“I’m so far left that I’m going to fall off the map,” said Brittney Conyers, Middletown High School senior.
Like Conyers, many students at MHS have strong opinions toward today’s government, even at a young age. As kids grow older they are given the right to vote placing their respective party into office, hoping that it will bring the absolute best for them and their country.
Students have controversial opinions about gun rights, gay marriage, voting and the economics in the United States. Attitudes towards these topics often reflect upon what parents and peers believe.
Maryland is one of the only states in the United States that allows 16-year-olds to vote in certain municipalities. Most evidence suggests that students in high school are well enough educated about the government to vote because they are enrolled in various government classes, which keep them up to date. Some might even argue that students taking a government class are even more capable of making the most logical choice for the U.S. management than adults who haven’t learned or kept up with current government issues in years.
“Students who have shown an interest in social studies and government and believe they are informed enough and care enough should definitely be allowed to vote,” said Sean Haardt, MHS government teacher. Haardt said he has had many students come through his class at MHS that he believes have deep knowledge of government and history and are informed enough to vote.
Haardt said he has had students who were “far brighter” than he was in high school “and know a lot more about government, geography and world history,” than he did at that age. He believes that those students should have a say in the government.
“I think it’s absolutely imperative for young people to vote,” said Conyers. She said that people ages 18 to 25 are the least likely to vote, which she believes is terrible because young people’s voices will not be heard.
Currently in the United States, there are huge controversial issues dealing with the civil rights and liberties of U.S. citizens. Major topics in student’s discussions about current events are gun rights, gay marriage and the economics.
Conservatives and liberals argue constantly about gun rights, Republicans saying that it’s not fair to the people to make new laws, while Democrats say people would be safer if more laws were put into place.
The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says, “…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This means that everyone is allowed to have a gun as long as they have a license. Many residents of this country agree with the amendment, but some may think that because of the amount of shootings happening, guns should be restricted.
Sophy Blumberg, Republican and MHS freshman, said, “There should be way less gun laws. Taking away or restricting the people’s use of guns will not help the issue.”
Blumberg said she thinks the “bad guys” will always be able to find a way to get a gun. If they plan on breaking the law or shooting someone, “no new law will keep them from it.”
“Gun rights need to be restricted [in this country]” said Democrat and MHS senior Laura Howard. She said she believes Americans have been taking too much advantage of gun laws, which is having a negative impact on our society and country’s reputation.
Similar to the gun laws debate, whether to legalize gay marriage is a huge issue in the United States. Currently, 35 states have legalized same sex marriage while 15 still ban it. These numbers accurately show how many students at MHS, Democrat and Republican both, feel towards the LGBT community and same sex marriage: that it should be legalized.
Alex Pruit, Democrat and MHS sophomore, said he thinks that each person should legally be allowed to marry whomever he or she wants because it is a basic human right. He said he thinks that just because some people think it is wrong or gross doesn’t mean it should be illegal.
Like Pruit, Republican and MHS sophomore Courtney Renninger agrees with the states who have legalized same sex marriage. She said she believes that everyone is equal no matter what, so everyone should have equal rights, as well.
Lately, the economics in the United States have been a whirlwind. Earlier this year, the Senate passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill that will supposedly fund the country’s expenses through September 2015. But even after this national “win,” many students still believe that our current economy is falling.
“Economic disparity in our country needs to be solved because it places the lower and middle class in a really precarious situation leading to the polarization of classes,” said Howard. “This situation is sending America on a downward spiral toward economic collapse.”
Renninger agrees with the way our economy is being run even though she doesn’t agree with Obama on a lot of things.
Conyers believes Obama is a good person and his politics are good, but, “he’s using his power to do some pretty shady things that we’re not really privy to.”
Opinions that students at MHS have about politics are sometimes derived from their peers, and family; children are like a melting pot of opinions from everyone they talk to and the things they read and watch.
“The most influential thing is the family,” said Jerry Donald, MHS government teacher, “as well as socioeconomic group and peers.”
Conyers said, “My friends mostly [sway my opinion] because we have debates, as well as articles and papers that I read.”
“My parents are very Republican so there are a lot of Republican opinions that I grew up hearing,” said Blumberg.
