What are the principles by which you live?  What are your opinions on the government?  Can you explain the difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party?

Unfortunately, the most common answer high school students give to these questions is, “I don’t know.”  Why is political apathy so pervasive among teenagers?  Politics might not appeal to everyone, but politics affects you in many ways if you live in the United States.

Coach Styles, a government teacher at Bob Jones, stated, “Who is the government? It’s us.”  “Us,” he continued, ” includes you, me, and every person in the United States.  We run the government, and it affects everything we do from the day we’re born until the day we die.”

Data from people-press.org shows that only half of America’s adults under the age of thirty say that they are registered to vote.  This is disappointing.  America was founded upon the ideal that every citizen should take part in the government.  How can America be a true democratic republic if only half its young adults care enough to vote?

Mr. Parker, the Principal of Bob Jones, believes strongly in our system of government.  “Its important because it’s made by us–we created it, and it affects our day to day lives.  If we don’t like the way it’s run, we can change it.”

We, as citizens of the United States, can have a voice, but we must choose to use that voice.  The first three words of the constitution are “We the People.”   We pick who represents us, and we can fire those who do not represent us as we wish.  Get involved.  Sign a petition, march on, stand up, and speak out.