As is typical of Americans today, the great majority of NIU students, faculty, and DeKalb residents are concerned about their futures. The national debt and economic illness of our country today have combined to reduce our job opportunities, increase unemployment, and further raise our taxes (the latter with less and less to show for it). The fact that we also have one of the worst public educational systems of the world’s industrialized nations only furthers to darken the future that lies ahead.

There are no simple or quick answers to these problems, but the one advantage that we still retain over most other countries is our freedom to choose the people that control our government. By voting , we can control our own destiny. So why is our country in the sorry shape that it is in? Why can’t we elect some representatives that can manage our government efficiently? Why are there so few good choices for us?

The major political parties in our country have worked feverishly to maintain control of our government. By legislatively extinguishing any chance of new parties forming and by essentially making it financially impossible for any independent candidates to run for office, they alone control the election process. The political parties decide for us who the candidates will be. Is there any wonder why voter turnout in America is so low, when we are continually being forced to pick between the lesser of two evils?

Don’t we deserve more, if not better, choices? The Constitution never mentioned anything about political parties. So why, then, do the Democratic and Republican parties control so much of our lives? We, as Americans, deserve better than this. We do have other choices, but it will take some effort on our part.

H. Ross Perot has offered to give us that choice. If we are willing to do the work that will get Mr. Perot on the November ballot, he will run for president of the United States and give us that added choice that we so desperately need. We can make the electoral process what our founding fathers meant it to be: a choice between the best candidates instead of the party that will do the least damage. It is our responsibility to get our country back on track, and the best way to do that is to exercise our freedom of choice. Let’s give ourselves what we deserve.

If you are interested in giving the American voters more choices in the upcoming elections in November and wish to participate in the petition drive to get Mr. Perot on the ballot, contact Scott A. Gustin at 753-2323.

Scott A Gustin

Freshman

Pre-Engineering