With the all-important Iowa and New Hampshire primaries in the books for 2008, the presidential election season is in full swing. Soon, the television ads and newspaper spots candidate ran for their party’s nomination tested in these two states will start appearing across the country, and by November, we will know who the next President of the United States will be.

But I’m not here to make predictions or analyze the chances that Candidate X will carry 300 electoral votes. I have no crystal ball to see into the future, nor do I think any probabilities I calculate will matter with the constant turbulence of these political campaigns. What I look at is the issues and stances that actually matter.

Issues like healthcare, the economy, taxes, the environment and foreign policy are important to virtually everyone. After all, how many people are there out there that don’t pay taxes, don’t need jobs, never get sick and live in a bubble? These are issues that have real implications in our lives.

Yet the media doesn’t really go into detail about these things. Instead, what we see on television are the negative ads and talking heads going on about how candidates are trying to swing voters in vital states.

Most of the time, the news is all about the presidential horse race: one candidate is so far ahead of the other in the polls, but a surprise third candidate may be sneaking up…SNORE. The only time we see media coverage of what the nominees for each party actually think is during debates. And half the time, those debates are filled with a bunch of people trying to trip one another up and catch the other person in a verbal trap.

With all this hot air, it’s easy to miss what a presidential nominee actually thinks about a vital issue or fail to see what problems are looming on the horizon.

So I encourage you all to go out and do some of your own research, even if it is as simple as visiting some of the candidates’ websites and looking at some of the government statistics online — any attempt to gather information outside of the television coverage is great.

I’m not suggesting that anyone devote entire weeks to looking up information and statistics on the economy, healthcare and the environment. Just spend a few minutes here and there to look at all the candidates’ platforms instead of mindlessly browsing through Facebook.

But most importantly, get involved and get informed. You don’t have to go out and start volunteering for the candidate you like the most. Just looking at what the candidate has to say about the things you care about is a positive step. Also make sure to go beyond just knowing what your preferred candidate thinks; see what Candidate X, Y, and Z have to say on the issues, and then take a look at some of the official statistics.

So as much as you think politics and presidential elections are dry and boring — be a part of the process, after all, the laws passed today may affect your job, your health and your environment in the future.

Tell Paul how you stay informed about political issues at [email protected]