Election 2008 Who Has Your Support?
By Erin Burke
It’s safe to say that most high school students don’t know more than names and a general perception of the major candidates running for president. Just because most students can’t vote doesn’t mean that they should allow themselves to be in the dark about their campaign platforms. Just what do the two main candidates, nominees Senator Barack Obama (D) and Senator John McCain (R), stand for, and better yet just who are these two men who claim that they can make the best decision for us?
Obama, the current Illinois state senator, was born on August 4th, in 1962. He grew up with his father, originally from Kenya, and his mother from small town Kansas, in Hawaii. His father eventually returned to Kenya and he lived with his mother in Hawaii as well as a few years in Indonesia. He then moved to New York where he graduated from Columbia University in 1983. He currently lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and two daughters. His running mate is Senator Joesph Biden.
McCain on the other hand, the current senator from Arizona, was born on the 29th of August in 1936. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and after graduation he started his 22 year career as a naval aviator following his father and grandfather. He was called to action during the Vietnam War and during his 23rd bombing mission his plain was struck down and he was taken prisoner of war. For about five years he was tortured and held captive along with other P.O.W.’s. When released he returned to the navy but retired in 1981. He is honored with the silver star, the bronze star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He now has 7 children, 4 grandchildren and lives with his wife in Phoenix, Arizona. He has chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential pick.
Now that we know who they are and where they are from, what do they stand for? The following is a list of their general stances on some issues that may be important to students as provided by their official campaign websites, www.johnmccain.com and www.barackobama.com.
On Education
Obama
-Pay more attention to early edu.
-Get rid of low performing charter schools.
-Support bi-lingual education
-Support college outreach programs
McCain
- Equal opportunity
- Options to go to other schools if closest schools are inadequate
- Get parents and teachers empowered
- Provide bonus for teachers in lower ranked schools
-Enhancing education by use of technology
On Abortion
Obama
-Pro-choice
- Believes it needs to be decided at the state level however…
McCain
- John McCain has publicly noted, “At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level.”
On Healthcare
Obama
- Make health insurance benefit the people not just benefit the insurance and drug companies
- Reduce costs
McCain
- Families have more control
- Easier to obtain insurance
- Choices beyond employer
On Immigration
Obama
- Create secure borders
- Fix system of bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together
- Remove incentives for immigrating illegally
McCain
- Secure Borders
- Improve and extend the check points of entering the country making it more difficult to enter
Whichever side you are looking at, history is going to be made. Weather you have the first woman vice president or you have the first African American president the country will have to deal with new faces and new races, whether we like it or not. Another factor the candidates are playing with is the young voters and whether or not they will turn up at the polls. With the economy accelerating downwards, it all depends on what the people are feeling when the day comes. A recent mock election at SHS showed an Obama win by a vote of 802-129. We’ll see if SHS students voted the same as the public on November 4.
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Accentuate the Positive
By Erin Burke
As we slowly climb the ropes of high school we, as students, often seem to find obstacles in our way. Whether we have loads of homework, or “friend confusion,” there seems to always be something there that we need to overcome in order to move forward. Sometimes this is hard and giving up or taking the easy way out is the most tempting way around our roadblocks. However, sometimes pushing through instead of going around is a much more satisfying accomplishment. It is during these times that staying positive is often most difficult, however it may also be the most helpful.
As construction comes to a close and we are seeing the final pieces of renovation in place, there seems to be a new attitude in our high school. The positive does seem to be coming out. Many students do feel that this year is more positive than last year. A member of the junior class, Fallon Fitzgerald, said, “It seems to be a more welcoming environment with the new appearance to the school. The bright colors of the renovations give a new energy that reaches out to the students.” However, a senior, Martin Ozoria-Polanco, said, “It’s gotten more strict over the years, which is not positive for the success of students at the high school level.” So there are mixed opinions here. However, there is an over whelming, sense of positive school spirit and desire to be involved, especially with the upcoming spring festivities.
It’s not just the students that are feeling the positive change in the school. Teachers are also saying that the school has taken a change for the better. Ms. Katie Coleman, Ms. Amy Slovagio and Mr. Graeme Marcoux “mourned the death of bad attitudes” by wearing all black one day and celebrating the “rebirth of positive attitudes” the next day by wearing bright colors. Coleman said that the beginning of this year was hard and in order to “pull each other out of the slum that comes in the first few months ofp school, we started by acknowledging the negative attitude that had begun to take over.” This is a perfect example of keeping the positive in the forefront and not letting the negative take over. With the rebirth of the school’s positive attitude and the recent renovations there is nowhere to go but up.
A.P. United States history teacher Mr. Craig Massey believes that “building a sense of school pride and spirit goes a long way towards making the building feel positive” in reference to the recent renovations. He also said, “There was definitely a sense of renewed pride.” Coleman believes that the schools aesthetic improvements have had a positive affect on the faculty and students. She said “improvement is contagious” and that “the renovations help bring a positive outlook toward where the school as a whole is headed.”
The majority of students and teachers alike believe that the school is going in the right direction; the positive renovations are infecting us all with positive attitudes and are giving us all the incentive to make ourselves better. “Anything that highlights the positive accomplishments of the students and staff helps to keep things positive, and needs to be done more,” said Massey.
The most important thing to remember is that “people have control over their attitude. It is a matter of choosing the attitude that will make your day worth while,” according to Coleman. All we can do is to keep bettering ourselves and keep the level of pride for our Salem High School. The only one who can control you is you and if you don’t like the negative attitudes, don’t let them get to you!
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