Turn on any morning news program and the top three stories of the day will be: the weather, a feel good human-interest story and the very latest on the 2008 presidential campaign.
There is nothing wrong with discussing the weather. After all, it is a favorite small-talk topic, especially for those stuck trekking around the UW-Madison campus every single day.
Even the fluffy time fillers, such as how a gerbil saved an infant from a burning trailer park, are tolerable.
They offer a bright speck in the darkness of daily existence. The presidential campaigns are a different story.
Fellow Wisconsinites, we have had the chance to cast our ballots and voice our opinions. Little can be done until the official candidates are announced. It is time we and our news media move on from scrutinizing the race to see who has the possibility of becoming president.
This has been the longest presidential campaign in recent memory. Some may even say it unofficially began as soon as President George Bush was sworn in for another glorious term. Four years is a ridiculously long time.
Candidates ran out of interesting talking points and unique policies months ago. They have begun to repeat themselves and, sometimes, repeat each other. So why do people continue to hang upon their every hackneyed phrase?
There must be something else occurring in the world besides the Democratic debate in some remote mountain village.
What about the recession currently conquering the U.S. economy? A $100 rebate check is like throwing a sink sponge onto the Exxon Valdez oil spill and hoping everything will be just fine.
How about Kosovo declaring independence from Serbia? This event caused quite a stir everywhere but the United States.
Come to think of it, when was the last time a major news story emerged about the troops in Iraq? American citizens are dying while we are discussing Hillary's cleavage.
Contrary to what some may believe, the United States is not the center of the universe. The world continues to spin while American newscasters agonize over the latest political survey.
Similarly, political campaigns would continue to churn even if no one was watching them every moment of the day.
After all, most of the candidates are reasonable adults who can handle their business without the Today Show'""s cameras hovering over their shoulders.
Take a look at any other nation's news coverage. Granted, there may be a small note about the United States, but the headlines and the bulk of the space is dedicated to international affairs, scientific breakthroughs and entertainment news.
The United States should follow this example: give equal space to politics, world affairs and other topics of general interest. It seems that in the United States it is now more important to discuss presidential candidates rather than foreclosure rates or the production capabilities of the Chinese.
This is not to say that the race for president is not significant. Yes, the candidates are important. Yes, their messages should be heard by the general public. Yes, I have visions of Ron Paul before I fall asleep at night. However, it is time that the media's 24/7 contender count ends.
Emily Houtler is a sophomore majoring in environmental science and math. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
