Before getting into some specific reasons that our generation should vote for Democrats, I'd like to specifically address a few of Adam's points.

First, labeling Democrats as "Monday morning quarterbacks" for their opposition to the Republican presidency, Congress and Senate is simply inaccurate. Legitimate criticism and promotion of alternate plans isn't the same as spewing empty complaints. It's the responsibility of conscientious Americans to look for better ways to serve the country -- if your quarterback talked about his great plan for the season then decided to eat doughnuts instead of training, your criticism of his poor performance is justified. Just the same, Democratic criticism of Republican incumbents is justified.

Second, while gross ineptitude in both Iraq and Congress are very important issues in this election, I agree with Adam that they're not the only reasons that our generation should vote for Democrats next week. Here are some more big reasons:

Higher education: as tuition across the country continues to rise, what has the Republican government done to make college more affordable for college students? Nothing. They've cut the number of Pell Grants for low-income students. Interest rates on student loans are skyrocketing. Young people are opting out of college because it's too expensive. Instead of letting Republicans continue to hijack higher ed, young people can trust the Democratic plan to increase grants given to students, give families with students a tuition tax credit and cut interest rates on student loans in half -- real solutions that respond to our needs.

Economy: Republicans are great on the economy -- if you're in the wealthiest 1 percent of the population. Since the vast majority of us aren't, it's illogical to vote for Republicans and expect personal economic gain. If you think Democrats are big spenders, how do you explain our current Republican-grown budget deficit? Compare our $8.5 trillion deficit to Forbes' prediction that Democrats will advocate a "pay as you go" economic policy if they regain the House majority -- Republicans are clearly the ones spending out of control, and they need to be reined in.

Alternative energy: strong emphasis on and investment in alternative energy just makes sense, especially for our generation. We're the ones who will have to deal environmental degradation, dependence on foreign oil and an economy that struggles to compete as a global economy takes root. Voting for Republicans means sticking with half-hearted promotions of a green America. Did you notice that gas prices started going down just as elections approached? Hardly coincidental. Democrats want to make real advances in energy policy by prioritizing a renewable energy research effort like the Apollo-project -- it's worth it to invest now so we can all benefit from energy independence in the near future.

Voting is rarely an easy choice, and should always be undertaken with thoughtful consideration. But as our generation weighs our options, looking at Iraq, corruption, education, economy and energy, the choice is clear: Democrats represent us better and they deserve our support next Tuesday.

-- Annika