the right direction.

Two tickets, two choices for the next commander-in-chief. Senator Obama and Senator McCain both offer different opinions about the ways our country can be led. However, is Senator McCain's strategy for leading the country truly different from the current Bush administration that has brought our country so near to economic depression? Does Senator McCain truly have our country's best interests at heart, when he could choke on a chicken bone and put our country in the hands of a woman who just got her passport eighteen months ago, and bases her entire foreign policy experience on that fact that Russia is near Alaska? Is this truly what our country has come to, choosing a vice president by a last minute "Hail Mary"? It truly frustrates me because I believe I probably care more about this election and know more about it and what is at stake than a majority of the people in this country, and I can't cast a vote.

Senator McCain does not see the world through my generation's eyes. He is a man who lives in his past, constantly referring back to his times in war. I wonder if he really knows the lifestyles of people my age? Can he possibly understand the large role technology plays in our lives, does he himself actually know and use this technology, and does he comprehend the impact it is already having on the world and the even greater impact it will have in the future? Senator McCain may have experience from his past, but he does not have knowledge of the present and has not described a CLEAR vision for the future.

Senator Obama, on the other hand, has a vision for this country and is aware that the consequences of decisions made now will be on the shoulders of my generation when it is our turn lead the country. Senator Obama is conscious of the future because, unlike Senator McCain, he has two young daughters who give him firsthand insight into what young people care about. He understands that the war in Iraq has brought this country into economic peril and with the new economic crisis on our hands, it is time to re-prioritize and bring our focus back to the needs of the people in our own country.

Many commentators have discussed that some people in this country, particularly older people who lived during a different time when there was much more of a racial divide in this country, may not vote for Barack Obama solely because he is half black and has an ethnic sounding name. This is sad to me, because most people in my generation are "color blind." This is a new world from the one that my parents and grandparents grew up in, a place in which we do not judge people based on the color of their skin, but only on who they are as people and on their character. We need a President who sees the world through my generation's eyes because this is the world that we will soon inherit and have to ourselves lead. We are the ones who will inherit the economic debt that the George W. Bush administration has currently left us in. We are the ones who will have to repair the rapidly deteriorating Earth, and we are the ones who will have to deal with the consequences of two mismanaged wars.

In any event, I implore you to think of your children, your grandchildren and their children when you step into the voting booth on November 4th. Put aside all your biases, stereotypes and prejudices and pull the lever for Barack Obama as our next president of the United States of America. Do it for me, and other kids like me, who have been actively engaged in this election, but who cannot actually vote. Be our voice and our proxy, so that in the coming years we will not be overwhelmed by the mistakes of your generation once again. More than ever, this election is about the future; my and my sister's future, my friends' future, your children's future and your grandchildren's future. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, we need to recognize the "fierce urgency of now."

Thank You.

Sincerely,
Cassie Goldring

Comments

[childofdalight]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9pqGxnrM1A

[childofdalight]

cassie

my young friend thank you so much for this letter. it's inspiring to hear such insight and concern come from such a young person.

obama/biden has my vote

[nightslider]

Dear Cassie:

Let me thank you for a very compelling letter outlining your hope;s aspiration's, and concerns for the direction of this country, Like you I thlnk not for my generation as to where we have been, but as to where we are going,
My generation had JFK, MLK, BOBBY KENNEDY,JOHN LENNON.BOB DYLAN, and other voices showing concern as to where the country was headed, the many protests during this periode were show casing the displeasure that we felt towards our goverment involvement in other countries affairs, to wit VIet Nam,Cambodia, Iran etc.
Sadly we haven't learned our lesson very well, we keep trusting those who keep lying to us for personal gain and their cronies "Corporate America"Your voice for your generation speaks volumes and it comes through loud and clear, I too will be posting my vote for Obama so that your generation has 1 more voice in support for your future, So on the behalf the ignorant that brought you GWB I extend our humble apologies for our failure to pass on to you a reasonable government that cares for all its people.

MD

P.S thank you for your letter.

[DamianG]

Cassie,

Excellent piece of work. Those of us who feel we have performed our due diligence in this election feel the same. Although those who support McC believe they too have done their homework as well.

Keep your optimism and outlook on life no matter the outcome of this election.

[lw1899]

Dear Cassie,

I'll cast a vote for Obama for you and for the rest of us.

You're wise beyond your years and I hope those in your generation are just as smart, thoughtful and involved as you are. You paint a bright future for all of us.

Thanks.

[Nommo]

Cassie, I'm certain that they feed him boneless chicken. You should really be concerned about the possibility that he could trip on a chicken bone. Good luck to you. Really. All of we.

[CharlesJ]

This is one very intelligent young woman that has thought this through in just about the same manner as I have. This election is not about my generation, it is more about my daughter and her children. I must make the right decision was my thought, to make sure their future and the future of all our children, grand children and those to follow have a direction that will take them forward instead of backwards.
That is why I am voting for Obama. McCain lives too far into the past, he as no expectations for the success of his VP, she is there as eye candy nothing more or nothing less. He has pretty much said so today when he set the bar so low for her. This is not a beauty pagent, or the Miss Congeniality Pagent, this is about America, and the future of our children, our grand children and great grand children. This vote is more about their future and less about my generations.

So I urge everyone to think about their children, and in doing so, cast your vote for Obama, as he is the one with the vision that can take them into this new century, a new direction that is vital for their survival as well as ours.

[gdcb1128]

Dear Cassie,

I am sure your parents are very proud of you. You make me proud. Your post brought tears to my eyes as my every move is to ensure a brighter future for my children and their peers. Never lose your idealism and hope for the present as well as the future. As someone who has watched this country deteriorate, I am once again hopeful that Barack Obama can and will change the direction of our country.

Yes, We Can! Yes, We Will!

[realpiratepete]

This is a very cute letter. She has managed to summarize everything she has read on the Huffy Post into one concise letter.

[mediawatcher1975]

She sound like she has spent more time thinking about the future than a lot of people that I can name. Do not minimize the voice of our youth. They are more adaptable and resourceful than most adults can imagine.

Well written piece, Cassie. You have a very bright future if you continue to speak up and follow your conscience. We are at a turning point and I look forward to a post-Bush America.

[citadelgrrl05]

CASSIE THIS WAS AN AMAZING LETTER!! AS SOMEONE WHO IS ONLY 11 YEARS OLDER, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING WHEN I CAST MY VOTE IT WILL BE FOR MY DEPLOYED HUSBAND, MY TWO CHILDREN, MY PARENTS, AND ESPECIALLY ALL THOSE OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE WHO NEED A VOICE. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE 18-35 THIS IS IT FOR US IF WE DON'T STAND UP NOW WHEN WILL WE STAND UP. AND THE YOUNG AT HEART PLEASE LISTEN TO CASSIE AND VOTE FOR HOPE NOT FEARS. GOD BLESS AMERICA.WE ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING IN THE END NO MATER HOW DIFFICULT. LOOK AT OUR HISTORY, WE ARE A GOOD AND DECENT PEOPLE!!

[LazarusLong]

Cassie,

Thank you for your eloquent and powerful letter.

I will do my part to ensure that your first opportunity to vote for President in 2012 will be to re-elect Obama-Biden.

[heiwa-peace]

Cassie, I won't let you down. I live in Florida and I'm volunteering for the Obama campaign and letting people know how important it is to go out and vote. On November 4th, Florida will be a blue state!

[dutch163]

Cassie, what an excellent letter....this 59 yr old grandma agrees.McCain is living in the past
and this election should go to Obama for the future of this country

As a teacher, you remind me why I love working with teens...bright hope for our future!!

[LongTimeLiberal52]

Cassie,

I just wanted to personally thank you for your incredibly eloquent post - and for your work on behalf of the man who (to me) personifies a better future for America, the Gentleman from Illinois. It gives me great hope for our nation that there are so many young people who are making the effort to get informed and think intelligently about what tomorrow holds for them.

I had the pleasure recently to work on a video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9pqGxnrM1A ) in which young people talk about the importance of these very things, and how vital it is to register and vote. Please, pass it on to everyone of voting age you know.

I, for one, am sad that you can't lend your voice to the vote total this November. Thanks again for your words, and your concern for the future.

[polyfoamworkshop]

The polyfoamworkshop supports all the young citizens voice who speak out about their future. Thank you. We cannot continue to use this earth as though there is no tomorrow. Peace to all.