Earthy Sexy Money

By Amy Yensi-

As the most closely watched election nears the finish line, certain words are highlighted in my mind as its key issues: energy independence, women's rights, and the financial crisis. In addition, there was a lot of chatter about the youth, and how their role in this election is crucial. It makes me wonder how things could have panned out if the youth were better educated on these issues. How would the candidates frame their pleas for the presidency, in the variation or even absence of current problems plaguing the electorate?

With the failure of the highly subsidized ethanol initiatives and ever-increasing fuel prices, it didn't take long for John McCain and Barack Obama to talk up the need for energy independence. They both agreed that the current strategy of relying heavily on other nations, who often "do not like us very much," as McCain often said, needed to be changed. McCain asserted the necessity to "drill baby drill" much to the dismay of Obama who preferred energy conservation and the creation a "green jobs industry" that would lead to energy innovation and job creation. Both of the proposals are way too complex to be fully explained in the time allotted for a soundbite. However, if Americans were educated in school about conservation, the effect of oil usage on the environment, and the correlation between oil supply and a nation's power, then perhaps, all the gas pump anxiety that tormented travellers this summer could have been avoided. Most of us, however, are not taught these things in school and therefore rely on our research, or on the candidates themselves.

Furthermore, just when one thinks the country's stance on abortion has been dealt with, the debate finds a way to wedge into our poltics yet again. This time though, the discussions on a women's right to choose became more frequent with the addition of Sarah Palin on the Republican ticket. Feminists were presented with a dilemma--should they be happy that the GOP had picked a woman to be its vice presidental candidate for the first time in history or should they be infuriated because she was against the rights that many of them so ardently advocated? To make things more complicated, Palin is not only the mother to a special needs child but she is also the mother of an unwed pregnant teenager. The debate as to whether woman should have a right to choose or if sex education should be taught in schools--both of which Palin opposes--was being manifested in the personal life of a candidate unlike anything we have ever seen. Let's not forget the way the blogsphere lit up with articles about rape victims having to pay for their own rape kits in Alaska, the state Palin is the governor for. There were points to be made and countered by both the left and the right. Although we are far from reaching an agreement on this issue, one can't help but wonder how many unwanted pregnancies could be avoided if young people really knew what they were getting into when engaging in unprotected sex.

Now, the previously mentioned issues seem minimal, when compared to the stranglehold that the economy has had on the discourse of this election. From home foreclosures, to inflation, to the stock market crashes, loss of retirement savings, lending freezes, and bank failures, the talking heads have had their hands full--and so have the candidates. John McCain went as far as "suspending" his campaign because something needed to be done to fix the economy. Barack Obama, according to the poles, appears to be favored on getting the economy on the right track. Neither has all the answers, as I doubt anyone does. However, if people are taught from early on the value of a dollar, a job, and a home perhaps our financial situation wouldn't be in such dire conditions. Of course, to say that it all lies in the hands of Americans themselves is overly simplistic. The fact remains that some policies put in place and lack there of, played a key role in this financial mess, but if people understood the way the different elements of the economy are interconnected, and how they can safeguard and stimulate their financial futures, a lot of the money related hysteria could have been avoided.

When this election cycle first started, I was convinced that the war in Iraq would be the issue, boy was I off the mark. What I did know, is that young people would play a major role with their participation in this presidential race. Hopefully, now that they are interested they will begin to learn why every vote counts and why every policy has the potential to affect their own lives.