Letter to the editor: Don’t let your future be dictated by old fogies
Dear high school and college students of St. George,
I write to you today to remind you that you are the hope of this great country and that you should stand up, be organized, and fight for what is right. I know that you have other work to do in preparation for your future, but you might not have a future if you don’t speak up against injustice, intolerance, and demagoguery.
Other students across the country are standing up: high school students from Florida, college students protesting at Yale, and students protesting dress codes in several places. I ask you to get involved in choosing your representatives in government and choosing sides in important decisions like gun control, abortion, racism, and equality, among many others. I am not suggesting which sides to choose but merely suggesting that you examine every issue and then make your thoughts known.
If you take the time to watch news and opinion on television or online, you will notice one very prominent fact. The people representing YOU in government are mostly very old, tired, nursing home residents who haven’t the slightest idea about YOUR future or what is best for you. You must speak out for yourself. You must get involved and elect people who share your values and ideas. People born in the 1930s can not represent you fairly; they only know war, money, power, and privilege.
We have an important election coming up on Nov. 6. Not only will we be voting for representatives in the House and Senate but we will be voting on other issues pertinent to southern Utah. It’s important!
So if you are 18 or older, go to vote.utah.gov and register to vote if you didn’t choose to register when you got your driver’s license. This year, Washington County is mailing the ballots out, so having a correct address on file is important. If you haven’t registered to vote, you can do so on Election Day at the few polling stations that will be scattered around the county.
Voting this year is especially important for our democratic form of government. This is YOUR time. Don’t let your future be dictated by old fogies like me.
Sincerely,
Grandpa (Ed Stewart)
The viewpoints expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Independent.
How to submit an article, guest opinion piece, or letter to the editor to The Independent
Do you have something to say? Want your voice to be heard by thousands of readers? Send The Independent your letter to the editor or guest opinion piece. All submissions will be considered for publication by our editorial staff. If your letter or editorial is accepted, it will run on suindependent.com, and we’ll promote it through all of our social media channels. We may even decide to include it in our monthly print edition. Just follow our simple submission guidelines and make your voice heard:
—Submissions should be between 300 and 1,500 words.
—Submissions must be sent to editor@infowest.com as a .doc, .docx, .txt, or .rtf file.
—The subject line of the email containing your submission should read “Letter to the editor.”
—Attach your name to both the email and the document file (we don’t run anonymous letters).
—If you have a photo or image you’d like us to use and it’s in .jpg format, at least 1200 X 754 pixels large, and your intellectual property (you own the copyright), feel free to attach it as well, though we reserve the right to choose a different image.
—If you are on Twitter and would like a shout-out when your piece or letter is published, include that in your correspondence and we’ll give you a mention at the time of publication.
Articles related to “Letter to the editor: Don’t let your future be dictated by old fogies”
To vote or not to vote: So few seem to care about voting in elections
I too am an “old fogie” and if you don’t vote what happens to your future is your fault!!! Get out there! Stand up for what you believe in and don’t let 80 yr old men dictate your future.
D Hamilton
(68 yrs young)
Like D. Hamilton, I am an old fogie, and I agree, get out and vote. Think about the candidates and the issues and vote for YOUR interests. This government was meant to be “by the people, and for the people”.