Political cartoonist, Thomas Nast, included the donkey and the elephant in a cartoon, thus the beginning of their representation. Photo and Drawing by: Layne Holloway
By Layne Holloway
In the news lately there has been talk about who the next President of the United States is going to be. This year, many seniors are going to get to make that decision.
The Presidential race is on, and the Republican candidates are Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich. One of these lucky men will get to run against President Obama in the final moments of the election. Seniors who have turned eighteen will get to vote in the Presidential Election this year. Rebecca Brumbaugh sees voting as a way for her voice to be heard and said, “I am very excited to vote.” Christina Chipman agrees and said, “We, as citizens, have the power to elect the officials to make decisions on our behalf.” Melanie Pedavoli shows some insight on voting while explaining, “If you don’t vote then you can’t complain on what the government is doing.”
Though seniors are excited to vote they do share their opinions on what the flaws of the current voting system are. One thing that came up was the number of people that are voting. Class President, Jason Pickell, mentions, “Not enough people vote.” Kelsey Shaffer adds, “Our low voter turnout is incredibly shocking.”
Some seniors tell what it takes to swing a young adults vote. Bruce Schneider and Lindsey Downs both share that they want someone who keeps promises and is true with his intentions. Meanwhile, John Hampton uses two simple words: “Something amazing.”
Some seniors have decided not to vote this year. Despite not voting, Lindsey Holloway says if she could bring back any past president it would be Franklin Roosevelt. “He did a lot of things to help shape America to be what it is now.” Other historical men that came up were George Washington, Ronald Reagan, and John F. Kennedy.
There are many reasons as to why seniors are not voting and Zandra Norris clearly explains, “I’m not voting until I can better understand the system.” “I don’t like politics,” Shelby Harty said. Even though most seniors have the chance to vote some prefer to wait.
Now, some seniors might not be voting, but they do share what their definition of a perfect president might be. Harty reveals, “He/she would help the poor people in the world, bring our troops home and stop the war in the Middle East.” Norris starts to think about how the person would use money and explains, “He would be a people person and stop giving the government’s money to pointless theories and ideas of what would make a better country.”
This just goes to show that based on the preference of the individual, sometimes it is best to gradually gain wisdom or to experience something to learn about it. Either way, seniors are on a clear path to becoming responsible adults and they are wished a successful future.