Last tuesday at 4:00, some high school students from around the midsouth and two Ole Miss students comprised a panel to discuss the issues they were concerned about in the upcoming election. They were very well prepared and informed about the issues, the high-school students more-so than the two collegiate panelists. One kid in particular struck me as on his game. Justin Sanders from Madison, MS really knew his stuff. When asked about what he thought about the war in Iraq, Sanders eloquently replied, " the biggest issue is cost; we've already spent two trillion dollars on a war with a nation that never posed a threat." Today being the anniversary on the WTC, Pentagon, and the Pennsylvania terrorists attacks, I wonder why we didn't go after the Saudi's who were the majority on the planes. The biggest issue among the panelists was the environment, which was not surprising considering more than two thirds of the panel said they would vote for Obama. College tuition prices were also a major concern for the young men and women. Taylor Cox from Nashville, TN said that with tuition up to 50,000 dollars a year at some colleges, she is happy to live in Tennessee where they offer the Hope scholarship ($4,000 yearly).

Dr. Husni asked the students how they got their news and if they thought it was "fair and balanced." Justin Sanders brought up something that had slipped my mind. Fox news never let Ron Paul attend the debates despite doing better in the poles than Mayor Guilliannni. I totally agree with this kid and I could see him being a Senator some day, or at least a political analyst. Some of the girls on the panel thought it unfair that Sarah Palin was barraged by the media because her 17 year old daughter was pregnant. One girl, countered that it was fair because the situation was contradictory to the Republican platform. I agreed with this brave soul, who voiced her valid opinion in a room of sixty-six percent conservatives. I am excited to watch the Town Hall Meeting tonight to see what happens after the lipstick on a pitbull/pig debacle.