Your Vote Counts

In the political world, it is campaign season as midterm elections are here. Governors, congressmen, and many other public officials are scrounging for votes across their voting demographics. It is always interesting to watch how much a candidate is willing to bash their opponent in their advertisements while campaigning. I feel like a candidate could attack their opponent for anything.

It gets annoying when all their commercial is doing is telling you not to vote for the other person. I want to know why I should vote for you! If I should vote for you just because you claim that your opponent is worse, then that doesn’t say much about your ability to be a good public official.

I think that the most sincere and good people that run for office are the ones that run a clean campaign while dealing with the issues that voters care about. The problem is that these type of candidates don’t really exist any more.

There are a couple men involved in politics that I can look up to; one of those is Representative Paul Ryan from Wisconsin. I enjoy listening to him speak because he is very forward and upfront about the economy and similar issues. Another nice thing about listening to his speeches and debates is that he not only addresses the problems, but provides solutions that the government can actually try. He is a brilliant economist and seems to know his stuff. Interesting thing to know about him is that he only has a bachelor’s degree in business or something of that nature. He seems to be pretty self-taught which is rare these days.

Another politician that I enjoy listening to is Mike Pence from Indiana. It is obvious by the politicians that I like that I am a firm believer in a small government and a free market economy, but I enjoy listening to these men because they tell it like it is. I don’t want to be given hypothetical situations and solutions; I want to hear current problems and actual solutions from people in Washington.

I think that people would be more involved in political matters if they had a better understanding of how much it affects there day to day life. People don’t spend time on things like that unless they see value in it that can actually change their lives. The more involvement on these issues, the more politicians can get done.

I truly enjoy hearing about what is going on in the world, because it shows me how much my vote matters and how much of a part I can play in making this world better. Some people consider political news to be boring and a waste of time, but I think that without political news, the world becomes boring. True change in the world comes through action and negotiation, which is where politics comes in. The more people are exposed to these matters, the more they will begin to understand the importance of being in the know. They will learn how much their vote matters.

Failure breeds success

In the world of politics, popularity is king. Without popularity, political aspirations and goals are hard to reach. A good example of this is the guy running for his county treasurer position in Ohio. His speech was a unique and memorable experience for those who were there. He yelled. He screamed. His emotions were in his speech. The man took two steps beyond where any public speaker should go, and the outcome of his endeavors was...well he didn't get the nomination. But that was trumped by the popularity that he received on youtube. The video of his speech has been viewed by thousands of people, who would not have known anything about him without his performance in that speech. His failure to achieve his goal was defeated by his success in achieving popularity.

Today in politics

I was watching a video of a man running for his county treasurer position and noticed an interesting tactic that he used when trying to gain the nomination. He yelled. This man yelled and screamed throughout his entire speech in order to capture the attention of his audience. I can't help but wonder if he had ulterior motives. I think that this was a publicity stunt that would gain him popularity among the masses. Youtube has exploded with hits from this guy and even though he did not get the nomination, he did capture the attention of America. Through his failure, he found success.

Political Niche

My political inclinations have been catapulted as of late. With the recent terrorist threat level along with midterm elections coming soon, the political world is in a frenzy. These are very interesting times where the world is not taking a breath. The democratic party that has worked so hard to create fundamental change in the U.S. is now faltering and has a good possibility of losing its power. With the rise of the conservative movement as well as the faithful tea-partiers, Washington could be seeing the Obama presidency come to a drastic halt, as it will be difficult for him to get anything done without the support from the senate. These are very interesting times.

Career

As a high school student, I believe that it is a healthy exercise to think about what you want to do with your life. It won't hurt you in any way and it might even help you in your college decision making process. With so many different schools and each one offering a variety of majors, it couldn't hurt you to weed out the ones that don't have the major that suits your career choice. Even though many students eventually change their majors to something else, transferring schools is always an option if your particular school doesn't carry that major. Understanding a possible career choice could only help you prepare more for your college studies ahead of time. So go ahead and consider what you want to do with your life today; why wait?

Where should I go?

The next thing to figure out in your quest to college awesomeness is consider schools that you would like to go to. Though money is a huge issue, it is also important that you find a school that fits you. Location is usually a big issue, so find a school in the area you want. Then make sure the school has the degree that you would like to have. Another thing to look at is the schools values and what they seem to stand for. It's important to know what your school represents because it might conflict with your own values. So if the school fits your criteria with regards to location, degrees, and values, then it could be a good idea to go ahead and visit the school to see what's cool. Your college experience will be completely dependent on the school that you attend, so make sure it is the right school for you.

Lack of Effort

Sometimes it's easy as a high school student to see college as this far off world that will be presented to you when the time is right. The problem with this mindset is that there is a lack of effort when the SAT comes around. With a solid SAT score, high school students can literally save thousands of dollars in scholarships for college. If the effort is there, you can definitely obtain a sizable reward.