The Government Isn’t Broken. We Are.

The+Government+Isn%E2%80%99t+Broken.+We+Are.

Despite eight inches of snow and bitter cold, thousands of people gathered on the White House lawn January 20, 1961 to witness President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. During his address, Kennedy delivered his now-famous line, “Ask not

It’s our duty to vote, and it’s good to get involved.

— Tye Mcfarland, music business freshman

what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

The young president urged Americans to participate in government to create a better world. At the time, civic duty was viewed as an essential responsibility. The early 1960s signaled the era of the Peace Corps and the Students for a Democratic Society. More than 63 percent of the population voted in the 1960 election—a percentage we haven’t reached since.

Today, faith and approval of government is nearing all-time lows. The Congressional approval rating currently sits at an anemic 14 percent. The 113th Congress, plagued with gridlock and extremism, is poised to pass less bills than any other Congress in history. Congress’ dysfunction came to a head last year, when the entire government was forced to shut down over disagreements with the budget.

I’m not going to vote because I haven’t been able to look at the news long enough to make an educated decision.

— Kelsey Taylor, accounting junior

It is clear people aren’t happy with their government. Many even say our system is broken. This grim reality is a far cry from the hopeful, exuberant outlook of the early 1960s. What has happened in the last 50 years?

Public participation in America has dwindled since the days of Kennedy. Voter turnout is nearing all-time lows, especially for young people (the same demographic that pushed for change in the 1960s). In 2010, the last midterm election, just 24 percent of Americans between 18 and 29 voted. This contrasts with the 61 percent of citizens over the age of 65 who voted that year. Midterm elections always see lower turnouts than presidential elections, but voters in presidential elections have also steadily decreased over the past five decades.

Voting isn’t the only civic duty America lacks today. According to a new Rasmussen Report, more than one-third of Americans don’t know which party controls the House of Representatives and which controls the Senate. Knowledge of current political issues and events is necessary for a representative democracy. Our system relies on informed, engaged citizens to intelligently elect officials to govern them.

I’m voting because I want my opinion to be heard.

— Shelly Hansome, graphic design Senior

The fundamentals of our democracy haven’t changed since the 1960s, but we have. Americans vote less than ever before, aren’t as knowledgeable about government, but are increasingly critical of the officials that represent them.

According to another 2014 Rasmussen Report, three-fourths of Americans don’t believe their local member of congress deserves reelection, but, according to the latest projections, a majority of congressmen are expected to win reelection. If citizens do not vote and participate, they will end up with a government that they don’t approve of.

If we hope to fix our country, we, as educated citizens, must be informed on political issues our government faces. Our generation, unlike those before us, have access to dozens of websites devoted to informing voters, such as opencongress.org and ballotpedia.org. It is now easier than ever to prepare for the ballot box.

If we hope to fix our country, we must spend 15 minutes on November 4 to vote. If we continue to waste our single most important civic duty, gridlock and polarization will continue to weaken our government. If we want to rid congress of extremism, we must vote for the smartest voices, not the loudest.josh-graph

If we hope to fix our country, we must continue to be informed after Election Day. This means keeping track of what our Representatives and Senators are doing from time to time. Websites like Govtrack.us were created for this very reason.

President Kennedy, in a lesser-known speech, said, “The educated citizen has an obligation to serve the public…he must be a participant and not a spectator.”

Before we hope to fix our dysfunctional government, we must fix ourselves.