Thanks to the COM352 students for contributing a bunch of new pages! I'll be moving these pages into the main area of the wiki soon.

From UMassWiki

It was the year 2000, and the day of the presidential election. I was in seventh grade and a die-hard conservative. I remember watching FOX with my family eagerly awaiting who had won the presidential election. To my relief and excitement, George Walker Bush had been elected. Even though I was only twelve years old, I vividly remember my excitement. Ever since I can remember, I have always been fascinated with politics. It is probably my truest passion. My parents are both avid republicans. Being I a child I automatically assumed my parents views and ideas were right and I began claiming I was a Republican too. I was a right-winged child who loved elephants. In middle school I found myself and other republicans to be the minority. Being a republican in Wellesley, Massachusetts, is like being a needle in the hay stack. I remember always trying to debate and stand up for being a republican. However, I didn’t really know what it meant. I just knew if my parents were republican, so I was too. When I was in eleventh grade, I was chosen to attend a conference in Washington DC for students interested in politics. The name of the program was Close-Up. It was honestly a life changing experience. While in DC, I met thousands of students from around the country who shared my passion. They might have had different beliefs and ideas however we all shared the same love for politics. While we were in DC we attended several conferences and debates. It was in DC that I finally understood that one does not have to be a specific party, for example republican, democrat, socialist, nationalist, ect. A person can have different ideas and opinions taken from many different parties. The thing that is so quintessential is that everyone has some idea or belief. While in DC, I also finally realized if someone is not conservative, that does not mean their ideas are wrong, rather just different. Lastly in DC, I reinforced my self as a republican. However, this was the first point in my life I could call myself a republican for the right reasons. It was not because my parents were or some other silly reason, I was a republican because I most nearly identified with their beliefs. Finding myself politically was so satisfying. I felt accomplished, educated, and useful. However trite it may sound, I had the power to make a difference. Democracy is a beautiful thing which we as Americans are so fortunate for. Democracy is suppose to let us voice our opinions and ideas and together come up with policies that work for us all. Currently our country is at war in the political parties. Republicans and Democrats cant even exchange ideas. It is good to have different our opinions and ideas, yet our differences can not divide us, it must make us stronger and help us grow. So I ask republicans, democrats, independent voters to remember we are one people. One great thing every citizen of this country shares is that we are all Americans. Whether we are black, white, men, women, young or old, we are all Americans and we must hold this dear to our hearts. That following summer, I went to Kennebunk Maine where my summer house is. Coincidentally, that is where the Bush estate is. The republican headquarters for the state of Maine were located in Kennebunk too. I interned the whole summer before the election. I called several patrons asking for donations. Also, I helped promote the town of Kennebunk to go Red. I gained vital experience and saw first hand how a campaign was run. My love for politics grew stronger. I met the Bush family several times. The first time I remember thinking to myself, this is the most powerful man in the world. He is the head commander and chief of our country. I was stuck by awe. I went back to school for my senior year. I was so excited for the election, however few students shared my anticipation. The majority of the school did not care. How could people not care about who was going be in charge of our country and how it was going to be run? This blew my mind. I was flabbergasted. It angered me so much that people complained about the president’s job, yet they were able to vote and didn’t. As John F. Kennedy said, “The ignorance of one voter in a democracy, impairs the security of all.” Every citizen needs to take the opportunity to vote and take advantage of it. After the 2004 elections when Bush won so many people were angry were mad about it. They complained and stated he should not have won. Yet how much of the country voted who were eligible? The answer is 58%. This is the highest amount of voters in the last 5 elections as well. That is disgusting. Only a little bit more then half of our country voted for the president: the most powerful and influential man in the world. More people had voted for American Idol then the 2004 presidential election. I didn’t understand how people did not care and did not get involved. After that election, I realized what I wanted to with the rest of my life. I want educate and promote people on American politics. It is my dream that one day everyone will vote. With each new generation, adolescents are caring less and less about politics. I believe many people feel they can not make a difference, yet this is not the case! We can not afford to fall back into a divided time and which American pride and equality was non-existent. It is evident how passionate politics are to me. I pride myself on my knowledge and awareness. I truly think I know more then most adults. I can not imagine my life without it. My life has been directly shaped and altered by my passion that my parents first interested me in. Many experiences I have had has been led to by my interest and enjoyment in politics. The rest of my life will also be forever shaped by politics because it is what I want to do when I am older. As stated earlier, I want to educate and promote involvement in our amazing country. Everyone of us is so lucky to live in a country where we are free to say what we want, practice any religion we want, look however we want, write however we want, ect. It is my personal goal to get others as excited and involved as I am. I am on my way, although I have just started and have a long journey ahead, I am on my way.