Back when I was in high school I found myself to be one of the very few students interested in politics and political matters. My friends would tell me I take it too seriously, that I should live a little. But, despite their argument, I continued to pursue my understanding of the politics of our generation. I am glad I did now.
Now that my friends and I have graduated from high school and left behind the luxuries of childhood, we are in the position to be making decisions for our lives, to include voting. My friends are in panic mode, knowing now that maybe it could help to be able to understand what is happening in the world.
If you pick up any random national newspaper, you might see some pretty daunting news, or talk about what is happening in the White House. Maybe there is talk about a bill that is working on being made a law, or a change that is happening in our nation.
It’s even more daunting if you don’t understand it.
Nobody in school ever told me that understanding the inner workings of government and slowly developing political opinions and conducting research on political concepts would benefit me in adulthood. My parents always pushed me to be knowledgeable and gave me that information, long before many of my peers got it.
I haven’t needed that information much yet, though as I age, that information will be of great value, especially because the decisions being made now will impact me one day.
There is a lot of information that has benefited me over the years, understanding the implementation of common core, knowing the effects of raising the minimum wage and understanding how the voting process works.
Hopefully, we can teach those who are younger that there is a special importance in simply knowing how to come to an educated choice, and that it will make some parts of adulthood a little less complicated.
Kelsey Fitzpatrick
Staff Writer