Brent Burkey's opinion ("Local politics matter more than national rhetoric," Jan. 11) couldn't be more on point. Criminal laws, school district funding and child welfare are all state & local issues.

If you've ever been required to appear before a local judge, you will be happy to know that, in the next election, you have a voice in whether he gets to keep his job. The legislature is tremendously important, too.

Pennsylvania may have been a "blue state" in the last Presidential Election, but politics in this Commonwealth are overwhelmingly red. Readers of The Daily Collegian already knew that, though - you make it a point to vote in local elections.