FInal Essay

Alexa T. DosReis

1-20-14

Period F

Journalism

Today this country experiences a constant battle between good and bad, right and wrong, and what in the end is best for the United States of America. Right now we see debates on drugs, suspicions regarding the Olympics and terrorist involvement. Politicians are all over the news stating their side, their opinion, what they have educated themselves on. When one president goes another one prepares to fight for the open position.  The candidates spend millions of dollars campaigning, getting out to the world the change the could accomplish to make a difference for the country that allows every one to thrive. The terminology the use and the ideas they suggest might sound familiar to the politically educated man or woman, but what about the youth of America? Do the young adults now in college, ages ranging from 18-25, know exactly what they are listening to? So the question of my essay  is, are high school students educated enough to vote properly? In my search to find this out I decided to start with who influences us the most, adults. I went around and asked my teachers a series of questions just to see how they view certain aspects out our economy, society, and just how they got to the point to form their opinion. 

Question 1: Are you a Republican, Democrat, or Independent?

First I would like to provide the definition of each political party: "Republicans believe that each person is responsible for his or her own place in society. The Republican philosophy is based on limiting the intervention of government as a catalyst of individual prosperity/ Democrats believe that it is the responsibility of the government to care for all individuals, even if it means giving up some individual rights and/or subordinating enterprise and initiative/ Democrat Party administrations have pushed for the centralization of power in Washington D.C, with only secondary consideration for the rights of both individuals and communities/ Independents based their political decisions based on the candidate, not so much the party itself." (California Republican)

This question was indeed very straight forward; however you will see how it will be of help to me to know so I can understand why they gave answers they gave me for the questions I will cover later. I interviewed five teachers, and found there to be more of a variety than I had anticipated. I expected the stereotype of every teacher to be a registered democrat to ring true for a typical high school such as Norton High School. Four were registered Independent, and two were registered Democrat.  However one teacher of the independent party claimed they do tend to vote more republican, and one registered democrat claimed that if they could, they would go back and register as an independent. 

 

Question 2: Why?

I found that the Democratic teachers all gave similar responses. They felt the Democratic party respected the profession of an educator. Education as a whole they felt was valued more by this party than by that of the republicans. Now the registered Independents also had similar opinions. They felt that there was no need to sign up for just one political party when then can have the best of both worlds so to speak. Issues become different so this way as an independent, it is less risky not to subscribe to just one party. However the one teacher that said they leans more towards republican views, said I could in fact just mark them down as republican. This teacher gave a noticeably different reason for why they feel the way they do. They appreciate stricked immigration laws, and wants less handouts. 

Question 3: How do you feel about free enterprise?

Free enterprise is an "economic system in which private businesses operate in competition and largely free of state control." (The Free Dictionary) 

In oder to avoid the overuse of this teacher, I will identify each teacher as Teacher 1, Teacher 2…etc. Therefore, Teacher 1 felt free enterprise is good as long as there are core regulations in order to prevent monopoly. Teacher 2 is a supporter of it, but does also believe some regulations are necessary. Teacher 3 partially agrees with the idea of free enterprise, and does find some regulations needed. Teacher 4 feels it is essential for a healthy economy. Finally teacher 5 believes in it completely. 

Question 4: How do you feel about redistribution? 

Redistribution is "distribution; the transfer of income, wealth, property from some individuals to others caused by a social mechanism such as taxation, welfare, and stimulus…etc." (The Free Dictionary)

Teacher 1 commented saying taxes should be percentages based, but redistribution needs to be tightly constructed and monitored. Teacher 2  feels that when people who work hard for their money, it is hard to redistribute that. Teacher 3 wants higher taxes for the rich, and more help for the lower class people. Teacher 4 says it is fair,  but difficult to make work properly. Finally Teacher 5 says that people deserve what they earn. 

Those last two questions are two life changing concepts. Adults by now have a better grasp on the ideas better than a high school student would which led me to think of how much college students are aware of current political affairs. So I decided to ask one. This student is  senior at Wheaton collage, and I asked the same questions as I did for the teachers. The answers followed as:

-Democrat

- Feels strongly towards social issues like gay marriage and abortion laws, but does feel Republicans are better financially.

- Feels OK about free enterprise, and think Republicans have a better financial enterprise. 

-Feels redistribution is the biggest economic issue, but is still the student claims he is still learning about the economics of the country. Finally, this student feels redistribution should be  taken care of through social security.

In school I have a teacher that somewhat hints at her political preferences. This teacher always mentions Hillary Clinton, and how amazing it would be if we had a female president soon, and if it was her. My problem is, I do not know anything about her. I have no idea what she stands for because when politicians say they'll do something, it is most likely not going to happen. I feel lost when the news comes on and they are talking about foreign affairs, the confusion gets even worse when they talk about the economy. That is why I created this question because I am not alone on this. Our world, our nation, will be much better off if future generations are properly informed on the different ways our country functions, and to make it run properly.

Humor Piece

I am an introvert. It was made official during a psychology class I had, and the teacher must know what he is talking about. I guess deep down I knew it to be true, but I was not going to be the one to say it out loud, not my thing. So I just go about my day talking to a select few of people. People comment on how quiet I am,  I'm not that quiet I just don't talk to you. Oh shoot that was rude. However my ability to keep my mouth shut during confrontation has in fact come to my rescue at times.
I have only one confrontation in my life thus ar. Thank heaven because I don't know how I could possibly function with anymore human contact. A conversation between two introverts consists of awkward eye contact and a quick and quiet haste towards the nearest exit. It is amazing how I have friends. Anyways, back to the confrontation. This girl and I had been best friends for years. I do not want to call anyone out so I'll just call her Girl ( solid 10 points on name creativity). Girl had been the most out going girl I have ever seen, and I was hoping for some of that to rub off on me. Little did I know her parents wanted me to rub off on her. She is the only person I have seen that can live with a one sided conversation with no need for input or opinions from anyone as long as they line up with hers. A few years have gone by and I begun to notice that as she talked I just sat there thinking, bla bla bla bla bla,kill me please,bla bla bla bla. Then there was a change in her, she started being pretty nasty to people and I was never going to be a part of that. I personally treat people the way they want to be treated.....I leave them alone.
So that relationship didn't last. After I blew up when she started attacking me. Congratulations Girl! You angered an introvert! Don't you know to watch out for the quiet ones. We are thinkers, we sit and we plot and we analyze. I was actually waiting for her to turn on me, so in preparation for it I had come up with the ultimate comebacks. I envisioned her take down to the very last word I would tell her. She would walk up to me in school with that, I'm going to be such a good friend to you right now, stupid look on her face, and I would be standing by my locker. After a soft sigh, she began her rant and after she was satisfied I would have my glorious moment. I also envisioned her hitting me, like one little slap to the face and then it would be on! We would brawl and I would take her down, more than just physically because I am still 17 and she is 18, so technically I am underage and I could possibly get her sent to prison. No woman in prison will take her crap in jail, but someone has to set her straight. INTROVERT: 1    EXTROVERT: 0.
Of course none of this went down as I planned. She texted me her complaints with me. Wow glad to know our relationship meant that much to you that you feel an extremely long text will suffice. Good Joke. I hate myself for not speaking my mind and telling her off . I had decided to tell her this was not working and we are no longer going to be friends. After that I ignored her for the next few days. Ignoring someone is my strong suit and shutting up clearly wasn't hers because I continued to receive texts from Girl. So it turns out that ignoring the out going angers them even more than letting them argue with you. Who Knew! I felt achieved and I went on with my life with that little victory that know one will every know about because I am not going to talk about it. Forget that.



Long story short, I really should have started this yesterday because I am not that funny, I need time for that to be a thing.