American Politics

Going into my senior year of high school, faced with the fact that I will enter the 'real' world in a year, I reflect on
the schooling I have received.  I look back at what important lessons I have really learned, and what classes and what
teachers taught me these lessons, either good or bad.  And the class that sticks out in my mind is AP Government.  Never
before has a class changed my ideals, my beliefs.  This one did.  At the beginning of the year, I was a patriotic fool.  
Not to say patriotism is a bad thing, oh not at all.  But to be blindy patriotic, there is where the problem begins.  I
was so closed minded at the beginning of the year, that I did not know myself, and a class has never taught me more
about myself than AP Gov.  In the class, my values were challenged, my views abashed.  I was subjected to multiple
views, and this is where I truly learned to be open-minded.  In a classroom.  I know that may seem impossible, but yes,
you can learn moral values and life lessons in a classroom.  Now, you may be wondering how a class on American Politics
can change my personal life, well not really my personal life, but the way I go about making decisions, taking actions.  
It was a progressive thing.
In America, we have in place the Electoral College.  This Electoral College was set in place by the Founding Fathers, as
to keep the uneducated farmers from making the wrong choice in a presidential election.  These Colleges are states
officials, and in the end, choose the president of the United States.  Now, normal logic would say that these Colleges
should represent the state, and give their electoral votes to the candidate who received the majority of votes in that
state.  But, did you know folks, that to this day, almost half of the states in our country, the officials we elect to
the College, can disregard what the majority in their state says and vote for the other guy?  Yes, if the state votes
for Candidate A with an overwhelming majority of 98%, these officials can give their state's electoral votes to the
other candidate.  Sickening isn't it?  I was struck so hard by this fact in class, that as I sat at home that night, my
entire view of the country changed.  I started to question it, I started to question Bush.  I changed, drastically, but
I changed.  I learned the art of being open-minded, something that I thought I had been before the class, but something
that I realized that I had only just gained that night after class.  The next thing that disgusted me was campaign
financing... but no one wants to hear about money and financing, so I'll leave that subject alone.  But, there is one
thing that presses upon my mind like a shard of glass.  A product of this ability to question my own country and our
government, and its motives and actions.  
There is a phrase about American politics, the Presidential elections in particular.  "To choose the right candidate, is
to choose the lesser of two evils."  Not the original quote, but the one I prefer.  This speaks of the prevalent
two-party system in our country, Republicans v. Democrats.  Bush v. Kerry.  Now, I love politics, because it is where I
think the most positive change can be made for out country.  But how in the world are we to better our own country when
our government is evil.  Our government is now considered evil, and our government 'represents' the people.  So,
therefore, we as the American people, are now evil.  The idea that we HAVE to choose the lesser of two evils, that there
is no good left, it sickens me.  I am absolutely disgusted, disgraced, embarrased, and enraged that we have allowed our
country to progress to this point.  I always thought that once I am able to vote that there is no question I would go
and make my voice heard.  But before, I would make it heard on a ballot.  Now, I want to make it heard outside that
voting area, where Americans go to vote for who they think is the lesser of two evils.  It makes me want to protest
right outside the doors and yell at the people who enter that they are wrong, that they are only killing their country
when they think that are doing good in voting.
I told my father this, my ideas on the subject, and he said it was due to all the negative ads on TV, that it wasn't
like this in the past.  His statement has a certain truth.  The last time a third party made a strong showing in our
country was in the 1900's and 1910's, with Theodore Roosevelt's formation of the Bull Moose party.  If Theo were here
today, 100 years later, I'm sure he would be there at my side, yelling at people that they are wrong.  
So, with all of that, I expected myself to have a solution to this problem.  Well, I don't.  Change takes time.  
Individuals have to start the ball rolling, and if I'm one of those individuals, then so be it.  I want to better my
country, I like my country, I think we are a great country, but for years now, we have been run by evil.  It may have
been the lesser of two evils, but in the end, it is still evil.  We have a lot of cleaning up to do, and I think time is
running out before the world sees our weakness.  The terrorists have, and they have capitalized on it.  Only change, a
positive change, can end the war on terrorism.  I'm ready to try and make a positive change.  It's my duty as a
politically active American citizen.  And to think, I can't even vote this November, but, I don't think I would.  
AP Government has had a lasting effect on me, inside and outside of the classroom.  I hope I can put to good use the
life lessons I have learned from that class.