Stephanie Simon | Taking responsibility for ourselves

It's hard for me to remember a time before this election; it seems like it's been going on forever.

Everyday we are bombarded non-stop with breaking news, election updates and attack ads. Every celebrity from Chuck Norris to that kid from Superbad has implored us to vote. Even the cast of Gossip Girl has jumped on the election bandwagon. It almost makes me nostalgic for the days when P. Diddy was the lone voice in the wilderness, threatening us with bodily harm if we didn't vote.

All this "voting is cool" nonsense doesn't work. Neither do fluffy celebrity endorsements. They merely obscure the very real issues facing us this Tuesday.

So why should you vote? There's an easy answer to that question - and a hard answer. The easy answer: You shouldn't. Voting is irrational, plain and simple; any good economist would tell you so. The costs in time and energy are high, and the obvious benefits are low. One vote never makes a difference.

Plus, you're way too busy to vote. You're a college student. You've got papers and midterms. You're trying to get a job. You're surfing Facebook. Clearly, your time is valuable. Wasting it in the voting booth just makes no sense.

So why would anyone vote? Sorry Whartonites, but a simple cost-benefit analysis won't work in this case. Voting isn't rational. It's not easy either. Voting is hard. It makes us examine who we are and what we value. It forces us to demonstrate our commitment to democracy by "wasting" our precious time. It compels us take responsibility for ourselves when it would be easier to allow others to make decisions for us.

So that's the hard answer. Vote because you can. Vote because some of your ancestors couldn't. Vote because millions of Americans were willing to fight and die for the right to do so. Vote because you love your country. Vote because you love your school or your family. Vote because you love yourself. Vote because no matter how bad the economy is or how many wars we're fighting, we are better off living in America than anywhere else in the world.

At the end of the day, I can't make you care about voting. I can't tell you why you in should vote. That's up to you. All I can tell you is this: On Nov. 4, I'm voting.

I'm voting because I care about my future. I'm voting because I care about America's future. I'm voting because there are soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq who are younger than I am, who don't have the luxury of being apathetic.

I'm voting because when my grandfather came to this country he had nothing, and America gave him everything. I'm voting because I care about energy independence and the environment, foreign policy and national security. I'm voting because the economy is in shambles, and I still want my shot at the American dream.

I'm voting because I won't be a college student forever.

I'm voting because one day, I'll be the one paying taxes, needing health care and relying on Social Security. I'm voting because the issues affect me, and I refuse to give up the right to make decisions for myself.

This may mean nothing to you, but on Nov. 4, I can't take the easy way out. I'll wait in line as long as it takes, no matter how irrational it seems. I'll do it because, in my heart, I know that my one little vote really does matter. In America, every vote matters.

Stephanie Simon is a College senior and is on the Penn Leads the Vote Executive Board.

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