Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"The Quill" is hosted by Brockport High School student and is a place to showcase student created book reviews, poetry and short stories. The staff of the "The Quill" is looking for works to showcase. If you have a piece you would like to contribute please click on the "How to Submit Work" link on the left. Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.
1 comment:
Independent
By Ellen McCarthy
A lot of the time I think about how our country is run. I wonder how hard it must be to try and make everyone happy, even though that is completely impossible.
I notice how a child’s opinion is almost always based on what surrounding environment, in most cases, what their parents believe in. If Mom and Dad say that George W. Bush is a lost cause, their son is now a liberal, loudmouth Democrat. If they say that the president is a great influence and the solution to all of our problems, their daughter is now a stuck-up, opinionated Republican.
On the other hand, I choose NOT to be a reflection of my parents in their political decisions. Furthermore, I choose not to be a statistic in the constant debate between the two battling parties.
What makes a Republican or a Democrat? Are there any certain qualifications that automatically assign you to any one party? The question really should be: Why do we buy into such lies and slander?
Most think it is rude to tell one’s political beliefs, because you never know whom you are going to offend. But in my case, I have no worries of that because I am an Independent. An Independent is someone who doesn’t believe in siding with Republicans or Democrats. I like to think that I have a blend of both judgments.
For example, I know in my heart, like most Republicans, that abortion is killing, and it is wrong. But then again, like most Democrats, I believe the war in Iraq has gone far enough and shouldn’t have begun in the first place. I’ll tell you right now, I do not like George W. Bush. He is an abominable reflection upon the Republican Party.
But this in no way makes me a Democrat. I don’t understand why we constantly bicker over which party is better. Why don’t we understand that Democrats and Republicans these days are exactly the same: devious and surreptitious. But that’s just my way of thinking. What would America be if we didn’t have diversity among political views?
Every four years we have a new batch of people run for president who think they are the best for our country. Usually it consists of people who have run before, people who already have political power and connections, the incumbent president, and new people who no one has ever heard of that never ever win.
How does this usually turn out, you ask? It’s simple: either they re-elect the previous president, or they select the raging lunatic who catches our attention using skills pertaining to mannerisms of dictators and totalitarians. Not to mention the fact that it also has to do with how much money you have to spend on your campaign. Is this the kind of country we want to live in?
Don’t get me wrong, America is awesome, and that’s the only word I can think of to describe it. Here, we have freedoms with limitations that make it a safe place to live where we may do as we please. We don’t need to worry about nuclear bombs shrouding our country like clouds on a rain threatening sky. But like a lot of places around the world, some parts of our political system and government are somewhat corrupt.
What we really need is some kind of change in the U.S. that assures us that things can be different and better. The fact is, both parties have decent ideas, but fight most of the time because they can’t agree on one thing. There are rarely two sides to a debate; it’s just the cold hard truth that all politicians’ want is their 15 minutes of fame. It’s in human nature to want to be the center of attention at least some of the time. But when you are involved with politics, that “some of the time” seems to turn into “all the time”.
People rely so much on what the television says, or what’s posted on the World Wide Web. Why can’t Americans create their own ideas and believe in their own morals? This country should have a collaborative system combining ideas that seem most reasonable.
The fact is, both Democrats and Republicans are bittersweet. One may have the better idea than the other. I wish America could incorporate its best concepts into one. I’m not saying everyone would be happy then, but what would America be if we didn’t have contrasting people?
If people could just have a positive outlook and not be so contradictory and confrontational, the two battling parties may actually find peace with each other. We could live in a place where many ideals could correspond with each other and live side by side.
We, as the American people, need to stand up for ourselves. Our democracy has lasted way longer than the normal life span of one. Any day, it could fall apart, no matter how patriotic we are. A little at a time, we can build America up to how it once was when it started.
Post a Comment