what makes an american?

Nothing makes an American. That is what is so great about our country. We are a country completely full of immigrants. Other than Native Americans, nobody has true American heritage. There is no specific way to live or act as an American. There are no guidelines to follow, there is no ethnicity requirement. Anybody who believes in freedom and equality is an American. But America is so open minded that it will even support those who appose freedom and equality. Our country is so great because it is a collaboration of all the other countries throughout the world.

where do you see government?

I see the government everywhere. I see it in a liquer store when I see a sign that says no persons under 21 allowed. Or simply when driving down the street, all of the roads and street signs are products of our government. My school is part of the government. It is funded by the government. When I see political ads, that is government. It is everywhere around us.

would you vote if you were 18?

I would have totally voted in this election if I could. It is extremely historic. I think that it would have been awesome to say, yea the first time I voted it was to elect our country's first black president. That would be so awesome. I also really wanted to vote because I really didn't want prop 8 to pass, which unfortunately did. If only I could have voted...

rock the vote

I really didn't like this PSA. I know that using celebrities appeals to a large audience. But Pharell really has nothing to do with politics. Sometimes you know that famous people are involved with things like that, but I know that Pharell isn't. He sounded extremely insincere, he might as well have been reading off a teleprompter. It just wasn't effective at all. That is what was so striking.

rock the vote

high speed rail PSA

which party would I register for?

I would most likely register democrat because I share most of their beliefs. But I really dont like being tied down by a party. I like to be able to believe whatever I want to believe and not be influenced to think a certain way because my party tells me to. My ideal party would be somewhat of a democrat/libertarian party. I believe that people should have a lot of personal freedoms. I believe that women should be allowed to have abortions, gay people should be allowed to marry, etc. I believe that people should have more freedoms than they do today. I think that people should be allowed to do drugs, it should be a personal choice, not something decided by the government. I do believe in a drinking age, but I would like it to be lowered. I would like our country to focus more on our own affairs rather than other countries. I would like to have a strong military prepared for a strong defense. But I think that the military we have today is unnecessary. These are my basic ideals behind my own platform.

Federalist 10

I really did not understand this reading at all. The words used in it were so big. I knew that they were talking about factions, and the ways to limit the damage caused by them. But I really didn't even understand what the factions were. It was hard to get through, and I didn't understand what I read. But I did try. It was interesting to look at the language used back in the old days. But it is also interesting to think that although the words were so hard to comprehend, its still about as clear as any legal document these days.

ideology quiz

In the ideology quiz I was a libertarian. Libertarians basically believe in no government. They think that people should be free to do whatever they want to do. They believe in a completely open market. People should be free to live their lives however they please as long as they do not restrict others from doing so, and as long as they don't hurt other people. Libertarianism comes from French anarchists in the 1800's.

political platform

If I could create my own political platform it would be very similar to the democratic platform. I believe that people should have a lot of personal freedoms. I believe that women should be allowed to have abortions, gay people should be allowed to marry, etc. These are the same views as Democrats. But I go a bit farther, leaning more to libertarians, I believe that people should have more freedoms than they do today. I think that people should be allowed to do drugs, it should be a personal choice, not something decided by the government. I do believe in a drinking age, but I would like it to be lowered. I would like our country to focus more on our own affairs rather than other countries. I would like to have a strong military prepared for a strong defense. But I think that the military we have today is unnecessary. These are my basic ideals behind my own platform.