If we could, for a second, take a break from the murderous rage about LSU’s loss to Ole Miss, it’s important to point out that something important happened while Les Miles was earning the hatred of the Tiger faithful.Saturday evening, the Democrats in the U.S. Senate passed one of the first hurdles in finalizing their health care legislation. The 60-39 procedural vote — along strict party lines, of course — prevented a Republican veto, which means the bill will go to the floor for the undoubtedly grueling debate.This will decide the future of our health care system and is, to put it lightly, big news.I’m admittedly a bigger political junkie than a sports fan (which is certainly a rarity ’round these parts), but it never ceases to amaze me how few people were — and probably still are — completely unaware of the progress of the health care bill. While TV news shows love to show images of outraged crowds swarming city halls  and while Baton Rouge has had its own modest protests in the form of “tea parties,”  the general sense I get from most people on campus is one of apathy.Perhaps apathy is the wrong word. Some people actually do care about the health care debate and have formed at least a rudimentary informed opinion. But I’d be willing to bet most students aren’t aware of what happened Saturday.And it isn’t just students. Last weekend, Baton Rouge voters handily defeated Mayor-President Kip Holden’s bond proposal, which would have used a slight tax increase to fund city improvement projects and the controversial Alive project downtown. The term “voters” should be used with caution. Only 26 percent of registered voters turned out. For those of you keeping score, that’s barely a quarter. And even among those who did turn out, most voters were from middle- to upper-class suburban areas, leading to a lopsided, horribly misrepresentative sample.I think it’s safe to say more Baton Rougeans are clamoring for Les Miles to be fired — or tarred and feathered — than are even interested in health care or the bond proposal. A quick look at Facebook indicates this is almost certainly the case on campus.It would be silly to ask or even wish people cared as much about our government as they do about football. Football is a deeply ingrained part of our culture, a communal activity that brings people together to just have fun. Politics are divisive, and require thought and effort. Besides, I hardly think it wise to ask LSU fans to support a political party or movement the same way they support our team, given our propensity for alcohol and obscenity.But it doesn’t seem too much to ask that people at least know what’s going on. Instead of memorizing a few stats or player numbers, maybe it’s time Tiger fans — and our country in general — learned the cost and scope of Democratic health care reform. Instead of obsessing over LSU’s football record and bowl prospects, maybe more Baton Rougeans should have looked up the costs and benefits of the bond proposal.Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe more people pay attention to political news than I estimate, and they simply don’t like to talk about it. After all, most people don’t find politics as interesting as sports.Or maybe I’m just trying to give Les Miles a break. The poor guy’s going to need Kevlar if he shows his face on campus anytime soon.Matthew Albright is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_malbright.—-Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]