2006 election demands attention

By SHANNON LAUBENTHAL
Reporter

Fellow Creighton students, it is time.

It is time to become educated. Time to get informed. Time to care for yourselves, your cities, states and our country. It is time to take time to know the issues and be prepared to vote . . . it is time for the 2006 midterm elections.

Dr. Susan Crawford of Creighton’s Political Science Deartment said the issues are of particular importance this year because the race between the parties is so tight.

“You’re not only picking a person, you’re shaping the majority party in Congress,” she said.

The issues surrounding this year’s election are numerous, but a few in particular are acquiring greater attention from politicians and citizens. Here are a few of the “hot-button” issues:

The Economy

The details:

Economic woes and worries such as the minimum wage debate, health care costs and high gas prices have played a significant role in political campaigns this fall.

Currently, U.S. leadership is being pressured to consider alternative energy resources and ways to achieve independence from foreign oil.

The issue of healthcare affordability affects each sector of the American population in different ways, and college students need to pay particular attention.

“A lot of decisions are shaped by what health care is available and how affordable it is,” Crawford said.

These decisions vary from the amount of academic credit hours college students carry to remain on their parents’ insurance plans to the jobs they will accept in the future. The importance will only increase upon graduation.

The statistics:

*A recent Gallup poll shows that Americans think economic conditions are “fair” to “poor.”

*The United States uses a quarter of the world’s oil and a fifth of the world’s coal every year. (CNN.com)

*Total global energy use is expected to increase more than 50 percent by 2025. (CNN.com)

The bottom line:

Issues such as taxes, health care and energy costs have a daily impact on Americans.

“Economy and jobs certainly should be on the forefront of college students’ minds,” said Eric Fought, communications director for the Nebraska Democratic Party.

The War in Iraq

The details:

The debate over the situation in Iraq continues to be a key issue in Washington and in many candidates’ campaigns.

“The war is probably one of the top issues that will end up being debated and affected by how people vote,” Crawford said.

Though President Bush’s approval ratings have dropped as a result of his support of the war, he continues to stand firm in the fact that the U.S. must maintain its position in Iraq.

Many Democrats are in support of withdrawal of American troops, though they are in disagreement over whether it should be immediate or more gradual.

Fought said overall support of troops is necessary.

“There is a strong belief that we must support our troops, especially when they come home,” he said. “This means taking care of our veterans.”

The statistics:

*A CNN poll tracker found that 64 percent of Americans oppose the war.

*The number of Americans who have died in Iraq has reached 2,600.

The bottom line:

Last month, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) emphasized the need for redirection in Iraq.

“The American people are not going to continue to support and sustain a policy that puts American troops in the middle of a civil war,” he said.

According to CNN.com, “candidates’ fortunes may be tied to events taking place more than 6,000 miles away.”

This issue will take precedence over many others when Americans cast their votes on Nov. 7.

Immigration

The details:

“The current immigration system is broken,” said Dr. Michele Waslin in a recent phone interview. Waslin is a Creighton alumna and director of immigration policy research for the National Council of La Raza in Washington, D.C. The NCLR is the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organizations in the U.S.

According to Waslin, there are many realities and challenges America faces in immigration reform.

More than 12 million immigrants are illegally living in the U.S. after either crossing the border illegally or by overstaying their visas. The number of undocumented immigrants continues to rise.

While more taxes and technologies are poured into border control, many people continue to die in their attempts to cross the border. Families may wait years before they see each other due to waiting lists and backlogs in retrieving visas from the U.S. government.

The House and Senate have passed completely different versions of immigration legislation, and “neither side will budge,” according to Waslin.

In the end, the only immigration reform measure passed allowed for 700 miles of border fencing. Bush signed the law on Oct. 26. Waslin said these small “band-aids” continue to make Congress “look like they’re doing something.” In reality, there is much to be accomplished.

The statistics:

*The U.S. Census Bureau says that by 2050, the Latino population will total one out of every four U.S. residents.

*According to Ricardo Ariza, director of multicultural affairs, the Latino population has grown 156 percent in Nebraska. Other cities are seeing similar trends, including the town of Lexington, Neb., where the growth is at an astounding 1,300 percent.

The bottom line:

The impact of the Latino community is extremely significant both nationally and on the local Nebraska scene.

“Some Nebraska cities would have experienced a negative population growth if it wasn’t for Latino population moving in,” Ariza said. “Communities where the youngest and brightest go off to college and don’t return experience stagnation in economic development; there is no one bringing in new resources and new money.”

Both Ariza and Waslin agree: The current immigration system is broken and is in need of “major, major reform.”

“The United States is a country of immigrants. We have benefited immensely from our immigrant heritage, and we’re a unique country in that way,” Waslin said. “We need to make a system that is in line with our American system and values that continues to give immigrants the opportunity to live the American dream like so many of our relatives did.”

Get involved

As voters consider the issues and candidates in the 2006 midterm elections, Crawford points out several questions that must be asked.

“Voters need to think about the people who are in office,” she said. “Have they done a good job of holding the administration accountable? How have they acted in this area? Is this something you would support, or do you think it should be changed?”

The most important aspect of these issues is the fact that we must stay informed and educated, and we must get involved.

Want to know more about these and other issues? Check out the following Web sites for great information on the candidates and issues of the 2006 election:

www.vote-smart.org

www.congress.org/congressorg

www.ontheissues.org

www.rockthevote.com

www.voterinformation.org

www.election06.org

www.electionprojection.com