The big election for the year is Obama v. Romney, but this November another election is also taking place, the race for the next Massachusetts senator. On Monday, October 1st Elizabeth Warren and our current senator, Scott Brown, had their first live debate.
The job of a senator is to create and approve laws in the US senate. Senators represent the state and the creation of national laws. Senators serve essentially as our class representatives in school.
While the presidential election is vital to the United States as whole, the senate election is as important if not more to Massachusetts as a state. On Monday night Warren and Brown discussed issues such as the DREAM Act, the war in Afghanistan, and education in Massachusetts.
The DREAM Act is an act the supports the right for undocumented residents to remain in the country if they have maintained good moral character and graduated form a United States high school.
“I don’t support the DREAM act.” Said Brown followed by a lukewarm reaction from most of the audience. This could be someone that attends a school you went to, or will go to and it is important to have a senator support your stance on the act.
“I strongly support the DREAM act… we need to do immigration [reform] and it needs to happen now. We can’t be putting this off, it isn’t right.” replied Warren when she was asked the same.
“We have to invest in the future. We have to make this a great place to grow jobs…” Warren continued to say “[Massachusetts] is on the cutting edge of what we can do in new energy, clean energy, in building innovation, we’re doing it in biotech. We’re making new advances for the country and the world. We’re building it here in [Massachusetts].” For kids at Franklin who will be attending college or looking for work right out of school, jobs and the economy is a topic our senator must have a plan for.
“I just passed a bill called Crowdfunding. It’s a new financing tool for people like you and others to help create jobs.” responded Brown about his idea for education plans.
When asked about her stance on war, Warren said she wants the troops out as quickly as possible and that we need to stop spending 2 billion a week. Brown said that he the president’s stance on pulling the troops out of Afghanistan.
Do you have a friend who wants to go into the army after they graduate? Do you know someone who is an undocumented residence? Do you plan on attending college and looking for a job after gradation? These are issues that teenagers have opinions on, and your senator will take actions on these issues. Whether or not you can vote, these issues will affect students and student’s lives after graduation.