Okay so my name is Brooklynn and I’ll briefly talk about how I feel about certain issues, just like my compadre before me. She’s more knowledgeable in the political arena, but the past presidential election has really brought the political state of our country to the forefront, and has forced me to start thinking of how I stand on key issues. I’m not going to pretend I’m the most informed or researched in any area I talk about, but I’m looking forward to using this site as a way to find out more statistics about issues that affect us and about the platforms on which the 2020 candidates are running on.
The issue of abortion is the only issue that I have a firm and unwavering stance on. I am 100% pro choice. I believe that no laws should rule over women’s bodies. I understand that people have problems with abortion because of religious beliefs, and I respect that, but laws shouldn’t be applied on everyone because of a certain group’s beliefs. Others may come from different backgrounds and are under different circumstances and abortion may be the answer for them and no way should laws prohibit that option. I feel the same way about LGBTQ rights. There shouldn’t be laws that discriminate against a person’s sexuality just like their shouldn’t be laws that discriminate against race or gender.
As for gun control I believe in universal background checks. Piggybacking off of what Jacquelyn said before me, if you aren’t a threat, a background check shouldn’t affect you. It’s a quick preventative measure that could potentially save many lives. As a student, school shooters are a real threat and anything that can be done, should be done to keep guns out of the hands of people who want to use them for harm.
I just began reading up on the health care issue and it’s quite complicated, and because I’ve never dealt directly with the system, it’s even more foreign. The article I read (click here to read it) was quite interesting though, and from the stats it gave me, it definitely seems that something is not quite right with our current system. I’d honestly like to research it more and provide more information on this topic to help others discover their stance as I try to find my own.
The main problem that I have with current politics is the politicians themselves. Like I said earlier, I wanted to become more involved and knowledgeable about our political climate after the last presidential election. This is because I was honestly shocked that someone with seemingly such poor morals could be elected as leader of our nation. I would hear about the petty things he would say or what new insult he came up with for politician x or y and it really bothered me. It still does. Leaders in our band program seem to be held to a higher moral standard sometimes than he is. If teenagers can be held to a higher ethics than our president, I feel that something is wrong. I understand that people aren’t perfect, but as the figurehead of our country I feel like you can at least try to be respectful and set a good example for the youth of our nation.
Moving on from Trump, I hate how politics seems to be dividing people. It doesn’t matter that you may believe different things from the people sitting next to you or living in your house; what matters is that we should be able to discuss these issues, gain a broader perspective, and learn that there could be a compromise to appease both parties. Nothing frightens me more than people who don’t want to discuss their political beliefs for fear that the other person may disagree. I understand if you want to keep your beliefs to yourself, I respect that. I’ve done that before because it’s easier not to have someone try and pick apart why you take a certain stance. However, I want to encourage everyone to be willing to share their beliefs and inquire why the other belief is held. Asking why and learning why helps you gain a new perspective and deepens your complexity of thought. Just because I don’t really care for ketchup and you put ketchup on everything doesn’t mean we can’t be friends; and the same should go for politics. Disagree with the concept, not the person.
One of the main reasons I wanted to be part of this blog was to pick the sh*t (keeping it clean here) out of politics. Like the title implies, there’s a lot of stuff in politics that doesn’t need to be and I think it’s important to be able to see past that. Through this blog, we can present the facts without bias as well as pros and cons to each side. Our generation is the future of this country and it’s important that we become active and knowledgeable members of our political community.
Picking the S*** Out of Politics 