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Posted on 11/24/2001 4:01:49 PM PST by Swordmaker

Face it, our teens today are not as involved in politics as they were in the 1960’s, 70’s, and hell, even the 80’s. So, why would a 17 year old Utahn be a Democrat? Better yet, why would a 17 year old even care about politics?

It’s easy really, I want to know what is going on around me, and what will be going on around me. Fact is, and people may not believe it, but politics is the building block to our lifestyle here in America. If it were not for politics, we’d still be under English rule. Slavery could still be legal, and the right of speech would be minimal.

I’m sorry, but how can you not grow up in the 21 century and not somehow get involved in politics? This is what scares me about the future. Do we really have enough damn kids interested in politics to make a difference in the future? Or a bigger question to ask, will they EVER get into politics?

I did a poll at school for the school paper. In it I asked what political party did the students values place them in. Most did not even know what the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans were, that, to me, is amazing.

I guess you can say I’ve always been into politics, since the ripe days of running for Vice President of my elementary. I still remember sitting up and watching the 1992 Presidential election and seeing my own mother cry tears of joy when Clinton won. I remember seeing people cheering, "The Bush years are over!" And, even though I was young, always asked what made Clinton so popular.

That question would/could not be answered till around 1995, the year I began really getting into Politics. Clinton was on the brink of running in 1996 for his second year, and even the press had labeled him dead. My family, whom are big Democrats, still held the belief that Clinton would win. With less then a year remaining till the 1996 election, my mind began taking in everything and anything Republican and Democrat.

I remember the first time I really knew that I was liberal at heart. It was like something out of Field of Dreams. I was working on a class assignment in which we had to write why we would think Clinton and or Dole would be a better President. Granted my family had rubbed their political mindset off on me. But I still believed I had the gall to hold my own thoughts.

I began by making a list of pros and cons about the candidates. And that is when it hit me, nothing was under CON on Clintons list. I agreed with him on every topic he believed in. On the other hand, nothing was under PRO on Doles list, except not wanting him to win the election.

I guess you could say I was still a naive child, not really apt to the world around me. But I really believe that I put a lot work into finding out which person, which party was better. It had nothing to do with me liking Clinton personally, I was too young to even know who he really was. But it was the issues he had outlined to the nation in 1992, and the better issues he was outlining to the nation in 1996.

I’m pro choice for a woman, in fact, I believe the government has NO right to tell a woman if she can or cannot have an abortion. It’s not a government issue, and I believe they have NO right in making it one. Another problem I have is how the Republicans are always saying how the Democrats are prying into the lives of citizens with their gun laws and so forth. Yet, they don’t see how taking away the right to abort a child, for whatever reason, is NOT prying into the lives of Americans.
I’m also at awe how the Republicans can be against killing babies, but for killing people with capital punishment. Now, I’m for capital punishment, but not in all cases. I believe that if someone has done something so horrible they disserve to die. But I also believe that you should not kill anyone without 100% knowledge that this person did do the deeds they’re being charged with.

I’m for making changes in ownership of guns. And I’m sick of hearing Republicans stating they have a GOD given right to protect themselves and their families from the world, government, and so on. Yeah, you do have that right. But I also have the right to protect my loved ones. And when people are out there that are not stable to own a gun, yet they still have one. I can’t do my job in protecting my loved ones, can I? I don’t believe in taking guns away from everyone. Call me crazy on that one. But I am for making sure the people that should not have them, don’t get them.

We had an instance here in Salt Lake where a man walked into the LDS Family Research Center and opened fire, killing 2 people. This guy was legally insane, how the hell could he have purchased a gun?!? This happens every day in our damn country. Where lives are lost because of people that should not have bought a gun, have. Just ask the people of Littleton, Colorado! Those boys got guns, they went in and killed 15 people. They should not have gotten the guns in the first place. Fact is, GUNS don’t kill, people do, but these people are not stable enough to own a damn gun!

I am for government helping the people of America. So, yes, I’m for big government. I’m sorry, but when I see unemployed people, I wonder what the government is doing. Just look at the Reagan years, remember Reaganvilles? Better yet, when Hoover was President we had Hoovervilles. Both these (REPUBLICANS) came into office and said fuck the lower tear of the population. It’s their own damn fault that they are where they are. It’s a wonder they still say Reagan was an amazing President. Hell, Hoover and Reagan are just alike. And it took Roosevelt, and Clinton (DEMOCRATS!) to bring down the unemployment rate, and stir the economy enough to get it going again. Why? Because the government got involved! You tell me that government has NO right to help the people, I tell you to move to a Communist country, because that’s what the Republicans want if they don’t want big government helping it’s damn citizens out. Yet, they’re first to ask government to help make sure they don’t get the guns taken away. And to have government make sure to pry into the lives of people to make sure they’re not providing abortions and what forth. Can we all agree that they’re HYPOCRITES?!

I am for higher taxes if it will help our nation. We’ve all seen how taxing the people has helped in the past, and NOT huge tax breaks, thank you Reagan, and Bush. Higher taxes on the rich and corporate American is nothing bad. They have the money to pay for it. Then you have Reagan, whom so blatantly said that is tax break would go to the rich and cause a trickle down effect, which it never did, just look at all the homeless and so forth. It took Clinton to bring our country back to higher grounds, with the help of taxing the rich and even upping taxes. And, what a shock, a REPUBLICAN is taking it all away with a tax break just for the rich and wealthy class, trying to succeed the Reaganomics plan, which never worked.

I could go on, and on, with what I believe in. But, I’ll just say this. It took Roosevelt to undo what Hoover did. It took Kennedy-Johnson to undo what Eisenhower did. It took Carter, even though still to this day it really hasn’t hit what a great impact Carter had on our country , to undo what Nixon-Ford did. It took Clinton to undo what Reagan-Bush did, who’s next in line to undo what Bush II has done to our country? And yet, our countrt keeps voting in these people. Do they really believe that they'll change?

I’m proud to be a liberal, I like my government at times, and I believe that our government needs us, and we need them. I am for the rights for people of other sex, sexual orientation, color, and so forth. I believe to the right of free speech, and the right to question your own government. And I believe that a Democrat will always be better then a Republican. And you will never change my mind. I’m a liberal, and a damn proud one to say the least!

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