Young people have always wanted respect and acknowledgment. You haven’t earned it.

Historically, young people have the worst voter turnout in the nation. In 2000, only half of you had registered, and only a third of you who registered bothered to vote. According to US Census Data, you represent about 13% of potential voters, yet you seem satisfied accepting only 4.5% of the voting clout.

Perhaps an appeal to self-interest will impress upon you the importance of voting. At this very moment there are twin bills in Congress, S.89 and H.R.163, which if passed, will reinstitute the draft. The bills, currently in committee, would require mandatory 2 year service “in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security,” of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 26. There will be no college deferments.

If the US continues its current program, you will be spending junior year abroad catching bullets in Baghdad.

You DO have a say in this. All you need to do is register, vote, and get your friends and family to vote.

Daryl AltmanRob Shepard44 Rowe AveLynbrook NY 11563516-456-6956516-561-7444