Person Reflection

Voting has not always been as easy as it is today. It is interesting to examine how far America has progressed in its process of allowing different types of people to be able to vote. Voting was once aimed at a particular group of people, which were white males that owned their own property. Today, most people over the age of eighteen can vote, except for the mentally incompetent or people who have been convicted of major felonies in some states. The decline of voter participation has always been a debate in the public arena. According to McDonald and Popkin, it is “the most important, most familiar, most analyzed, and most conjectured trend in recent American political history (2001, 963)” The question is, how important is voter

For one, immigration policies might be important when it comes to a family without papers, while financial aid and tax reform might be important to another. Regardless of the situation, one’s consciousness is affected when one does not vote, even if they do not realize it. Everyone is different, that is why personal involvement in the voting polls is one of the most important things one can do to contribute to their own life in the United States, but along with self-thinking, there is also a larger role that takes place by voting.

As politics and government becomes more complex and involved, more effort is required to keep up with and understand it. As a result, many Americans have lost touch with current events and happenings. Therefore, when election time rolls around, many people lack enough information to develop an educated opinion and support a candidate with their vote, so they just do not vote at all. This lack of information is also related to the belief that one vote will not matter. People believe that their vote will not count, and are therefore following the news less and becoming out of touch with public affairs and politics (Is the System Broken?”). This lack of information is also more strongly apparent among the younger voting population. When interviewed

Our nation’s democracy gives each citizen the power to fight for their ideals and take a stand, yet it is often underused. While I believe it is a citizen's responsibility to have a voice, our country’s voter turnout for primary elections is only 57.5% and is even lower for general elections. Many Americans carry the mindset of a single vote not making a difference, but those single votes add up to nearly 125,900,000 votes. It is a shame that we are putting the very democracy our forefathers fought for to waste.

Along with the TTP, the presidential candidates propose to make adjustments with China, NAFTA, and to renegotiate tougher and fairer trade agreements.

Citizen participation in the government is not a right given to all citizens worldwide. The model of democracy is often taken for granted by Americans, but the ability to elect government officials and voice opinions on government initiatives and referenda is an incredible opportunity in the United States of America. We, as citizens, have an ability to ignite change, reform the government, and build a country that we believe in and are proud of. Therefore, the right to vote should not be taken lightly. All people afforded this right should take full advantage of the opportunity and truly invest in the government. Political participation depends on multiple factors, one of the most influential being socioeconomic status.

Although American citizens have many responsibilities of their own, it’s important to engage ourselves in our nation’s politics. Being active and aware about what’s going on regarding current political news, helps citizens decide what should be done in their community. Declining political participation damages

To be involved a person has to go and vote to have a closer observation of what’s going on. Most recently, Donald Trump running for president scared many people that resulted in many to be afraid to say anything because he has a higher chance to win the election. The South End did an article verifying that many Americans fear this year’s presidential contenders stating,“ Fifty-six percent of Americans said they would feel afraid and 48 percent say they will feel regret if Trump wins the White House”. (Swanson) Therefore, regardless of which candidate a person supports, getting out to vote will help the government. In other words that comes a responsibility to be registered and to make sure you’re voting on time. By voting the person has a sense of accomplishment by doing a simple thing that is very important for the country. If there were no freedom of speech many people would depend on the government to choose someone who didn’t have the same views as they

Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Waren (D), a vocal critic of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), cites a sticking point of the TPP as the inability to enforce fair labor practices abroad. Furthermore, President Obama expresses belief that TPP "fixes a lot of what was wrong with NAF­TA too", to which sen. Waren not rejects, but counters with concern that not only will TTP not rectify the North American Fair Traid Agreement (NAFTA), it can potential aid in the systematic rolling back of Dodd-Frank legistlation.

Exercising or not exercising one’s right to vote can make the difference. Electing officials indirectly determines almost every aspect of the average citizen’s life. Local officials oversee public property, roads and parks, and construction for a community. State officials oversee and distribute federal funding, as well as make decisions pertaining education, health, environment, public services, prisons, and water. Federal officials create legislature that effect pensions, family support, employment, immigration and customs. Furthermore, whether one chooses to vote or not, one’s tax money is funding these officials and their decisions. All levels of government are important and effect aspects of everyday life, meaning no election should be taken

Carpini presents an interesting understanding of what prompts a society to be engaged “People-young or old- choose to become engaged in public life when they have the motivation, opportunity, and ability to do so” (343). Carpini’s observation is legitimate, if one does not possess a drive to participate from the beginning one is most likely not going to. Similarly, anyone would fail to participate if it is found difficult to. Humans are essentially always looking for comfort; therefore, if it is difficult to participate in any said event, one will most likely not participate. Motivation can be acquired a number of ways ranging from the sense of responsibility to presuming one will be able to generate an impact in one’s community. As Carpini explains, having the motivation does not guarantee that one will commit oneself to serve the community, however, if one is provided with an opportunity ones interest increases. Furthermore, Carpini reveals that although a lack of motivation and opportunity can be accountable for the mass decline, a large number of the youth does not have the capability to be engaged. This is critical when talking about the lack of knowledge the public possess, specifically, how the government works. Carpini expands saying “This lack of efficacy of civic involvement results from the systemizing devaluating

Voting is perhaps one of the easiest ways to participate in politics, yet it is the one task Americans fail to do. After conducting this survey, I had quite a variety of responses regarding voting participation, fortunately, the majority did exercise their right to vote. While reviewing the responses I learned that many decided to vote because they knew how important it was if they wanted to have a say in their government. Which was something that I did not expect mainly because I usually hear people complain about the government, yet they do not even attempt to get involved with politics to try to change what they dislike. Another finding was that all the survey participants were aware that voting with a majority party was a safe bet if

Political participation is a right afforded to United States citizens; it is our civic duty to participate and is ultimately a privilege. The founders believed that it was the newly founded government’s responsibility to protect the basic rights of the people. With those beliefs they made the United States of America, a two-tiered, three-branch democracy and therefore the people hold the power to freely elect who they want to represent them in government. The local representatives, we elect push for laws of interest to the majority and provide them with the resources that they need. The president implements and enforces laws that Congress passes. With such social ramifications and power granted to government representatives it would seem as though nearly everyone should be invested in political matters and actively engaged in political participation. Among the easiest ways to get involved politically is through the voting process and elections, others are symbolic participation, civil society participation, protesting, marching, contacting public officials, being part of election campaigns and even running for office. While voting is among the easiest ways to be a part of this democracy, the turnout is low. The right to vote has opened up to a larger number of people through legislation, but still the turnout rate is low. There are factors that show a correlation in the chance of whether or not one will vote, and are very telling in some instances. Voting in the United

The job field(s) I’m choosing to pursue are jobs that are consistent. Meaning there is always a constant need of them, they are a necessity in our economy. Based on the information I learned in this class, I consider it to be useful to my knowledge. By this class being an for your experience course. It gives me knowledge on college and on my surroundings. It strengthens my knowledge about areas I wasn’t familiar with about college, which would benefit me tremendously. One thing I learned was how do I view my surroundings as political? This helps me see my world in a different perspective. Which would help me view things from many different perspectives. Which could be used as an advantage in the future. This course would help me achieve better understanding in my American Government class. Which is very similar to my this course. I believe everything in this class is beneficial to me. My next four years in college, I hope are filled with knowledge, experience, joy, and field periods. I believe this is the antidote for a successful college experience. Which would benefit me if these things existed over the next four years; in order for me to feel as if I’ve gotten my moneys worth and not just

One of the most important issues facing the United States is trade and whether the country is looking to partake in it. One such trade agreement that is under fire by both sides of the aisle is the Trans Pacific Trade Partnership better known as simply TPP. This agreement looks to deepen economic ties between twelve countries by cutting tariffs and deregulation*. The current countries involved includes the US, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru. If passed, the deal will encompass around 40% of the world’s total trade. The deal covers a range of topics regarding trade with everything from environmental protections to intellectual property rights addressed in the agreement. The deal was in the works back during the time of the Bush administration and is now looking to obtain fast-track status in the US Senate in the Obama Administration. However, with the election of Donald Trump to the presidential office, the bill will be forced to pass in Obama’s lame duck year or be struck down by the president elect in his term.