I'm 16 and thinking about going into politics. What would it take to gain your vote? This is merely a growth session.
Yay. I <3 you guys. I believe life doesn't begin at conception or birth. I believe that a fetus is a continuation of the mother and father. When it is born it is called an individual merely on the fact that it no longer shares tissue with the mother. When a woman chooses whether or not to abort her unborn child, she is not choosing whether or not it dies, but rather when it dies. People don't think twice when they vacuum up hundreds of ants or develop over the habitats of thousands of species, but as soon as they think about abortion, murder is all of the sudden 'wrong.' I am neither pro-life nor pro-choice because I believe in moving on to more pressing issues. I am not the judge of what is right or wrong, but this is an issue I cannot solve no matter my position. It is an issue that will go on for many generations. I will instead focus my time and energy on what I feel needs the most attention. First of all, I believe your taxes are not being directly allocated to the causes they are meant for. Bureaucracy and corruption allow only a portion of the funding to be used for the benefit of the public. While I'm in office I will work weed out loopholes and corruption. I will change incomes of government officials to make sure that those being elected, appointed, or hired are doing their job because they love it, not because they love the money that comes from it. However, I will make sure they get appropriate, adequate pay for the difficulty of their job. I also believe in smarter spending of taxpayers money, not more spending of it. The death penalty is a matter that is to be decided by a judge on a case-by-case basis. I believe only the most experienced and unbiased judges should try death penalty cases. I also believe the basis of the decision should be built more upon the will and intent of the offender, and less on the severity of the crime. I believe in adequate health care for all who earn it, no matter their social or financial status. The new health care bill will allow millions of Americans to live longer than they have been. One downfall is that people that just miss the requisites suffer more than those that just make them. However, this will soon be amended. I do not believe in the electoral college. Candidate 'A' could win 51% in 26 states while Candidate 'B' could win 100% in 24 states. Despite the popular vote for Candidate 'B', Candidate 'A' still wins. This is a major flaw. The electoral college has been around for over 200 years and is out of date.
Since you can't appeal to everyone, decide where you stand (conservative/liberal) on every issue you can think of. Your post was a good start. Once you have taken a reasoned stance, don't change it unless there is a extremely compelling reason. There are websites that specialize in embarrassing politicians who are inconsistent. Become an effective public speaker. Toastmasters (www.toastmaster.org is an inexpensive way to do that. Subscribe to excellent conservative AND liberal magazines and newspaper and read them cover to cover. There are lots of really bright people out there. Listen to people. Google "active listening" for the technique. Everyone feels ignored. If you spend 10 minutes really listening to someone, they will think you wise and remember you forever. In public service, there is vast opportunity for graft. If you yield to temptation, it will eventually come back and bite you in the ass. There are hordes of young reporters eager to make their careers by ruining yours. There is no privacy for public figures. Don't do anything you would not want to see posted on the Internet tomorrow. Imagine your worst enemy reading your Facebook account and following your tweets. Develop an extremely thick skin. Even politicians with integrity and wisdom (of which there are many) are treated like used car dealers. Develop and maintain a vast circle of friends. Politics isn't for introverts. Like it or not, most people will judge you by the way you look rather than the merit of your ideas. Dress conservatively. Be well groomed. If you have a beard, it almost guarantees you won't get elected. It is probably impossible for an "out of the closet" agnostic or atheist to be elected to public office. The usual route is to run for city council, then state, then federal.
Good answers. Zach Abear for president! I would suggest looking into some form of preferential voting method.
An additional thought: Canada has school boards to oversee the local educational establishment. I assume the US does too. Elections are required by law but very few people bother to vote. If you want to break into politics, getting elected to a school board can be done with a campaign budget of only $2K and often you get in by acclamation. It's an ideal way to add the first bit of public service to your political resume.
Politics is a shame in this day and age. Don't delude yourself. If you believe that the "people" have any control over their affairs. . . I guess you must have went to a public school. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Now, if you would like to be an agent of the global elites? It doesn't matter what John Q. Citizen thinks, does it? Haven't you noticed that the new boss looks a lot like the old boss? Haven't you noticed that the puppet masters pulling his strings are the same that pulled the strings of the last one? Do you really think that you could say with any honesty what you would like to do, or what you feel in your heart, and then DO IT? You won't get real far if you do. Get good grades. Get in the best schools you can. Join the best honors societies you can. Get in exclusive clubs and "secret societies." Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! etc. Segregate yourself from the people and rub elbows with the corporate and financial elites. Then, after that, make sure you make the right choices and do what you are told by those who hold the REAL power. It helps to have some blue blood too of course. That is how you get a career in politics.
Is that how much a vote is worth these days? I'll sell mine for $1,999. But WAIT. If you act now, through this limited exclusive offer, I'll throw in my album of beloved Christmas favorites to be enjoyed by the whole family.* *Not applicable to all states and territories, some terms and conditions may apply.
You're 16 so you're in high school. Get involved in student government and/or the debate team. My son's school has PLTW: Project Lead The Way which takes students and preps them for the professional life. Take government or politics or justice in college and absolutely get involved in student projects. Republican or Democrat- pick one. Then learn all about them. Then adopt their values and learn all about them so you can debate them. Then debate them. That's only a start but that's 4 years of time for you-
Oh you for got same-sex marriage and don't ask don't tell.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Do you have Switched on Santa?
Nice, you have not stated your own viewpoint on it but have side stepped the question as many great politicans seem to do. You are heading in the right direction if you keep this up! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Here's links of lists of political and controversial issues: http://www.rateitall.com/t-942-us-political-issues-rated-by-importance.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_controversial_issues
Why do you want to go into politics? You haven't explained that. Except for people in families with politics as a legacy, like the Kennedys or the Bushes, most people don't say, "Hey, I think I want to go into politics and run for public office." They get a career first, and their career: Exposes them to issues they'd like to work on and Introduces them to people who are already in politics, who can help them get in. What is it that you want to accomplish as a member of the government? School board is a good idea for starting. However, it's much easier to win support for your candidacy if you're a parent, and/or if you work in education or some other field that relates to children. Another way to start out is in a very small town, where you could become the City Engineer or something like that. If you do a good job and make the citizens happy (and those two accomplishments are not identical) then you can work your way up to the City Council, Mayor, County Board of Supervisors, etc. Eventually--again if you're doing a good job--you'll have enough name recognition to run for a state office.
Thank you so much for the support everybody. I definitely do not take your help for granted. I have been busy working on every bit of advice you have given me and I am still working on it. The biggest piece of advice I'm working on right now is getting good grades =D. The support is excellent, however...I would appreciate a lot more constructive criticism as well. P.S. If you would like to know more about me, feel free to prod. I have access to my standardized test scores as well as my full transcript. Additionally, I recently took an IQ test that breaks down my strengths and weaknesses. Of course those are not the only ways one should judge me, but they do help. Also, these are bits of information that are not usually disseminated.
You have to lie and tell me that if I vote for you all my dreams and wishes will come true. Then go make deals with political action groups who will bribe you so you will vote a certain way for their causes. Then take the bribe money and fund your campaign.
