PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS

SEBRING - Several local students, seniors and political volunteers talked issues - rather than individual candidates - when discussing the upcoming presidential election, Monday.

Bill Allen, 78, was motoring a golf cart while his dog, Keno, rode in the passenger seat, near his Tanglewood home.

"I'm more interested in what's happened to our country," said Allen. "People really aren't talking about people, they're talking about the whole economy and more about the issues."

Fellow Tanglewood resident Loretta Nafis said the economy hit her and her neighbors on fixed incomes particularly hard.

"People are more complacent," said Nafis. "And they're so fed up. We need a change."

Justine Devlin is chairwoman of the Republican Party in Highlands County and said this year's political landscape is very confusing, interesting and "not cut or dried."

"We're looking at the issues," said Devlin. "The electorate needs to get educated and get past the personal attacks."

Twenty-year-old April Rogers is an education student at South Florida Community College. She said a high school economics teacher at Avon Park High School fostered in her an interest in politics. Rogers is looking forward to her first presidential vote.

"Some people don't care," said Rogers. "Nobody is talking about the presidential elec-tion. Many students say it's not really that interesting."

Rogers is following the road to the November election on CNN and watched a presidential debate. She has chosen a candidate and said students are especially interested in health care issues.

"My vote counts. It's something I can do."

Richard Virgil, 22, a SFCC architecture student, and Richard Stone, 21, a physics major, are both looking forward to voting, but say most fellow students are not politically aware.

"No one cares," said Virgil. "And we're outnumbered by older people."

Stone said many students are apathetic and haven't studied current presidential politics like others.

"They're not educated enough about the issues," said Stone. "Somebody just says what they want them to hear."

Jerry Tressa is a volunteer with the Democratic Party of Highlands County and said voters are more excited about the 2008 presidential race than many in the past.

"Health care and Medicaid mean a lot to the people of Highlands County," said Tressa.

Democratic volunteer Alice Boynton said foot traffic at the Democratic Headquarters has increased, with voters requesting materials and political information - especially bumper stickers.