9/26/09

Should Voters have to take a literacy test to register to vote?

Absolutely. Not to discriminate against those terribly unfortunate to have not received basic education but literacy is essential to making an informed decision. If one did not read about the issues and candidates and just believed everything they heard on the news, they would be making a compromised decision. America has a public school system and many organizations dedicated to eradicating illiteracy so if someone who is illiterate really cared about making an informed decision they would probably learn to read. Some may say that this is discriminating against those who were unable to learn. However, in this modern day and age I feel that there are enough resources for someone to learn.

9/21/09

Should political parties have open primaries or closed primaries?

Personally, I believe in more closed primaries. The pros far outweigh the cons. Closed primaries ensure the "integrity" of the primary and make sure that the votes counted are in the parties best interest. It may be convenient for some to have open primaries because they want to support the particularly person who they think would be a good candidate. However, primaries are held to elect who will best represent the party and who best to do that than actual party members. It may be that the party is encouraging a population to vote for a certain candidate in order to ensure he is popular with many different groups by the time the general election comes around. However, the general election pretty much satisfies this requirement. The worry of open primaries is that the opposing party with in essence rig the vote so that a unlikable, less popular candidate is chosen. This, to me, is a real concern because they are not doing what is best for the people and more importantly America.

9/13/09

Would we be better or worse off with a system where more parties were represented such as a parliament?

I personally think we would be worse off. Not because the government shouldn't represent the people to the fullest extent as I believe a parliamentary system more or less does. But the political mentality of America wouldn't never cooperate for a common cause. The current two party system creates so much animosity that at this point a multi-party system would only further fragment the government. Excess and selfishness and ingrained in the political structure and the overall mentality of many Americans. That's not to say Americans are fat and stupid because we all know we produce some brilliant minds but as a whole the assumption is that Americans only want what's best for themselves. This is why a multi-party system would fail. Everyone would have little concern for the American people as a whole because they would feel entitled only to represent their specific interests. Thats why it wouldn't work as much as I like the sound of the idea.

9/6/09

I believe no one is truly objective in their political views. In modern-day America we are bombarded by media in every possible format, that tells us to think a certain way. In my own experience, as with many teens, my parents help shape some of my views. This is because your parents help shape your moral values and background that direct your political beliefs. That is not to say that morals should affect political decisions because in many cases they should not, but like I said no one is truly objective. My parents are moderate, but a little more to the left than the right. I would consider myself this as well but I tend to side with the left much more if anything. My attitudes about poverty and the environment come from my uncle who owns a non-profit and travels around the world setting up sustainable projects to create income for the impoverished. This has made my think on a more global level which puts the frivolity of partisanship into perspective.

Should the Federal Government do more to save the environment?

The short answer- yes. The environment issue has often been sidelined by "bigger" issues, particularly in times of economic crisis. But one can't throw away resources on the short term and not think about the effect it is going to have down the road. We need to be doing more. Yes we are making more fuel efficient cars and offset carbon emissions but we need to make conservation a lifestyle. The best thing to ever happen to the environment is the fact that "going green" is becoming trendy. But trends fade and then what are we left with. The environment is an investment and the US Government, as a world power, should be able to do more than it is currently. That is not to say that other countries wouldn't need to cooperate but any change is good change.