UWF political groups encourage students to get involved in voting process

Rebecca Warren
Contributing Writer

Believe it or not, despite major political differences and constant mudslinging from every direction, Democrats and Republicans do agree on at least point: Every vote counts, especially votes from college students.
But college students don't seem to care much about political issues or presidential candidates. According to the Federal Election Commission, almost 23 million people between the ages of 18 and 24 were eligible to vote in 1998. Only 4,251,000 actually voted. Who cares about taxes, job security and national defense anyway?
Jeff Weaver, president of the College Republicans at the University of West Florida, does care about these issues.
Weaver believes that students should not only vote, but also know for whom and what they are voting.
“ I think most college students are disinterested in politics,” Weaver said. “I think that is a very dangerous truth.
“ Giving someone a vote without knowledge is like giving someone a gun without training. Our Republic's greatest threat is uninformed and apathetic voters,” he said.
Giancarlo Sciuto, 23, is a member of the College Democrats of America at UWF, and has also noticed the apathetic attitudes of many college students.
“ Most college students do not care about who is president,” Sciuto said. “Foreign college students care more about who our next president is than our own college students.
“ It is important for students to be proactive in the presidential election because the future of this country and their own well being are at stake.”
This is where the agreement between the donkeys and the elephants end, and the circus starts rolling again. President Bush and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) are the two major candidates in the 2004 presidential election, which is less than seven months away. That means students have only a few months to investigate these men and what they stand for or against.
To help students make a more informed decision at the polls, Weaver and Sciuto have provided some insight regarding the candidates and the parties they represent.
Weaver and the College Republicans support President Bush, but don't blindly offer support for every policy and proposal presented by him.
“ I don't agree with everything that Bush does,” Weaver said. “There are members of President Bush's own cabinet who have spoken out against the president in the past.”
Weaver said he appreciates the openness of the party and the fact that dissent is tolerated and even encouraged.
“ Republicans encourage different ideas and love honest debate,” he said. “It's not a party of brainwashed zombies who all agree on everything, and that's what I love about the party the most.”
Contrary to popular stereotypes, Weaver said Republicans are not “old, white rich guys who play golf, sit around and smoke cigars and hate women, children and minorities.”
In simple terms, Republicans believe in lower taxes, limited government and more freedom, he said.
Sciuto's opinion of Republicans is not so flattering.
“ It is hilarious how the majority of the people who support Bush and the Republican Party gain little to nothing by supporting him,” Sciuto said. “I honestly think that most Southern Republicans are Republicans because their parents were.
“" Their ideology has been passed down from the time of segregation. The Republican Party looks out for two things, big business and conservative Christians.”
This accusation is untrue according to Weaver.
“ The Republican Party started as a combining of several anti-slavery groups,” Weaver said. “Republicans have helped ensure the passage of every civil rights act.”
Sciuto also added, “Unless you work for Halliburton, Tyco, Enron, ImClone, Worldcom or are sitting between Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, chances are the Republican Party is not for you.”
If the Republican Party is not for you, you can always vote Democrat.
Kerry, the democratic candidate in the November election, “is looking out for the common man,” Sciuto said.
Kerry's voting record during his service as a senator has been criticized and questioned by many, but Sciuto believes Kerry's votes are justified.
Most recently in 2001 and 2003, Kerry voted against substantial tax cuts. In 1995 and 1999, he voted in favor of military base closures and against increased defense funding.
" I find it funny that the president and his party can criticize Kerry's voting record," Sciuto said. “He voted against tax cuts because the majority of the tax cuts went to the highest earners in America.”
Regarding base closures and defense spending, Sciuto said Kerry “is in no way threatening our security by voting in favor of base closures and against defense appropriations.”
Once participants in the process have been presented with a small description of what the parties stand for, the vote is up to the individual to make, but not without a few more words of exhortation from Weaver and Sciuto.
“ Think of how the world has changed since President Bush and the Republican Party have taken over,” Sciuto said. “The President has alienated many of our allies in the world with his imperialistic approach to foreign affairs.
“ Our economy has lost jobs and our friends and family members are dying every day in the New Vietnam. If students choose not to get involved, they may not like what the next four years of this regime has in store for them.”
Weaver also encourages students to get out and vote to elect the man they believe to be fit for the job.
“ I think the most important thing that I could say is this — Most people I've spoken to that plan to vote against President Bush would vote for anyone but the President,” Weaver said. “That's not the case for me.
“ I'm not voting against John Kerry, I'm voting for George W. Bush. They're not voting for John Kerry, they're voting against George W. Bush,” he said.
“ I think every American should really look at who they are voting for. That to me is what our republic is all about.”