Editorial: Prove ’em wrong — Take democracy seriously

Do you like the feeling you get when people place bets against you?

Well, judging from how… Do you like the feeling you get when people place bets against you?

Well, judging from how young voters confirm the predictions of political scientists every four years — when they skip midterm elections en masse — perhaps being deemed to fail is somehow exhilarating.

Just look at the 2006 midterms — according to a report on civicyouth.org, although more than 50 percent of older voters visited the polls, only a quarter of eligible voters aged 18 to 29 found democratic participation more important than watching, and then re-watching, the third season of “Lost” on Hulu.

But The Pitt News’ nerves are strong enough not to let broad, national statistics get us down. Because we believe that — given the quality of our student body — at least Pitt students will be the ones to break the apathetic mold on Nov. 2.

And they should know that if they don’t, it’s really their own futures at stake.

The truth is, college students have ample reason to be concerned about the future, and voting is a constructive way to address that concern. One huge reason is college students’ increasingly embattled pocketbooks.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, last year about 8 million college students — out of fewer than than 20 million total students  — benefited from a bailout-era college tax credit that’s set to expire after this semester — unless, of course, Congress does something about it. The credit, called the American Opportunity Credit, was passed as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and has made it easier for low- to middle-income families to finance their children’s higher education.

Instead of the federal government offering a maximum of $1,200 in tax breaks per year, per student for only two years of college — which was the case before the new credit — this year, families could benefit yearly from up to $2,500 in tax breaks that would continue for all four years of college. But, the credit could disintegrate into historical dust in a matter of months.

In pursuing a more affordable, more accessible higher-education system and an advancing nation as a whole, having such initiatives vanish could be a tragedy for millions of students, especially considering a depressing job market and skyrocketing tuition hikes. As President Obama has said, “We’ve got to make sure that in good times or bad, our families can invest in their children’s future and in the future of our country.”

Although the tax-credit issue is only one example of how the government directly and significantly affects our collegiate lives, it underscores how getting to the polls should be particularly important for students. So over the next week and a half, take charge of your future — research candidates’ positions, attend debates and town hall meetings and get an absentee ballot already if you’ve been planning on it. As most of the country’s 18- to 29-year-olds will likely shirk their civic duties, we’re sure you’ll send the political scientists the message that Pitt takes voting seriously.