On assignment for Salon.com, an online news magazine, Tim Grieve visited Rexburg for a couple of days to look into the claim that Madison County, Idaho, is the most Republican county in the nation. Ninety-two percent of Madison County voters in the 2004 election voted for George W. Bush, a percentage matched only by Ochiltree County, Texas.

In the past, Madison County has almost always voted for Republican candidates, even when much of Idaho and the nation were favoring Democratic candidates. And even when other areas voted for Republicans, Madison County residents have generally done so to a greater extent.

Grieve’s article gave an understandably superficial look at Rexburg and the surrounding county, firmly establishing that the area is indeed predominantly Latter-day Saint and conservative.

Not surprisingly, however, the article has touched a nerve within and without the Latter-day Saint community, touching off an explosion of backlash and name-calling.

Many Church members from Rexburg and other areas took offense at the somewhat condescending view that Grieve gave of the area and the influence of the Church. The more vocal liberal Latter-day Saints made sure that everybody with the patience to read all of the online responses to the article knew that not all Latter-day Saints are conservative.

All of which is fine. Personally, I enjoyed the article and wasn’t bothered by Grieve’s view of Rexburg or the Church. His lack of journalistic integrity did bother me a little, but perhaps that’s just because I’m an idealist. What really got me, however, were the comments that came from BYU-Idaho professors.

Rick Davis of the Humanities Department is quoted as saying that Madison County residents have a high level of income and are generally better educated, even though census data shows otherwise. Then comes the real killer.

“We don’t have any welfare state in this area at all. We don’t have blacks in this area to speak of. We’ve had them, and they’ve come and gone,” Davis said.

Now, whether or not the comments are taken out of context and pasted together for maximum shock value, which is entirely possible, the comments that Davis made are simply irresponsible.

Dawn Anderson of the English Department is quoted as saying that most of her students “have little knowledge of issues outside the Republican platform. They only know that Democrats are lesbian baby-killers.”

Personally, I’m impressed with Anderson’s confidence in and compassion for her students.

Truly admirable.

But despite the bitter rhetoric, she does bring up a good point. Do we know the issues? If we do vote, do we favor one party just because we feel that we’re supposed to, be it for religious or traditional reasons?

There may not be anything as dangerous to a democracy as a population of young people who accept a certain political dogma without considering its issues and implications, blindly voting into office whoever happens to have the right letter after his or her name. That’s how a man named Adolf came into power in Germany—by making promises to a people who failed to see the issues and implications of the ideas he espoused.

So what are the issues that should determine how we vote? Do you believe that terrorism, foreign policy, health care, irresponsible government spending and protecting the economy are important issues? So do most Americans, and both of the major parties. In fact, the views that the two parties have about these issues are remarkably similar.

Do you know which political party espouses the idea that “the family is the center of everyday American life,” that “a strong America begins in the home”? The answer may not be the one that you think.

The real issue our country faces over the next two years is whether or not we as citizens can educate ourselves sufficiently to understand the problems that we face as a nation and choose public officials who will best represent our views, regardless of political party affiliation.