President Biden’s Age Problem
At the age of 17, I find myself amongst a demographic where enthusiasm for Biden appears to be waning. The disquiet is for several reasons: skepticism about his age, concerns regarding his perceived lack of progressivism, and a general unawareness of his White House achievements loom large. As we approach the critical juncture of the 2024 elections, with young voters poised to shape the political landscape, Democrats and those close to the president must reckon with this dilemma. Here’s why.
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Joe Biden is the vote for foreign aid- and thus the vote for America
Representative Barbara Lee of California was the only member of Congress to vote against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists (AUMF). Roughly 60% of Democrats voted against the US invasion of Iraq (in contrast to 1% of Republicans). Democratic opposition to war, and notably American boots on the ground, runs deep. Close to 1 million Service Members have perished overseas since the founding of the United States, notably involving very few actually perishing on US soil since the Civil War, with the exception of Pearl Harbor. Alongside this, these endless, deadly wars have left millions of Veterans, heroes of our country, disabled, homeless, in poverty, and with PTSD and other permanent illnesses. As if the human cost isn’t convincing enough, well over a trillion dollars have been spent on warfare alone (not including exorbitant peacetime military spending). The cost of war is tremendously high, and the human cost is even higher.
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Rethinking the College Essay
In the landscape of college admissions, where the pursuit of distinction borders on the existential, the pressure to carve out a unique identity often leaves students grappling with a profound sense of uncertainty. "I just can't seem to find anything worth sharing," murmured one of my peers, his words resonating with the silent anguish of countless others ensnared in the quagmire of self-reflection.
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Should There Be A Minimum Voting Age?
No matter which state you live in, the same rules apply when determining how old you have to be in order to vote. In all states, you must be 18 years old to register to vote. However, should all people be able to vote, regardless of their age. Some people think that people of all ages should be able to vote, but I think that only people 18 years old and older should be allowed to vote.
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President Biden’s Age Problem
At the age of 17, I find myself amongst a demographic where enthusiasm for Biden appears to be waning. The disquiet is for several reasons: skepticism about his age, concerns regarding his perceived lack of progressivism, and a general unawareness of his White House achievements loom large. As we approach the critical juncture of the 2024 elections, with young voters poised to shape the political landscape, Democrats and those close to the president must reckon with this dilemma. Here’s why.
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Gerrymandering: The Great American Evil
Gerrymandering is uniquely evil. Merriam-Webster defines gerrymandering as the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections. Gerrymandering represents all that is wrong in the current political system, after all, I should know, I live in a gerrymandered district. Going to a state scale, I am from Southwest Missouri, residing in the Republic. Looking at the picture above, you’ll notice a hole within Greene County. This hole is the city of Springfield. Springfield and the rest of Southwest Missouri lie in the traditional “Bible Belt”, and maintain a dark red fixture, except for one spot. In that hole lies the blue city of Springfield. The city contains three college campuses, a community college, and a high population of poverty. Because of the high population of blue voters in the city of Springfield, a glaring hole remains in the State Senate’s 20th district map. So, with this personal example of living in gerrymandering, how do we move forward to end the practice?
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Why We Need An Open Democratic Convention
The year was 1968. Democratic candidates, delegates, and voters gathered in Chicago for what would soon become the last Open Democratic Convention of the modern era. Voters during this convention were primarily concerned with the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War and for equal rights of Black Americans, leading to riots which brought the National Guard to the Windy City to quell them. The convention was tense as incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to run for a second term, pushing Vice President Hubert Humphrey to the top of the ballot. Although the convention did not lead to a successful Democratic victory for the presidency, it spotlighted the injustices in the Vietnam War and the differing perspectives on candidates.
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Voting Education In U.S. Public High Schools
Voting education in high schools is essential to young voters’ involvement in elections. However, there is some debate as to whether U.S. public schools are adequately preparing students to be involved in the electoral process. Schools play a central role in education and civic engagement, and as many have argued, should be doing more to promote such engagement.
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Why No Republican Can Defeat Biden in November
It is becoming clearer and clearer that the Republican candidate for president in November will be Donald Trump, espeically after beating Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina.
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Why the U.S. should continue to help Ukraine and Israel
At this time, the U.S. finds itself divided once again over whether or not we should continue to help Ukraine with its war against Russia. President Biden recently sent a request to Congress for $106 billion in security funding, of which $61.4 billion is for Ukraine. In addition, The White House has warned Congress that they will run out of funding for weapons and other assistance by the end of the year. However, 45% of Americans say that the government is spending too much on Ukraine. Most of the opposition comes from registered Republicans. Republicans in the House of Representatives say they will support more aid for Ukraine, but only if it is tied to funding for border security, something that is a non-starter for Democrats. Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky visited Washington to appeal to Republicans and Democrats as to why they should continue to support funding for Ukraine. He also met with President Biden at The White House, after Biden invited him to visit the U.S. in order to make its case. Zelensky was also scheduled recently to address the Senate virtually, but he canceled at the last minute. Still, the Senate met to debate the funding bill. At the meeting tensions were high as Democrats were frustrated at the fact that Republicans will only support funding to Ukraine if it tied to border security funding. And as expected, a Senate procedural vote on the Ukraine funding bill failed by a vote of 49-51.
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