Rock the Vote! Or... Maybe don't. Please?

Since at least high school, if not earlier, I can recall having the importance of my right to vote slammed into my impressionable skull.  Before we are even of age to vote, we are taught that we absolutely must.  This election, according to civicyouth.org, the youth voting block is the fastest growing age segment, and also represents the greatest proportion of minority voters.  On the surface, I suppose this is a great feel good story.  Young members of our society are ostensibly taking an interest in how their country is run and what they can do to impact it.  Unfortunately, this may not be quite as exciting as some think.

While it is indeed true that young voters are turning out in record numbers, are we in fact educated enough to do so?  While a huge proportion of young voters cite the economy as a major issue that impacts their voting preferences, these same voters often support socializing medicine, hiking taxes on the wealthy, and bailing out ailing financial institutions at any cost.  Perhaps it would be best if all of us in the 18-28 voting bracket sat down and read a little about the various issues, economics especially.  We could start with, oh... the Constitution perhaps.  While every person is entitled to his or her own opinion, and certainly to vote as he or she sees fit, perhaps we ought not to rush to the polls without first taking some time to really learn about the principles on which our country was founded so that we might one day return to them.