And it starts...

So here we go, the first post of what I hope to many. As unbelievable as it might seem, the Presidential Election of 2008 is already in full swing. Candidates from both sides of the aisle are already jockeying for position in a field that is both deep and intriguing.

Unless you've been living under a very heavy rock somewhere in a distant part of Alaska with earplugs in, blinders on, and tinfoil covering 94 percent of your upper body, you've probably heard a least a little bit about a few of the big name front runners:

-Hillary (she's not a man!)
-Barack (he's not white!)
-Romney (he's a Mormon!)
-Giuliani (the savior of all that's good and holy after 9-11!)

But there is more to it than that. There is more to the candidates than catchphrases, slogans, and bumper stickers. For some reason or another we as a nation have fallen into a rut where if you can't define your opinion with a five words or less, its not worth listening too. People are either pro-CHOICE or pro-LIFE, LEFT or RIGHT, LIBERAL or CONSERVATIVE, from a BLUE STATE or RED STATE. We define ourselves within such limited parameters and there is no longer any room for debate. We are either RIGHT or WRONG, so what is the point learning anything new? Why take the time to educate ourselves about the ever changing world that surrounds us?

In 2004 our nation had a voter turnout rate of roughly 64 percent. Compare that to Australia, a country that since 1960 has had an average voter turnout of 95 percent, and it starts to become staggeringly clear just how deplorable that is. The most astounding and disconcerting aspect of this trend is that the age group with the lowest of the low turnout was that of 18-24 year olds. Young people from this demographic turned out at a paltry 47 percent.

After the last Presidential election I talked to a number of people who fit into that particular age group. I was 21 years old in 2004, so the majority of my friends and acquaintances at the time provided a ready-made study group of young voters and non-voters alike. By no means at all do I want to make it sound like a discussion amongst friends constitutes a scientific study, but the one complaint that kept coming up time and time again was the feeling that there was no place available to find informative, interesting, and unbiased news about the candidates. Sure you could go to one of the major news organizations for help, but what you get now in our 24 hours news society isn't so much information, but rather already formed opinions. Thats where we come in.

This site is going to be dedicated to providing genuine details, facts, figures, statistics and information that pertains to the upcoming 2008 Presidential election. In due time we will include everything from the candidate individual platforms, to info about debates, to the daily news regarding all (not just the name-brand) of the people who have chosen to run for office and become the highest ranking member of the U.S. government.

We as a nation are going to soon participate in one of the most important elections that our young country has ever seen. It is our privilege and it is our job to be educated about the choices that we will be asked to make.