Students need to know the basics about social security regardless of whether or not they like Gore or Bush's plans. Many students will have families soon and might be taking care of their parents as well as their own family. If there is no social security for older people then someone else has to take care of them. That someone is usually family members. Students need to make sure that their loved ones will have secured money when they're older or it will be up to the students to take care of their parents and grand parents.
Social security affects everyone.
The other major concern this political year is tax reform. Our country has approximately a three trillion dollar debt. Taxes are being raised more and more to compensate for the debt, but that just makes taxpayers angry. So Gore and Bush have proposals to get rid of the national debt. He wants to have one fourth of the surplus returned to the taxpayers.