Student worries about 'real' issues

I am a freshman at Carmel Catholic High School. I am concerned about this election. This election is the first election that I have had a high level of interest.

In school, my teachers have always told me that race, religion, and gender should not be used as a basis of discrimination. I can't tell you how many times I have read the "I Have A Dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I am happy to witness a qualified minority candidate and a qualified woman making a serious run for the presidency.

However, why is there so much emphasis on the interest groups and how they vote? Sometimes it seems that the patterns of these groups are more important than the issues and problems the winning candidate will deal with.

If race, gender, and religion should not be a basis of discrimination, why should the media cover the percentage of votes by the interest groups?

When I watch the coverage I don't care about the number of African-American votes that Sen. Obama received. I worry about his view on the war and his view on the country's debt.

James Hessing

Gurnee