...No Way, No Change “Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country and this world.” -Sharon Salzberg Why would you want a change? Why take away our rights? Is it that, you feel that we don’t have the right mindset to choose our politicians, who will run our country? But our men who are eighteen are old enough to go and fight in the war. These are questions you must ask yourself. Do not take away the rights of an eighteen year old. Let us keep the chance to vote. There are so many reasons to keep the age limit the same. For example, by keeping the voting age at 18, it has encouraged responsibility at an early age, and has promoted lasting social involvement and political participation from youth. When the youth see other youth getting involved, they want to join as well. It’s the domino effect when one fall into doing something, the rest will fall into place as well. Instead of changing the age to twenty-one, why don’t we encourage the responsibility that it takes to vote. Adults should not want to limit how many people should be able to vote. They should want more people to vote that way it’s a better chance for who they want elected to be elected. I mean, shouldn’t we as teenagers have a say so in who runs our country? Democrat Senator Edward Ted Kennedy (United States) states that 18 year-olds already have many rights and responsibilities in our society comparable to voting. It does not automatically follow of course-- simply because an...
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...One month, until the election booth opens. “Yippee” my friend Cass says. I don’t know why she’s thrilled, it’s only the election. Just like voting for a class captain except now we are 18, not in school and we have to vote for a captain of our country. The mention of the word country, just adds a bit more importance to everything, doesn’t it? Ten minutes of my life is going to be gone just to go and vote. A whole months worth of ads used up for elections, when they can be accounted for six episodes of Gossip Girl. Gone. My life right now is sky rocketing. In two more weeks there will be no more campaigns. Cass can’t get a hold of herself; I think she is going to explode. I think I am going to explode. Mum is starting to take interest and is asking me for election advice. Seriously mum, what am I suppose to know? “You should be interested in the elections, first time you get to vote. Aren’t you excited? It’s your future here we are all voting for, use your power, use your rights, make it count! Don’t you know how significant voting is; it’s so special that it doesn’t come every single year.” Blah blah blah, mum is going through her whole sixties, feminist, power phase, saying “voting is great and democracy is awesome.” Democracy is only majority rules, and voting is just another word to accompany it. Rights and power, if we all had rights and power why didn’t the blacks utilise their power to get their land back they had the rights and numbers to do so. However it doesn’t just...
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...have the right to vote? I think felons should be able to vote. Felons are still members of this country and society. Just because someone has made a mistake we are still human beings living in a country where we have no say so and one of which we have no option as to whether we stay or go. Why must the government tell us we can’t vote but yet we have to live in this country from now on. Where is the justification in this? everyone should have the right to vote. if you live in this country and you are a citizen, you should be able to vote. People who have gotten caught committing a crime are most all the same as those who have committed the same crime and have not gotten caught. People commit crimes all the time and are not thought of differently until they are caught. I think Felons should really be able to vote because they have freedom of speech, still are able to live in the USA, & they deserve a second chance in life. These are all good reason why everybody, no matter if you are a felon or not should have the right to vote....
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...The city should continue the use of paper ballots. Everyone should be able to access to their right to vote and say they circle or checked the one they believe is right. Would i trust a electronic voting machine? No i would not, reason too it can get hacked. It is not a secure idea to do. We all know there are always technical difficulties. "As recently as 2014, EVMs in Virginia were shut down during an election when dozens of voters reported that the machines had incorrectly recorded their votes." I would not like my votes to be validated incorectly. These are big issues because your votes may go in wrong and in reality everything goes the opposite way because of the technical difficulties. Yes, the electronic voting machines have multiple...
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...years, teens have been attempting the right to vote. They want their voice to be heard from a power standpoint. They only the think they're going to be able to do this is by being able to vote for their president, what ballot measures that want to be passed or, their city officials. The teens feel that at a certain age, they should be able to amend the constitution to lower. Sadly, as much as they fight, there would not be enough positive effect if they were to vote. 16 and 17 year olds should not be able to vote because they dilute the vote of experienced voters, are extremely busy, and would cause over representation. According to an article written by Annys Shin, titled “Takoma Park 16-year-old savors his history-making moment at the polls”, which explains a story on how teens were able to vote in Maryland states, “Teens should not be allowed to “dilute” the value of the ballots cast by “older, more experienced voters” (Shin). This explains with teens having the ability to vote, the older, experienced voters would not be able to gain the equal representation...
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...Although presidents have limited constitutional authority, many of them effectively use. Write an essay in which you discuss the limits to presidential power, the importance of the presidency’s informal powers. Explain whether you think the nature of presidential power makes the Presidency too weak, or too strong. In 1776 America declared independence from British Empire and became forming a national government. In 1777 Congress adopted The Article of Confederation. This attempt to structure an American government failed; The Article of Confederation was unsuccessfully because it restricted the national government; most power was concentrated on the states’ level. The states kept their autonomy. The national government was lack of authority, it was hard to collect taxes from each state; foreign trade was suffering because foreign counties which wanted to conduct business with the United States had to negotiate separate agreements with Congress and a state. In addition to all of these problems the Article of Confederation did not even include a president or any other executive leader because people were in their zeal to reject monarch; everybody was tried of British tyranny and they were worried if they used this model of government it would lead to the same results as they had during British colony’s time. However, in 1787 Constitutional Convention began in Philadelphia (Bianco & Canon, 2013, p.33). The framers of the Constitution understood that confederation...
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...Why the United States of America is not a Democracy Many people think of the United States government as a democracy, but on the contrary the United States is more of a Republic than a Democracy. A Democratic government is a type of government which allows the people to have a voice for their self interests, and voting for things that the majority wants, in brief words the “majority rule”. The United States is said to be a democratic nation, but are we really that type of government? The answer is no because as a “democratic country” the people don’t vote directly for the things we want. In this paper I will be discussing key points on why the United States is not a democracy. The people of the United States elect representatives who help create laws that fit best for the interest of the people. This goes for the democrats as well, but the republican government has a difference. If the United States was actually a democratic nation, then the people or the majority would be able to vote and not be restrained from the government in any way. On the other hand the United States government goes by the law and can’t take away the right of the minority which leans more to the republican government. As an example, in a democracy if the majority wanted to vote on whether there can only be a certain religion like Christianity, the minority wouldn’t be able to practice a religion other than Christianity, because the majority has the power to do that if it were a democracy. Another...
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...Accountability from Elected Officials When it comes to political discussions, whether they be arguments or a one sided slurry of words that most people don’t want to hear it. As we all know a presidential race just ended with Obama being re-elected and with that comes another onslaught of jabs and pokes at the job he may or may not accomplish while in office. Throughout history there have always been people for and against the president and there always will be. Republicans and democrats never get along and most of them have incredibly varying opinions on where the government should be heading. With this in mind, have you ever thought about what happens to the elected officials, not just presidents, who spend donated money to get elected and during their tenure in office do nothing to help the very people that elected them into office to begin with? There are studies upon studies that are posted all over the internet that show how horrible of a job most of our presidents have done while in office. At the same time there are tens of thousands of elected officials across the United States who go unnoticed if they do horribly, and most the time return to their normal life after their term is done and think nothing of it ever again. The lack of consequences for people not doing their job they were voted in to do is wrong. When it comes to accountability of officials from any level of government, especially ones that are voted in, need to be held accountable for their actions...
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...MOVIE: 12 Angry Men As the jurors initiate the first vote, which was done publicly, it was obvious that conformity took place. In the words of Wikipedia, “Conformity is the process by which an individual's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are influenced by what is conceived to be what other people might perceive.” As they took this initial vote you can see how each are looking around to see how the next person is voting so that they can vote with the majority, even though they barely put in time to talk the case through – except Henry Fonda (HF). All except HF only has the concern of getting out of deliberation as soon as possible. HF truly would like to discuss the case in details and to look at it from all possible angles. While he may think the boy may have killed his father, he still believes he deserves a fair and thorough trial, especially since a guilty verdict sentences the defendant to death. Unfortunately, the high level of conformity caused the jurors deliberations to go on longer than it may have if everyone initially gave the vote they wanted with some sort of reasoning behind it whether or not it disagreed with the next man. The initial nonchalant vote caused some jurors to attempt to influence others in order to convince them of their case. Many of the jurors wrote off the boy based on stereotypes about growing up in the slums and belonging to a minority group. There were also some who were biased towards the evidence presented and only chose to reflect on...
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...processes but for those who really want their bill to pass, if they fight for it they just might get lucky. This paper will show you that it takes more than one person and is a long process. Throughout this paper I will explain how a bill becomes a law so that you will have a better understanding of the process. The whole process starts when a Representative has an idea for a new law, that person becomes the sponsor and introduces the bill by giving it to the clerk of the House or placing it in a box, called the Hopper. The bill is then assigned a legislative number by the clerk with H.R. for bills introduced in the house and S. for the Senate. The Government printing office then prints the bill to give copies to each representative. The Bill is then assigned a committee by the Speaker of the House, so the bill can be studied. There are twenty-two standing committees, each with jurisdiction over bills in certain areas. The standing committee studies the bill and hears testimony from people interested in the bill. The committee may then release the bill with a recommendation to pass it, or revise the bill and release it, or lay it to the side so the House cannot vote. If the bill is released it goes on a list of bills awaiting action. Here the House Rules Committee may call for the bill to be voted on quickly, limiting debate, or prohibiting amendments. The committee staff must prepare a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see the amendment...
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...fight, then old enough to vote.” This new amendment had people across the nation pondering. This amendment was a remarkable new amendment. Young people could now vote and get involve in there new political leaders. Before this new amendment the law was that you couldn’t vote unless you were at least 21 so until that age, teenagers didn’t care about who was running their country at all until they were of that legal age. The 26th Amendment changed the whole idea of the adulthood of eighteen year olds in America’s eyes forever. Student activist during the Vietnam War, were outraged that young men and women could die in a war and fight for their country but weren’t able to vote. They felt like this was unfair and it took away their rights as citizens. Making the 26th Amendment as a law made them feel like they made a difference. "No taxation without representation” was also a big deal because taxes were still getting pulled out of young teenager’s paychecks. How is that fair if they couldn’t even vote on this but still had to get chunks of money taken out of their paychecks? In some states, including Texas, has changes the adult age to seventeen years old, declaring that if you disobey a law than you will be acted upon as an adult. In some cases depending on how bad the situation is you can be as young as fourteen years old and go to the big boy jail. If you can be seventeen years old and go to jail or possibly prison, why shouldn’t you be able to vote? In some states you can...
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...fight, then old enough to vote.” This new amendment had people across the nation pondering. This amendment was a remarkable new amendment. Young people could now vote and get involve in there new political leaders. Before this new amendment the law was that you couldn’t vote unless you were at least 21 so until that age, teenagers didn’t care about who was running their country at all until they were of that legal age. The 26th Amendment changed the whole idea of the adulthood of eighteen year olds in America’s eyes forever. Student activist during the Vietnam War, were outraged that young men and women could die in a war and fight for their country but weren’t able to vote. They felt like this was unfair and it took away their rights as citizens. Making the 26th Amendment as a law made them feel like they made a difference. "No taxation without representation” was also a big deal because taxes were still getting pulled out of young teenager’s paychecks. How is that fair if they couldn’t even vote on this but still had to get chunks of money taken out of their paychecks? In some states, including Texas, has changes the adult age to seventeen years old, declaring that if you disobey a law than you will be acted upon as an adult. In some cases depending on how bad the situation is you can be as young as fourteen years old and go to the big boy jail. If you can be seventeen years old and go to jail or possibly prison, why shouldn’t you be able to vote? In some states you can get...
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...means at that. 2. What is the difference between “civil disobedience” and criminal activity? If you risk your arrest, that is civil disobedience. If you risk the life, limbs, property, safety of others, you have become a criminal and lost your ethics, and it is no longer civil disobedience. 3. Why does he like being viewed as an “extremist” He likes being viewed as an extremist because others before him have been one as well and it brought change and new ideas to the country. 4. What is “nonviolence” and what did King hope to achieve through this strategy? Nonviolence is not for the cowardly, the weak, the passive, the uninterested or the fearful. "Nonviolent resistance does resist," he wrote. "It is not a method of stagnant passivity. While the nonviolent resister is unreceptive in the sense that he is not physically aggressive toward his opponent, his mind and emotions are always on the go, constantly seeking to persuade his opponent that he is wrong. The technique is passive physically, but strongly active spiritually. It is not passive non-resistance to evil; it is active nonviolent resistance to evil. Malcom X Advice to the Youth of Mississippi 1. Why does Malcolm X think that nonviolence is “inconsistent”? “My experience has been that in many instances where you find Negroes talking about nonviolence, they are not nonviolent with each other, and they’re not loving with each other or forgiving with each other. Usually when...
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...Voters in the United States don’t seem to do such a great job of showing up to vote, which is especially true when it’s time for the presidential election. Hard to believe that only a little bit more than half of eligible voters in this country actually participate in voting in the presidential elections. This seems preposterous, especially when you consider that voting plays a major part in our government. I mean, what’s a democracy without the right to vote? But sadly, a plethora of Americans don’t take advantage of that right. In my opinion, at least two causes contribute to this dilemma: people feeling disconnected from a government that seems too impersonal to them, and/or people getting tired of the mudslinging in politics. As government has grown in size and complexity, many people see less need for their participation. “Why should I vote if I can’t affect the political process?” seems to be the view taken by many people who do not vote. They have heard again and again that every vote counts, that their vote counts, but they just don’t believe it. Human beings also have the capability of being just plain lazy. To those who use this as an excuse, it’s too much trouble to register to vote and then actually go to the polls on election day. The second cause of voter apathy in my opinion, is all the mudslinging present in politics today. When one candidate says something about their opponent’s personal life, it makes people wonder what kind of person would make such an...
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...processes but for those who really want their bill to pass, if they fight for it they just might get lucky. This paper will show you that it takes more than one person and is a long process. Throughout this paper I will explain how a bill becomes a law so that you will have a better understanding of the process. The whole process starts when a Representative has an idea for a new law, that person becomes the sponsor and introduces the bill by giving it to the clerk of the House or placing it in a box, called the Hopper. The bill is then assigned a legislative number by the clerk with H.R. for bills introduced in the house and S. for the Senate. The Government printing office then prints the bill to give copies to each representative. The Bill is then assigned a committee by the Speaker of the House, so the bill can be studied. There are twenty-two standing committees, each with jurisdiction over bills in certain areas. The standing committee studies the bill and hears testimony from people interested in the bill. The committee may then release the bill with a recommendation to pass it, or revise the bill and release it, or lay it to the side so the House can not vote. If the bill is released it goes on a list of bills awaiting action. Here the House Rules Committee may call for the bill to be voted on quickly, limiting debate, or prohibiting amendments. The committee staff must prepare a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see the amendment...
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