Election day is coming up on Tuesday, but some students have paid little attention to the campaigns.
The majority of the student body cannot vote, and, as a result, many students don’t care about the election; Tuesday, to them, is a free day off.
“I can’t vote,” said junior Alexa Frongillo “so I don’t care” And many students feel the same way.
“If I could vote” adds Jamie Marrinella, FHS Junior “I would care more”
So why should we care?
“You should pay attention to current events,” said FHS history teacher and leader of the Young Democrats club, Mrs. Leardi, “so when you’re eightteen, you don’t go into the voting booth with a blank stare”
Many experts, politians, and parents believe this to be one of the important and indecisive elections of our lifetime.
And it shows. An estimated $1 Billion have been spent by the candidates for president on political ads to sway undecided voters.
In fact, this presidential election has been the most expensive ever; over $6 billion dollars has spent by each candidate, according to the Center For Responsive Politics.
“This election will affect us in collage” said junior Colin Brady.
The two candidates could not have more different visions for the country. Governor Mitt Romney, the republican nominee, and President Barack Obama have almost opposite views on issues like health care, abortion, LGBT rights, womens rights, foreign policy, taxes, and the economy. But how will the race affect a Franklin high student?
“I find social and economic issues to be very important” said Abhilasha Boruah “It will affect us in collage when we have loans and jobs”
The biggest issue that can affect us, mostly on a local level, is education. The national government can give funds for educational programs, pass laws that prevent discrimination in schools, and decide religon’s role in education and in schools.
State governments can give grants to schools, set criculam standards, control standardize testing and much more.. The Massachusetts School Building Authority has agreed to pay 59.52% of the new FHS by using government funds.
On a local level, Councilmen and school committee members along with the school administration work on the budget for the school.
But it is the people that we elect that have the final say on how much money is given to public schools. Elizabeth Warren (D) and Scott Brown (R) are running for senate, one of the most watched senate races in the country. Joe Kennedy III(D) and Sean Bielat(R) are running for Massachussets’ 4th district seat.
Senators, House Representatives, and Congressmen have to negotiate on the yearly budget which includes funding for education. Many republicans want to cut education funds and many democrats want to keep them.
If politics and news seems, boring thats because it mostly is. But, making fun of politics is a lot more interesting.
Topical shows like Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show with John Stewart, and The Colbert Report are hilarious, but are surprisingly informative. Even if you don’t like politics, the shows are a good way to keep up with whats going on in the news.
Even if you can’t vote, you still have influence over your parents.
“You influence your parents about food, clothing, and you probally had to convince them to buy you a phone” adds Mrs. Leardi “If you sit down and talk to them about the election you might influence their vote”
To those who can vote but don’t want to, remember it’s your civic duty. Make sure to vote!