Hawkeye 4-2016 by The Hawkeye

How to calmly discuss politics

data analysis of your political opinions 10

politicAL impact on muslim americans

April 2016 | Volume 31 | Issue 6 Mountlake terrace high school | 21801 44th Ave. W Mountlake Terrace wA 98043

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2 | April 2016

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April 2016 | 3 hawkeye Leadership ‘15-’16 Editor-in-Chief Paxtyn Merten

Editorial Board

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Visual Graphics Editor Netania Rivera Photo Editor Jack Fiorillo Design Editor Arsha Kiani

Contents April

2016

4 Why voting is vital to democracy 6 The unnoticed party: independents 8 Analyzing the presidential frontrunners

10 Data analysis: Students’ political ideals 14 Politics through the eyes of the media 16 Being a Muslim in today’s America

Being a first-time voter: it’s not that hard

Online Online Manager Isaac Otis Multimedia Manager Alex Croce ........................................................ 2015-2016 Hawkeye Staff Annika Prom, AsiaLee Donnelly, Ben Eyman, Bobby Stoyanov, Brianna Houtman, Catherine Allemann, Dani Bilyeu, Danielle Barnett, Erica Lampers, Jacob Allard, Joey May, Kira Doan, Lexi Fletcher, Lilly Stelmack, Luke Smith, Marianne Nacanaynay, Matthew Hipolito, Mikayla Smith, Milkias Yonatan, Ryan Dunne, Sam Johnson, Sierra Clark, Tessa King, Thaddeus Merten and Vivian Nowka-Keane. Name in bold indicates the staff member of the month as selected by the Editorial Board. ........................................................ Adviser Vince DeMiero FANs Coordinators Sandra Merten & Cathy Fiorillo Printing Pacific Publishing Member MTHS ASB, JEA/WJEA, NSPA, Student Press Law Center, Tao of Journalism

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Letter from the Editor

nternet access, my driver’s license and five minutes out of my day. That’s all it took for me to register to vote. There is this nuance around the word ‘registration’ that makes people hesitant to start the process. However, our state makes it very Paxtyn Merten Editor-in-chief simple for people to register themselves to vote. Those who qualify to vote can either register online (with a driver’s license or Washington ID card) or fill out a registration form at any driver’s licensing office (DOL), according to the Washington Secretary of State Elections Division. In addition, if you don’t take either of these steps on your own the state will send you registration materials by mail. Registering to vote is not difficult by any means. And neither is the voting process.

Paxtyn Merten, Isaac Otis, Netania Rivera, Stephi Smith, Luke Thurber, Max Tracy Editorial News Editor Stephi Smith Sports Editor Irvin Zhang Feature Editor Maxine Taylor Op/Ed Editors Ian Moffet & Skylar Schank Lifestyle Editor Max Tracy Business General Manager Luke Thurber Distribution Manager Joshua Morrison Event Coordinator Hannah Schuster

Ballots get sent directly to your mailbox, and you simply mail it in after voting. Thus the state ensures that citizens don’t have to go out of their way to vote, and being busy shouldn’t keep anyone from doing so. With all these steps the state has taken to make it simple for people to vote, why not? This valuable right is literally handed to us as Americans and residents of Washington. Throughout history, people have revolted and fought and died to vote. Therefore, when our ability to vote is delivered straight to our mailboxes, it seems wrong not to take advantage of that. So, say you’ve registered. What else should you do before voting? Above all else, as a first time voter it is imperative that you get informed. It does the community a disservice if you vote simply based on what sounds good or whose name you’ve heard the most on television. In order to best represent the wants and needs of the broader community, it is

vital for everyone to be fully informed of exactly what or who they are voting for. Voters must spend some time weeding through information to find out what exactly candidates stand for and what policies they want to implement. In terms of ballot measures, voters must research how they will be carried out and local impacts. It is not enough to know that you support a specific party and that party’s policies. You must go beyond that and consider whether the specific individuals and policies favor the best interest of the public. Looking into these issues is comparatively easier than it has been in historically. With the internet and voters’ pamphlets that are mailed home, one can hardly make an excuse not to read about candidates and measures before voting on them. There’s not much to being an informed voter. All it takes is a little time and attention to contribute to maintaining a healthy democracy. H

Mission

Mission Statement The Hawkeye’s mission is to provide the MTHS community with quality, thought-provoking student produced publications. In policy and in practice since 1960, the Hawkeye is a designated open forum publication.

Policies

The Hawkeye has established several open public forums for the exchange of information, opinions and artistic expression dedicated to those in the MTHS community. Since 1960, we have faithfully served our audience and community as an open, public forum where student editors make all decisions. Editorials The editorial section of the Hawkeye serves as a forum for well-written, thoughtful, longer forms of expression. Signed editorials represent the opinions of the author. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Hawkeye Editorial Board. Views printed herein are meant to be opinionated and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Hawkeye staff, student body, faculty, administration or school board. The Hawkeye will print submitted guest editorials as space allows and requests that all contributors include their name, signature and position relative to the editorial. The Hawkeye will edit all submissions for accuracy, spelling and grammar. We reserve the right to refuse to print any submission. Letters to the Editor Readers are encouraged to voice their opinions in the Opinion section, a public forum for the expression of varying viewpoints on relevant topics. The Hawkeye will print as many letters as space allows. Letters must include the author’s name, signature and class or position relative to the letter. Typed or legible, hand written letters are acceptable, but should not exceed 200 words. The Hawkeye will edit all letters for accuracy, spelling and grammar. We reserve the right to refuse to print any letter. Editorial Cartoons Submissions represent the view of the artist. Editorial cartoons accompanying editorials and editorial columns represent the view of the author. Cartoons are selected based on appropriateness and clarity of message. Advertising The Hawkeye will not accept any advertising that the Editorial Board deems to be: factually inaccurate; designed to mislead, deceive or defraud; containing malicious, vindictive or unsubstantiated attacks; offering goods and/or services illegal for teens to possess, buy or use; libelous; obscene; creating imminent danger or disruption to school. The Hawkeye reserves the right to refuse any advertising, solicited or unsolicited. Advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of the Hawkeye staff, student body, faculty, administration or school board. Revised 9/2013

reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Hawkeye

4 | april 2016

Why everyone should care about voting “I

They can raise your taxes or lower your debt, fund your ’m just one person, what’s the point?” education or fund the militarily, and it’s up to you to decide It’s the age-old excuse to not vote. But this idea of “my which direction you favor. one vote doesn’t matter” is a toxin to government in itself. This doesn’t strictly apply to the federal government; this We live in a country that, while goes for local offices, too. it may have its faults, allows its Surprisingly, some people think that local elections are less citizens a voice in who runs their important than federal. They could not be more wrong. If government. anything, local elections matter more. Businessman George Nathan The local government is in charge of your sewage, your fire, once said, “bad people are elected your police. They’re more so involved with by good people Stephi Smith News Editor education funding and can cut budgets on who don’t vote” “Maybe you care so whatever they may please. Local governmeaning that by little about politics, ment officials make the most important sitting at home and watching the elections whoever is in charge decisions regarding you and your fellow and complaining about who’s leading and would be fine with citizens’ lives and should have the most neglecting to vote is just as bad as voting you. But don’t think it won’t affect you.” attention during elections. for that person yourself. Silence is letting But by all means let everyone else figure the leading candidate win. out who gets to take charge. I know you’ve heard this a million times, Of course, if everyone else votes, one person couldn’t postoo: If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about who wins. sibly make a difference, right? And maybe you won’t complain. Maybe you care so little Well, actually that’s wrong. about politics, whoever is in charge would be fine with you. Mountlake Terrace City Council member Laura Sonmore, But don’t think it won’t affect you. a Terrace graduate, recited a number of cases in council hisBelieve it or not, these people are running the country and tory in which two candidates had been within just a couple they will make changes affecting your life.

votes of each other. Recounts had to be called because the numbers were so close. So, it is important to vote, especially in local elections, because it could mean you have who you want running your community – or your country. So vote. Vote because you can. Vote because it’s your right. Vote because it can change things, even if you still believe it doesn’t. Vote because it keeps your First Amendment alive. Vote because it’s easy. Vote because, that way, even if who you voted for lost, you can still say “I voted for him or her.” Vote. H

Tessa

King

| Haw

keye

EmBRACING CIVILITY In Political Discussions

n the midst of one of the most polarizing and venomous election cycles to date, many political discussions are beginning to sound more like personal attacks rather than intelligent discussion over different ideologies and Joey May their merits. Hawkeye Staff To be fair, it’s clear that this phenomenon is not limited to debates between average citizens. We all see what happens at every Democratic debate, and even more so in Republican debates: personal attacks flying back and forth with little regard for evaluation of facts or well composed, logical arguments and rebuttals. However, just because the supposedly most qualified and popular politicians running for president are behaving this way does not mean that the MTHS community has to or should behave in the same way. Before beginning this discussion, it’s important to recognize that this isn’t a partisan issue. The principle of civil political discourse is something that all Americans should be concerned with, not just Republicans or Democrats specifically. Most citizens today do not consider themselves affiliated with either party, in fact. In a recent Gallup poll carried out March

2 through 6 of 2016, citizens were asked, “In eral idea – it echoes a humanistic one. The politics, as of today, do you consider yourself idea that we, as human beings living in the a Republican, a Democrat, or an indepenUnited States, are neighbors and fellow citident?” zens first and subscribers to political ideoloOf respondents, 38 percent of citizens indi- gies second. cated that they were independent, while 26 Democracy and the American experiment percent answered Republican and 32 percent is at its lowest point when the nation is this answered Democrat. Clearly, the majority of divided. In order to combat the things that people feel no strong inclination to vote one threaten the American way of life, we must way or another, so why is such brutal politifirst learn to again respect and love one cal discourse so common? another as Americans before touting our Although this is, again, not a partisan own partisan beliefs. Mutual respect for issue, it seems that much of the current one another is a critical pillar of American entropy causing life, one that was “The principle of civil political this discourse has first established by discourse is something that stemmed from the the founding fathers all Americans should be conservative side of within their own concerned with, not just the American politmeetings. It is our job Republicans or Democrats...” ical spectrum. In to maintain its intega recent speech on rity. “the state of American politics,” Speaker of The stress this critical pillar has undergone the House Paul Ryan (R) criticized the lack in recent years is not to be understated. of higher level political debates and average Many people who may not be as involved in political discourse among Americans. the current political atmosphere may not be “Our political discourse, both the kind we aware of just how impactful this is on legislasee on TV and the kind that we experience tion that impacts them directly. among each other, it did not used to be this According to the Bipartisanship Index, bad. And it does not have to be this way,” a measure created by former Republican Ryan said. Senator Richard Lugar, Congress is increasRyan’s speech cannot be regarded as mere ingly partisan. Only slightly more than a political banter or a canned speech for third of Congress members serving from an eager audience. The sentiment behind 2013-14 were ranked “bipartisan,” according it echoes a stance and ideology far more to the study. relevant than any new conservative or libThis figure measures the amount of legisla-

tion introduced by a member of Congress that is co-sponsored by a member of Congress from the other party. This figure isn’t surprising, and is slightly less than the 38 percent of ordinary Americans that identify as independent or bipartisan. However, due to the nature of Congress and the fact that many important pieces of legislation end up splitting even that bipartisan contingent, the disdain and partisan division grows, creating gridlock and hurting Americans. At its core, this idea of cooperation and more importantly basic respect is not a complex one, nor is it a hard one to implement. It all comes down to recognizing each and every citizen as valid and equal, and continuing to reject rhetoric introduced into our atmosphere that threatens this common ideal. This is the most important part of ensuring the success of our great American experiment. It is important to disagree and to defend our views vigorously, but never at the cost of losing our love for one another as a united body. Politicians and citizens alike have to work to realize that for every ounce of passion we hold for our political beliefs, someone else holds that much or more for their own, contrary beliefs. This principle is what makes America great and fostering this principle is something that the MTHS community must hold dear. H

Hawkeye

WHY NOT GET INVOLVED?

his current political season has been you want to see in our school. fascinating to watch. I really think But running for ASB or class office is not we are watching history unfold in our time the only way you can get involved in our as we see the school. You can start or join a club. You can Republican and go out for a sport. You can audition for a Democratic play. You can volunteer to be a Link Leader candidates fight or a Peer Mentor, providing support for stuit out to win the dents in our school who might need it. nominations for Any of these experiences are excellent ways their respective to involve yourself positively in our school Greg Schwab parties. But what and make a real difference for our school. In Principal does this mean addition to benefiting our school from the for you here at experiences and perspectives that each of MTHS? Why is any of this important? you can bring to the table, you are better for I think that the one thing this political the experience of putting yourself out there. season has shown us is the importance of It takes some courage to do something that getting involved. And that is my key message you may not have ever done before, but it is for all you here — get involved in our school. worth it. It makes school a better experience Getting involved in school can take many for you. forms. Obviously, taking the chance to put Getting involved and being a leader takes yourself in a leadership posimany different forms. Leadership tion by running for an ASB or is not always standing up in front “Leadership class office is a way that you can of a group. Sometimes the greatest is not always make a significant impact on acts of leadership and involvement standing up the things that happen here in come from people who just go out in front of a our school. and do things—they just go out group.” I hear quite frequently that and get involved. This is what I ASB seems like it is out of encourage all of you to consider. touch and doesn’t represent the things that Find that thing that you are interested in. are important to the student body here (I Maybe you aren’t sure if you are interested. want to qualify this by saying that I think But be willing to give it a shot. Napoleon year in and year out, our ASB works very Hill, an American author, said, “You must hard to make our school a great place and to get involved to have an impact. No one is do things that they believe our school comever impressed with the win-loss record of munity wants). the referee.” Help make our school a better Well, if that is what you think or feel, then place by getting involved! H I challenge you do something about it. Take Note: The Hawkeye provides the MTHS Administration space on the challenge of accepting a leadership each issue in the Op/Ed section as part of our mission as a role and work to make the kind of change designated open public forum.

april 2016 | 5

Take time to care this month W hen we return from spring break we will find ourselves smack dab right in the middle of nothing more important than “We Care Month” Not only does it provide a chance for everyone here at MTHS to do something for others, it’s also a Kim Stewart milestone each year athletic director/activities coordinator with the changing of the guard. Out with the old in with the new. Start with a clean slate. Sort of what our presidential election process is going through without the drama and the fear that is its underbelly. Don’t you just want to at least see the wall Trump wants to build? It won’t work, you know that and I know that, but look what it did for China’s tourism. Let’s talk about something closer to home like the MTHS ASB elections that took place last Friday, sort of. Since all six positions ran unopposed so there were no elections, so as of Monday, March 28 the 201516 Big Six Officers have relinquished their reign and a new Big Six takes over. What does it mean to have an election that is so crucial to our school only have six people run for six positions? It is important to have student leadership in all of our clubs in school for them to be successful and as most of the ASB officers will attest the clubs or groups officers who have “servant leadership” on their agenda are the ones that are most successful. The outgoing Big Six were the most diverse group of students in Big Six since I have been here and because they were

diverse I think they were able to reach out to a lot of our students and hear their needs. Being an ex-coach I always feel competition to earn your place on a team makes a better team. Friday’s election would have had three positions contested just like last March and we would have this year, but three students could not fulfill all the duties associated with the positions. We still have class elections and the appointed positions of Interhigh to come. What a great way to make sure you and your friends opinions and beliefs are made a reality because you stepped up and ran for office. I have to say I was very disappointed to hear the reaction of the seniors last Friday at their meeting in the theater when senior class president Bryson Bruno gave an estimate of what prom tickets may cost. I looked around to see who the students were with the loudest moans and groans because the tickets may be pricey. The reason for class fundraises for four years is to lower the cost of prom tickets. I couldn’t find a single senior dispensing their verbal displeasure that I had ever seen at a class of 2016 fundraiser. Who would have stepped up had Bryson not? Thank goodness for the class of 2016 the guy with the biggest “servant heart” did or prom may well have been here in the HUB. Show somebody you care in April and lift up a classmate, community member or somebody thousands of miles away so they can have a better day or even life. And stay tuned for your chance to attend “We Day." H NOTE: Hawkeye provides the MTHS Athletics and Activities office space each issue in the Op/Ed section as part of our mission as a designated open public forum.

Be educated, be involved, exercise democracy A

s Americans, we are so blessed that sometimes we take for granted some of the blessings that we have. For example, the other day, I heard someone say that their vote didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Voting is one of the greatest aspects about our government. The fact that the people have a significant voice and role in politics minimizes corruption and allows us to keep the government Irvin Zhang ASB Public Relations Officer in check. There are nations who have fought, who have had to endure bloodshed by way of revolution for something as seemingly simple as the right to vote. Look at Syria. Look at Egypt. The very idea of an American citizen choosing to give away that right is such a waste. I’m thankful for the Hawkeye creating a full newspaper issue based around politics and the intricacies of what’s going

on as we are currently swept up in one of, if not the most, fasWith the internet so easily accessible, it is easier than ever cinating election cycles of all time. for the people to take advantage and base their opinions on I know that being a young person, it can be hard to engage actual facts. It is almost a tragedy if we allow our own laziwithin the realm of politics because now more than ever, the ness to turn into ignorance. American people are frustrated, disilNext time you see a post on social lusioned and sick of the seemingly media that is aimed at a specific candi“The fact that the people have a significant voice and corrupt political process. But contrary date regardless of which party it is, go role in politics minimizes to public belief, it is by participating look up the facts and see if the post is corruption and allows us rather than not participating that we actually true before you begin to spread to keep the government in can correct the corruption in D.C. it. check.” By becoming involved, we can assert The worst thing you can do is re tweet/ the voice of the American people to favorite a post that spreads lies about a eradicate the fouls of the government. candidate or ideal. With Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz and As future citizen leaders of America, we need to take it Hillary Clinton all duking it out for their party’s nominaupon ourselves to prove to the past generations that as miltion as well as picking up headlines for their policies (or lack lennials, we aren’t the “worst generation ever.” thereof) and what they’d do if they became president, it is How do we do that? important for us to not only vote (for those who can vote) but By taking advantage of the very blessings that we have. H Note: The Hawkeye provides the MTHS Associated Student Body space each issue in also choose our candidate of choice based on strong, educated the Op/Ed section as part of our mission as a designated open public forum. beliefs.

6 | april 2016

What it means to be an

Hawkeye

Who makes up this key voting bloc and what do they want?

By AsiaLee Donnelly Hawkeye staff

As the presidential election date draws near, the big topic of conversation is which candidates will win their party’s nominations: Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders for the Democrats? Donald Trump, Ted Cruz or John Kasich for the Republicans? However, there is another party of sorts that has little representation and is often overlooked, but can still have great power in the long run. That group is the independents – the citizens who do not vote based on party lines, but rather for the candidate whose views most closely reflect their own, government teacher George Dremousis said. An independent, rather than voting out of dedication to one political ideology, votes across established party lines by voting conservative on one issue and liberal on another, all on the same ticket. Being independent means having “some ideas that are consistent with the liberal ideologies and some that are consistent with the conservative ideologies,” Dremousis said. According to Dremousis, those of the middle-aged demographic are more likely to identify as independents due to the lifestyle effect, which is the idea that as someone ages their political opinions will change to fit their needs at that time. A Gallup poll conducted in 2014 found that Americans aged 18 to 40 were the most likely to consider themselves independents. A more recent Gallup poll conducted in January 2016 reported a record 43 percent of Americans identify as independent while 30 percent identify as Democrats and 26 percent identify as Republican. Gallup reports the change in voter identifi-

cation could be due to the dissatisfaction of the American public with the current political standoff in the federal government. Currently, the majority of the House and Senate are Republican while the president is a Democrat. Most government actions require Congress and the president to agree on the different proposals. This has happened rarely in the past few years, because of the differences between the Republican and Democratic platforms and an inability to compromise. Such partisan differences have halted any progress with policy making, both liberal and conservative. It is for that reason that voting independent rather than along party lines has gained popularity, Dremousis said. According to Dremousis, being independent works well at the local level but not the national level, as it is much easier for independents to secure representation locally than nationally due to the power and financial support the established ideologies have. “You might find [an independent] in a congressional seat, you might find someone in a state house or a state senate seat, you might find someone in a county council position, [but] outside of that it is hard to do,” Dremousis said.

Democratic or Republican. It is for that Another obstacle independent candidates face is that everyone’s views are unique, as reason that in close elections, independent voters have such great power as they become opposed to partisan politics which follow a distinct belief pattern. the deciding factor. The candidate that can appeal to the Some may identify as independents majority of independents and swing their because they vote conservatively on ecovotes toward their party gains the additional nomic issues and liberally on social issues. support necessary to secure the election. Others may be the opposite, or anywhere One of the advantages to in between. They all “At the end of the day being an independent is the identify as independents you have to make a flexibility it allows a person but do not have the same choice nationally and to have politically. Being views. ultimately you vote which independent “gives [a voter] The diversity of beliefs way affects you the most.” the power to vote the issues,” that individuals in one George Dremousis Dremousis said. group can have makes it Government Teacher On a ballot, a voter can hard to find a single candidate, outside of local elections, to represent assess each measure, initiative and referendum separately and vote on each in a way all those views. that aligns the best with their ideologies and No one candidate is able to build enough will affect them in the most positive way. support to rival that of the Democratic or “I think in what we see in America today Republican candidates in the current political atmosphere. This has led to independents is too many people pointing fingers, telling people they are right or wrong when politics not having a place on a national level. This leads to independents having little is supposed to be an individual belief syspower in some elections and great power tem,” Dremousis said. in others. Without representation of their The beauty of being an independent is the own, independent voters are forced to freedom to make all decisions based on an choose a side: individual’s personal situation. There are no rights or wrongs in the decisions a voter makes. It is their own personal belief, not choosing between two sides. While the nation is not currently in a position where independents have the same power as those who identify with an established political party — Democrat or Republican — they still play an important role in the U.S. political system and provide an outlet to encourage the principles the nation was built upon by giving everyone the opportunity to express their political opinions. H Tessa King | Hawkeye

Hawkeye

april 2016 | 7

The often confusing, skewed nature of the electoral college

By Matthew Hipolito Hawkeye Staff

The upcoming election is a point of much contention among Americans, much like any, especially elections like that of 2000 when it took a Supreme Court ruling to ultimately determine who won the White House. “There are a number of elections where the person who won the popular vote didn’t win the presidency,” U.S. History teacher David Brophy said. “That’s because of the electoral college, which is the process that the founding fathers thought would be a better way to pick a president. But when you have a bunch of rich white guys making the decisions, they want to make sure a rich white guy is the president.” The electoral college is a group of 538 delegates, or electors, who vote for president in place of the public. Through this process, 529 of those delegates represent the majority winner in their state. Simply stated, this means that whichever presidential candidate gets the most popular votes in a state receives all of the electoral votes in that state. The only states that do not abide by the winner-take-all process are Maine and Nebraska, whose four and five respective delegates distribute their electors proportionally by district, and the two extra electoral votes go to the state-wide winner. According to the National Archives and Record Administration, electors are selected by one of the two major political parties, generally at their state convention or by a central council. These electors then pledge to vote for their party’s candidate. When the state populace votes during the November elections, they’re not voting for the candidate directly, they’ve voting for which elector group gets to cast that state’s votes. The electoral college was founded so that loyalties to state governments and candidates did not influence the vote more than the interests of the national government, according to the Electoral Assistance Commission, which was founded in the wake of the 2000 election to address inequities and flaws in the electoral process. Additionally, smaller states feared that they would be overpowered and drowned out in the electoral process by more populated states. Despite the electoral college being founded specifically to ensure votes are equal, the way the elector distribution is laid out means that, in an Orwellian twist, some votes are

Electoral College vote map

“more equal” than others. For example, Florida’s 19.89 million residents are delegated 29 electors, whereas Wyoming’s 584,000 get the bare minimum of three. This means that there are 686,000 people per elector in Florida compared to 195,000 people per elector in Wyoming. This means a single person’s vote in Wyoming is more than three times as influential as a single person’s vote in Florida. Despite the historical foundation of the electoral college, there is still much protest over its implementation and continued use. Forbes columnist Taylor Brodarick notes the “inherent, though unlikely, danger of 538 electors overriding the will of millions of voters. The electors are pressured, but not required, to vote for their selected candidate. The real problem is the Electoral College can act properly and still not elect the candidate chosen by the national electorate.” Brophy is among those who oppose the electoral college’s modern use. “Those elections [where the popular candidate lost the election] don’t represent, to me, who’s picked by the country. They’re picked by a process that I think is antiquated and I don’t think it provides for an accurate choice by the people voting. You win 100 percent of the electoral votes in a state, and it only takes 50 percent plus one voter to be in the majority [required to win a state],” he said. Candidates who lost the popular vote have won the presidency on four occasions: 1824, 1876, 1888 and 2000. In 1824, none out of four major candidates received the required votes to win, so the election went to the House of Representatives, who voted John Quincy Adams into the White House. In 1876, a backdoor deal put a Republican in the White House in exchange for ending Reconstruction, paving the way for segrega-

The size of each state is proportional to the amount of Electoral College votes that it is allotted Netania Rivera | Hawkeye

tion to continue. In 1888, Grover Cleveland won the popular vote despite having powerful enemies in several lobbies, but lost the electoral college. In the 2000 election, Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush were neck and neck at the polls, with Gore leading Bush 267 electoral votes to 246, with the battleground state of Florida the only state left up for grabs. The victory margin – which placed Bush in the lead by just 1,784 votes – was so small that an automatic recount was triggered. The machine recount reduced Bush’s lead to just 327, and Gore requested a manual recount, which was denied by the Supreme Court. Later studies proved that by national standards Bush won, though CNN states that a later study supported the theory that “more voters went to the polls in Florida on Election Day intending to vote for Gore than for Bush” but there were complications with the way the ballots were counted. While an unpopular candidate winning the Presidency can seem like a surprising result, perhaps the most drastic result ever from an election was from the election of 1860, in which Abraham Lincoln comfortably won the presidency. He did so with 480,000 more votes than the next most popular candidate and over twice as many electoral votes than the next most voted-for candidate.

Lincoln’s ascendancy to the White House, however, was the initial catalyst for the Civil War. Two weeks after the confirmation of Lincoln’s victory, South Carolina voted to secede from the Union. The Civil War would begin three months later, resulting in the bloodiest war in American history, killing more Americans than World War I and World War II combined. Nonetheless, many decry the fact that an unpopular candidate can still become President as a sign that the electoral college is outdated. A study by Mozilla’s Jesse Ruderman found that with just 21.8 percent of the popular vote (just over 50 percent in the 39 smallest states and D.C.) a candidate could theoretically become president. Conversely, by winning 11 out of the 50 states (California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and New Jersey) a candidate could also win all 270 votes needed to win the presidency. The Washington Democratic caucus held on March 26 yielded Bernie Sanders as the winner for Washington state with 72 percent of the Democratic vote, according to AP. Whether this huge lead will hold remains to be seen, as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders nationwide by about 8 percent in polls, according to the HuffPost Pollster. H

8 | april 2016

Hawkeye democratic frontrunner

Clinton favors cheaper healthcare, education By Max Tracy Lifestyle editor

When it comes to political experience, Sec. Hillary Clinton outmatches every candidate. From her time in the White House as first lady for eight years, to her role as a New York senator and then her tenure as Secretary of State, she has been in the so called ‘system’ for decades in many different positions, which gives her qualities that help and harm her campaign. “Advantage and disadvantage is her experience; she is the epitome of the establishment politician, [but] the American people are looking for an outside candidate, someone who is not part of the D.C. establishment,” history teacher and non-partisan political observer Adam Bazant said. Because of Clinton’s political involvement, it isn’t hard to see what she supports. One only has to look at her long voting record from her senatorial days to see what she does

On the Issues Education Plans for undergraduate students attending public four-year, in-state colleges to be debt free

Economics Tax relief for middle class Americans and small businesses to strengthen the middle class

Healthcare Continue Obamacare and expand women’s access to reproductive health care; lower prescription drug costs

Gun Regulation Increase background checks and restrict guns for at-risk Americans

Immigration Less deportation, more pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants Information above can be found at hillaryclinton.com.

and does not support. Currently, she is the Democratic frontrunner for the presidential nomination and has a legitimate chance to win the presidency – the first woman to ever do so in the history of the United States.

Education When it comes to the issues at hand, edu-

as well as some tax credits for small businesses. “It really comes down to taxes and redistribution of wealth and then it comes down to a fundamental belief of what role you think the government plays in society and what role money plays in society,” Bazant said.

cation is a big one for Clinton. As costs of attending college in the United States have risen dramatically in the recent past, Clinton has said she wants to lower these costs and make college more affordable. Early childOne of the big emphases hood education and affordable preschool are of Clinton’s campaign is her also part of her education plan. calling for affordable health More specifically for colleges though, she care as a basic human right. wants in-state, four-year public colleges to be She wants to do this by maindebt free for students, according to her camtaining the growth of the paign website. She also wants community Affordable Care Act, comcolleges to be free. monly known as Obamacare. To do all of this, her plan is to hold univerHowever, Clinton does not sities accountable for making tuition costs go as far as fellow Democratic affordable and also to get students, parents presidential candidate Bernie and their respective states to all contribute Sanders when it comes to towards this $350 billion dollar effort. That claims for creating universal would take students doing what they can, health care. According to such as working 10 hours a week, and famiPBS Newshour, she supports lies making an ‘affordable and realistic’ conthe idea of universal health tribution as well. care, but does not believe it is Expensive plans like these would have to politically possible at the curbe made through legislation in Congress, so rent time. whether a Clinton presidency could make Lowering prescription drug them happen or not is unknown. costs and keeping women’s “Possible? Absolutely, as for the probability access to reproductive health of that, I would say that it’s a little bit lower; care open are other important points of hers. This includes plans for the it would take compromising, not unlike continued funding of what her husband did Planned Parenthood. when he was president,” “Advantage and disadvantage Clinton also wants Bazant said. is her experience; she is the to invest largely into epitome of the establishment politician, [but] the American Alzheimer’s research, people are looking for an When it comes to due to america’s outside candidate, someone fiscal policy, Clinton aging population. who is not part of the D.C. focuses largely on Also unique to her establishment.” ‘strong, fair and longpolicies concernAdam Bazant term growth,’ according the health of nonpartisan world history teacher ing to her campaign Americans, is her website. Her plan aims desire for 12 weeks to provide growth for middle class, working paid leave for both family and personal Americans in particular. medical reasons. “[The] middle class is absolutely the backbone of the American economy and the American society; it’s definitely good to Gun control and the Second Amendment strengthen that,” Bazant said. have become polarizing issues for the United Clinton’s strategy behind growing the States as of late. Clinton wants to do as middle class is focused around providing tax much as possible to reduce gun violence, relief for hard-working families, investing while still not taking away any law abiding in education and infrastructure, supporting citizens’ right to bear arms. small businesses and increasing workforce She wants to increase background checks participation. These goals revolve around tax and keep guns away from criminals, the credits for middle and working class families, severely mentally ill and domestic abusers,

Health care

Economics

Gun Laws

Netania rivera | Hawkeye

according to her campaign website. She is also in support of a military-style assault weapons ban.

Immigration Clinton’s goal for comprehensive immigration reform includes a pathway to citizenship for those who have come to the United States illegally. Along with this, she wants to continue Obama’s executive orders that have given deportation relief to many immigrants, mainly those who have grown up and gone to school here and illegal immigrant parents who have had a child here. When it comes to the admittance of Syrian Refugees, Clinton said she would like to see the United States take in at least 65,000 refugees, according to CBS News. “I do know definitively that when it comes to immigration and enforcing the laws and accepting refugees, there is a high degree of influence in the executive [branch]. So I would surmise to say that if Hillary Clinton was elected president and she wanted that to happen, there’s a good chance it would happen,” Bazant said. H

Hawkeye

april 2016 | 9 republican frontrunner

Trump to cut taxes, eliminate Obamacare Trump promises to keep jobs and small businesses in the country and to cut the national debt. Trump proposed to cut the national debt by ending “redundant” government programs (though he didn’t name any) and growing the economy through tax revenues on new businesses brought to the United States from overseas. Trump believes that with a smaller debt, the country can make better deals with China. On his website, Trump said if elected, he will ensure the corporate tax rate is lowered to 15 percent, which would be 20 percent below the current federal tax rate, according to Tax Foundation, an independent research organization. Still, the United States Constitution states that tax rates are under the control of Congress and the president can only help in creating them. “Whether or not the tax code should be progressive, regressive, a flat tax, or Netania rivera | Hawkeye eliminating loopholes… to be perfectly honest, the president has no authority to make By Sam Johnson those decisions,” Bazant said. H staff “Taxing policies come from the House of As a businessman who has thrown his hat Representatives, as written in Article One of into the presidential race, Donald Trump our Constitution. He has influence and he is now leading the Republican primaries can make proposals, but ultimately that is with more delegates than the other two up to Congress.” Republican remaining candidates combined. Because Trump is likely to get the Republican nomination, it is important to Trump’s gun policy leans conservative, look at his positions on major issues. but is not entirely so. According to Trump’s campaign website, his gun policy includes improving background checks by adding According to Trump’s campaign website, mental health and criminal records into the his plan is to eliminate federal income tax system, as well as expanding concealed carry for 73 million households and to simplify permits to work across state borders. complex IRS forms to a one-sheet form. Trump plans to improve mental health sys“His tax policy is semi-progressive, in that tems by expanding identification processes people who make more money are going to for people with mental health problems. He get taxed at a higher rate, and he is reducing also plans to take violent citizens with menthe overall tax rates among everyone,” nontal health problems off the streets, but hasn’t partisan political observer and world history said where they would be placed. teacher Adam Bazant said. Bazant doesn’t “[Trump] says he supports the Second condone or condemn any of the presidential Amendment, he says he supports stricter candidates. background checks, says he supports keeping Another large part of Trump’s economic guns [away from] the mentally ill, which are policy is his stance on relations and trade all good things. Whether or not they will between the United States and China. work is to be seen and whether that will step awkeye

Second Amendment

Economics

on the toes of the Constitution is another question and we will have to let the courts figure that one out,” Bazant said

would cost around $25 billion at a minimum, not including continuous maintenance. In response to Trump’s claims that Mexico would pay for the wall, the Mexican treasury secretary Luis Videgaray According to his websaid that “Mexico, under “[Trump] says he supports site, Trump’s stance on no circumstances, is the Second Amendment, health care is fairly simgoing to pay for the wall he says he supports ple. He plans to repeal Mr. Trump is proposstricter background the Affordable Care Act ing,” according to The checks, says he supports (ACA), commonly known Guardian’s website. keeping guns [away from] the mentally ill, which are as Obamacare. The biggest question all good things.” Trump’s plan mainly over Trump’s immigration revolves around privatizplan is if it would work. Adam Bazant nonpartisan world history teacher ing health care, meaning “You can increase air people are responsible surveillance, you can build for their own health care, as it was before a wall, you can build giant spikes going into Obamacare. He predicts this will make costs the ground so they can’t build tunnels, you go down and the quality of health care go up. increase the number of officers, all of that is Trump’s policy also requires price transfor show and all of it is going to be ineffective parency for all health care providers, allowunless Congress, along with the Executive ing patients to see medical service costs Branch, get serious about tackling immigrabefore they undergo procedures. Currently, tion policy as a whole,” Bazant said. H 44 states have received failing grades for their price transparency laws according to Futurity, a nonprofit site hosted by more than 60 universities to share recent scientific discoveries. However, there is the question of just how Bring jobs back that have been different his stance on health care is from outsourced to foreign countries ACA. “Trump has been on both sides of the issue, he has supported a vast expansion of Medicare and Medicaid, he has supported a single payer option, he has supported vastly Deport all illegal and criminal aliens, expanding programs, essentially that [are build a wall along Mexican border similar to] Obamacare,” Bazant said.

Health care

On the Issues Foreign Policy Immigration

Immigration A key part of Trump’s campaign is his

stance on immigration and undocumented immigrants. In his campaign, Trump said that the government should deport all illegal and criminal aliens, or non-U.S. citizens in the country that have been convicted of crimes. Trump also said the government should have enhanced penalties for people overstaying visas, build a wall on the southern border and triple the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, who enforce immigration laws. “[Trump] believes that illegal immigrants should be sent back and then they can come back into the country, but would have to go through the [immigration] process like [other immigrants],” sophomore Jacob Dodd said. A key part of Trump’s plan for immigration is to build a wall across the southern border with Mexico. Independent analysts at the Washington Post have estimated the wall

Tax Reform Abolish ‘death tax,’ simplify IRS code

Gun Regulation Standardize concealed carry permits across all 50 states, improve background checks

Healthcare Repeal Obamacare

Veterans Affairs Improve both mental and physical treatment, increase funding for job training and educational support Information above can be found at donaldjtrump.com.

10 | April 2016

Hawkeye

The political spectrum:

Compiled by Ian Moffet, Isaac Otis, Stephi Smith and Sam Johnson Graphics by Netania Rivera

zenship, a more liberal-leaning view. Of the respondents, 16 percent wanted to deport illegal immigrants and 4 percent wanted to grant them full amnesty. With the 2016 presidential election coming into full swing and political tensions reaching a fevered pitch, it’s Sophomore Audrey Carson speculated that most stunot surprising that many students are attempting to find dents prefer politicians give illegal immigrants a path to their own political identities. So, where MTHS students’ citizenship because they think immigrants should be able political ideologies line up? to gain citizenship, but they should have to go through a specific process to do so. Between March 14 and 18, the Hawkeye conducted “They should go through a path [to citizenship] because a scientific survey on the political makeup of current if they want to be in our country they should work for it,” Terrace students. she said. In designing the survey, the Hawkeye took into account Concerning climate change, another slight majority of certain demographics and characteristics. Among them respondents viewed climate change as a real and pressing are race, sexual orientation, grade, gender identity and issue, with 52 percent responding that regulations are necreligion. We’ve compiled data regarding a number of essary to combat it. Sophomore Matt Correa agreed with issues, including foreign policy, social issues and economic the majority and noted the danger of climate change. Just policy and analyzed MTHS students’ opinions on those 10 percent said that a free market would do a better job at topics. As for the process of conducting this survey, The combating climate change than the government. Hawkeye went to two history-based classes from each “Global warming is by far the biggest issue we face. grade, one of the classes being AP or Honors, and the We’re setting up a terrible environment for our next genother being standard curriculum, surveying a total of 102 eration,” Correa said. respondents – or roughly 8 percent of the entire student Science teacher John Traxler also credited the students’ body. The response rate would indicate a 95 percent ceropinion to the fact that climate change is a major threat to tainty of accuracy within an 8-point margin of error. the world. “Terrorism, the economy, they can’t destroy the planet.” Traxler said. “But not focusing on climate change can.” When it came to civil liberties, the results concerning three issues stood out. Students had varying opinions on whether the United States should toughen gun control measures. Of the respondents, 40 percent viewed gun violence as a mental Most students who responded to the poll took a moderhealth issue as opposed to a gun control problem. A close ate to slightly left-of-center stance on most social issues. second at 39 percent favored proposed background On questions pertaining to social justice there checks and/or a ban on assault weapons, a was a higher percentage of respondents that more liberal-leaning stance, and 15 percent aligned with traditionally liberal views. believed more gun control is not the soluFor example, an overwhelming tion and abolishing gun free zones is majority of students, 85 percent, the best option, a more conservative said that business owners should “Global warming is by opinion. not be able to discriminate based far the biggest issue we Students were similarly split on on sexual orientation and that face. We’re setting up a the topic of the National Security everyone should be treated equalterrible environment for Agency’s (NSA) metadata program, ly. Just 6 percent answered that our next generation.” in which the agency has the power to a business should be able to deny Matt Correa Sophomore surveil all Americans’ phone data, for service to anyone and 2 percent said example. At 47 percent, most thought owners may refuse service only if it that a warrant should be required for the violates their religious beliefs. government to spy on American citizens. Junior Gabriel Castoe gave his reasonMeanwhile, 30 percent believed the program is ing as to why an overwhelming majority of an outright infringement on America’s civil liberties respondents were against discrimination and said and 19 percent said this program is necessary to combat that “it is a basic human right not to be discriminated terrorism. A small 5 percent took the most libertarian [against].” approach and said the NSA should be abolished. With the current controversial political atmosphere on Concerning hate speech, an overwhelming majority of immigration, the question of what should be done with students considered it free speech, with 73 percent of illegal immigrants is as relevant as ever. The Hawkeye respondents sharing this belief. Yet 22 percent of responfound that a slight majority, 53 percent, of respondents dents believed that everyone deserves a safe place from said that illegal immigrants should be given a path to citiHawkeye Staff

Social, Civil and Domestic Issues

Continued on page 12...

Hawkeye

Terrace students mostly liberal on social, domestic issues

April 2016 | 11

12 | April 2016

Hawkeye

Students at MTHS do not take strong stances on issues of foreign or economic policies With an average answer score of 4.90, there was a slight position of raising the minimum wage, but not quite to $15 preference towards bringing the troops back to the United an hour. Meanwhile 32 percent of people responded that hate speech and that it is not the same as free speech, while States, with a majority of respondents answering raising the minimum wage would kill jobs. Not 6 percent viewed that hate speech should be protected unless far behind that, 29 percent viewed that indifferent again. On the topic of drone strikes, there was a it’s within a university or public school. everyone deserves a living wage at $15 slight tilt toward military liberalism with Junior David Robert gave his own insight as to why stuand just 5 percent said that there an average answer of 3.99, again with dents responded in favor of free speech. should be no minimum wage in the “[Students] are the majority being indifferent on the “So few said [that hate speech should be censored] because first place. learning the conditions issue. Those who had an opinion were so many people value free speech. It’s a Bill of Rights kind of Humanities teacher Chris [Syrian refugees] are slightly more liberal on the scale, with issue,” Robert said. Ellinger also shared his thoughts living with and this the next highest rank being “three” at Correa, however, disagreed with the majority opinion and on the minimum wage, explaining makes people a little 29 percent. believed no one should be promoting hate. that “[the] minimum wage [is an more willing to accept On the issue of Syrian refugees, “It’s my personal philosophy that people should not be pro- issue that] really hits at the heart them in.” most respondents were, again, indiffermoting hate. People like Donald Trump are promoting this because teens want to be paid more Shawna Bogren ent to this issue, but less so than other idea of hate,” he said. and that makes sense.” History Teacher foreign policy questions. Only 29 percent History teacher Shawna Bogren of respondents had no opinion, while the believes that not all students are rest leaned more towards a liberal refugee polinformed about U.S. economics. icy with 51 percent having a score of five or above, “[Students] are unsure of the big picture, with 20 percent having a score less than four. most of you guys just got a debit card,” Bogren said. Senior Jessica Phung said she understands why those in Issues such as income inequality and the national debt have Ellinger agreed and attributed the students’ answers to a Syria are immigrating to the United States because her own been talked about a lot lately in the recent political discourse. “lack of exposure” to such topics. parents are immigrants. The Hawkeye again found that overall the general populace “[The Syrian refugees] want a better life for their family. of the student body have a moderately liberal view when it They are people who just want their children to have a betcomes to economic and fiscal policy. ter future. I could not look someone in the eye and tell them On income inequality and the rich paying their “fair share,” they have to leave their children to have a better future,” 57 percent viewed that income inequality as a serious issue Phung said. and the rich should pay more in taxes. Yet 43 percent either Many respondents took a seemingly indifferent stance on She also said she didn’t like the idea of isolating immigrants view inequality as a non-issue or are against the notion of the foreign policy, with no overall tilt in a conservative or liberal because “deporting is an ‘us vs. them’ mentality when the rich paying more. Furthermore, 11 percent answered that view. The results were mixed on the political spectrum. country is a country of immigrants to start with.” a flat tax is the best solution, not higher taxation on richer One example of this was students’ response to deploying Bogren saw the increased liberal and opinionated beliefs Americans. troops to the Middle East to defeat ISIS. Sophomore Audrey Carson believed a For this part of the survey, respondents were asked to rate regarding the Syrian refugee crisis as a result of increased flat tax would be a far better solutheir opinion on a scale of one to seven, one being they awareness. “[Students] are learning the conditions [Syrian refugees] tion. strongly disagree and five being they strongly agree. are living with and this makes people a little more willing to “If there is a flat tax then In the middle, four was set at “no stance.” accept them in,” Bogren said. everyone would be treated While 40 percent of respondents took no “[The Syrian refugees] the same, but it should be stance on the issue, the many responded want a better life for low enough to where the with a “5” – resulting an average of 4.43, their family. They are poor can pay it,” she said. meaning an inclination towards intervenpeople who just want When it came to fistion in the Middle East. their children to have a cal policy, 65 percent of Students had seemingly contrasting better future. I could not respondents were not opinions on military intervention when it look someone in the eye willing to cut spending if came to troops returning from the Middle and tell them they have to leave their children to it hurt welfare. East from Afghanistan and Iraq. When it came to social-domestic policy topics the majority have a better future,” “[The United States] Bogren made a connection between stuof responses were overwhelmingly liberal sans one particular wants everyone to have the dents’ beliefs about Afghanistan and Iraq to question – the death penalty. Jessica Phung Senior chance to live a decent life,” social issues, such as gay marriage and abortion. Marijuana legalization saw 25 percent answering that they “Students know people who are gay, [women Junior Gabriel Castoe reasoned. strongly agree with marijuana legalization, with every other who] have had abortions, [as well as] people in the Some 17 percent of people were respondent being above a four rather than the minority of military,” Bogren said. willing to cut spending, but only military. 13 percent who strongly disagreed with it. However, Ellinger thought that there was a definite affinIn addition, only 12 percent said that the United States When it came to abortion there was not as large of a tilt ity toward social issues rather than issues regarding foreign should cut both domestic welfare and military. towards a liberal point of view as gay marriage and marijuana policy, attributing it more to a lack of exposure. The other legalization, but still a large liberal bend nonetheless. While On economic philosophy and principles, most viewed that questions elicited a more “immediate reaction” rather than 29 percent took no stance, 25 percent strongly agreed that a mixed economy benefits society the most, with 49 percent an answer based off of sound opinions. abortion should remain legal. Besides the 19 percent who answering this. Yet 32 percent thought that a free market “Social issues are more meaningful to [students] when they strongly opposed it, the remaining respondents voted a score benefits society most efficiently. have more knowledge,” Ellinger said. of 5 or more. When it came to the minimum wage, 35 percent took a ...Continued from page 10

Economic/Fiscal Policy

Foreign Policy

Social and Domestic Policy

Hawkeye

April 2016 | 13

The only scaled social issue that the majority took a more conservative approach was the death penalty. The majority were indifferent at 24 percent, but the next three highest scores were scores of 5, 6 and 7 with a cumulative 59 percent of scores being above the score of 4. “Most high school students are much more open and willing to help people and are more okay with these ideas,” Bogren said, offering her perspective on why students tended to be more liberal on the majority of these particular issues. Gay marriage had the largest tilt in any one direction, with an average report of 5.67. A majority 59 percent strongly agreeing with it, with a score of seven, 16 percent taking “Most high school students no stance and only 10 percent strongly disare much more agreeing with gay marriage. open and willing Junior Taylor McCulloch commented on to help people,” this large tilt in favor of gay marriage, say-

Students’ views on social and domestic issues Should We Federally Legalize

Marijuana? Strongly Agree

25% 13% 17%

Shawna Bogren ing that people tend to be more sensitive. History teacher “People feel that way because it’s seen as normal and people are sensitive to issues like that,” she said. Senior Daren Mangune also responded to this question with his own opinion on gay marriage. “Love is love, it’s not between a man and a woman but a person and a person,” Mangune said.

17% 9% 8%

The Hawkeye surveyed 102 students in eight history classes between March 14 and 18 . Working with our mentors, Pam Moore and Fritz Engebretsen at Newton Street Study Group, we created the survey and rounded the results. Percentages may not all add up due to rounding. For a more interactive experience with the data, see our complete analysis online at www.thehawkeye.org

Strongly Disagree

13%

Other findings Based off the data amassed, students had more knowledge and stronger opinions and convictions in issues that were more relevant to them and affected them as a person. Most of these issues involving social and domestic policy. Issues such as gay marriage and marijuana legalization, for example, relate more to millennials and young people as opposed to foreign or economic policy. On foreign affairs, the majority of answers took no stance rather than solid principled responses. When it came to economic and fiscal policy, it depended on the specific question asked as to whether there were either a diversity of responses or if the responses were most likely attributed to the amount of exposure students have “Love is love, it’s to a topic. not between a man and a woman but For example, the minimum wage a person and a being raised to $15 had a more diverse person.” set of answers compared to cutting spending to pay off the national debt, Daren Mangune Senior implying that students were more well versed and had a broad variety of opinion and knowledge on such an issue. Overall, this survey expounds on the notion that MTHS is a very inclusive and socially accepting school while it also addresses the issues that students here are not as well exposed to. Ellinger expressed the goal of this survey himself. “Hopefully it would spark [an interest]... ‘maybe [a student] would like to learn about...ISIS [for example]’.” Our goal for this survey and data is to show the political makeup of MTHS and hopefully lead people to become more aware of the issues surrounding them. H

Neutral

Do You Agree With

Gay Marriage? Strongly Agree

59% 9% 5% 16%

Neutral 1% 1%

10%

Strongly Disagree

Should We Abolish the

Death Penalty? Strongly Agree

17% 19% 23%

Neutral

24% 6% 2% 10%

Strongly Disagree

14 | April 2016

Hawkeye

making a mess out of politics

Trends on social media may give young voters the wrong idea about politics and presidential candidates Story by Marianne Nacanaynay Hawkeye staff

AP Government teacher George Dremousis makes it a priority to keep himself informed, particularly today with the presidential campaigns of candidates such as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. “I tend to read five newspapers every single day. I try to watch one local news, one nightly newscast every night,” he said. Dremousis continued, listing off PBS, NBC, the Huffington Post, the New York Times, the Washington Post, FOX and CNN as some of his favored news sources. He further acknowledged the students in his AP class, saying they’re similarly conversant with current politics. What Dremousis doesn’t mention are social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Instead, he cites a 2013 statistic from the Pew Research Center that claimed 65 percent of young people under 30 use the Internet as their sole source of information. “On the Internet, anyone can be anyone,” Dremousis said. “You watch a TV show or read a New York Times or an L.A. Times, at least there’s the idea that these people are somewhat reputable, that they’re career people, that they have some education, some training. On the Internet, anyone can come across as an expert anything, and you just don’t know who it is.” Freshman Sam Schippers is one of many using social media for political information. “I follow a lot of the candidates on Twitter so I’m usually kept up with their evolving opinions and statements,” he said. “If I see something like a quote or an idea that a candidate has sent out and [if] it catches my eye then I will dive deeper into it.” His account is one of 289 million active on Twitter, compared to the more than 182 million users on Instagram and Facebook’s 1 billion-plus users. In a research survey conducted in March 2015, the American Press Institute (API) and the Associated Press - NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 88 percent of millennials use Facebook as a news source. In addition, the API found 69 percent of individuals who are ages 18 to 34 receive news on a daily basis. However, a University of Hawaii (UH) study from August 2015 surveyed 70 students in efforts to understand the impressions political candidates leave on millennials. The survey found that most millennials tend to “stumble upon political information rather than seek it out,” but the result occurred regardless of whether interactions were online or in person. While Schippers doesn’t believe politics is something he’s acutely well-informed in, he does believe that social media can have other effects on young people. “Social media at this point has almost everything to do with student misconceptions. The media has portrayed many events in government as a joke or something to laugh at,”

Schippers said. ing illegal immigrants, that’s not gonna happen. When you Newly elected Executive ASB President Hani Nakkour, hear Bernie Sanders talking about free college tuition and a a frequent user of Twitter for political news similar to single payer health care system, you know, that’s not gonna Schippers, recognized the influence of Twitter on the race. happen,” he said. “But, people want to believe it so badly that “The retweet is so important. I usually don’t follow most of they get behind them and that they’re either uninformed or these people, but other people that do retweet it and you get they get caught up in the fervor so they vote on that.” to see it and it just keeps me updated,” he said. Dremousis also pointed out that the media propels comYouth aren’t the only ones using social media for politics. parisons of Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler Presidential candidates use social media to and statements that Sanders is a commugain momentum among young people. nist, yet again feeding people’s misconT Statman, a blogger with the ceptions. Huffington Post, wrote an article in Whereas Dremousis noted the misconAugust 2015 about the importance of ceptions of the general public, Schippers young adults during voting season. recalled more local instances of mistaken “The saying goes ‘a way to a man’s heart beliefs. is through his stomach,’” Statman said. “[I have] heard some students say some pretty “In politics, the saying should be ‘a way to dumb things. I’ve heard students say they want the youth vote is through social media.’” a certain candidate to win just to see what hapIn 2011, Social Media Explorer (SME pens. But I don’t want to say I’m any smarter than Digital) CEO Nichole Kelly wrote a they are, so I try not to correct them because politics is blog post concerning the presidential campaign all opinion based,” Schippers said. and addressed President Barack Obama’s use of It’s not just students who are sharing their misconceptions social media as a part of his 2012 campaign. about the political race and candidates. “I’m seeing more politicians use social media as The Washington Post and Politico are two of multiple another PR or marketing channel, rather than media outlets that have published articles debunking claims using it to open the floor for conversation and I the presidential candidates have made. In 2015, Glenn think this is a missed opportunity,” Kelly said. Kessler of the Washington Post published an article “The “It is also slightly disheartening that for those biggest Pinocchios of 2015” and found that the presidential who are using social media that ‘staffers’ are runrace took up most of his list. ning the channels and it’s unclear if the politicians “Most politicians drop a claim after it has been facthave any involvement.” checked as false. But Trump is unusual in that he always While use of social media by presidential candiinsists he is right, no matter how little evidence he has for his dates is happening more frequently during the current claim,” Kessler said, targeting Trump. “Frankly, it’s really not election, some still agree with Kelly. interesting to fact check [Donald Trump], as his assertions Nakkour criticized Republican presidential candidate are so easily debunked,” he said. Donald Trump’s use of Twitter, for example. Kessler referenced each time Trump claimed that he saw “His Twitter is just… His responses to people are very “thousands of Muslims in New Jersey cheer as the World harsh, and it’s kind of rude and I mean if [a person is] going Trade Center fell” and when Democratic frontrunner to be running for something, you can’t Hillary Clinton defended her have this kind of attitude towards husband for signing the anti-gay “You guys are the next generation, people and responding really negaDefense of Marriage Act. you’re the wave of the future. At tively,” he said. Politico’s “Wrongometer” anamy age, I’m almost 50, the future’s Nakkour explained that a candilyzed several Republican and in the next generation’s hands. date’s Twitter account should have a Democratic debates, finding more We’d like to believe you’re making educated and informed opinions.” professional character to reflect their than a few statements incorrect. personality. When Ted Cruz claimed that endGeorge Dremousis Government Teacher “I think that it’s doing a disservice to ing sugar subsidies would assist our political system, the way they’re in military funding on November personally attacking each other on social media,” Dremousis 10 of last year and Bernie Sanders said financial institution said. “I think our politicians should rise above that.” Goldman Sachs was engaging in illegal activity on March 9, Dremousis pointed out multiple misconceptions concernPolitico proved them both wrong. ing Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie However, the largest impact on the race comes from the Sanders. voters, and some like Statman believe the youth are the ones “When you hear Donald Trump talking about deportwho can propel the race.

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and informed opinions,” Dremousis said. One statistic Statman gives concerns youth voter turnout Sonmore also encouraged students to attend council meetnumbers from the Center for Information and Research on ings. Civic and Learning Engagement. “People don’t realize what the council can do,” she said. “Those young and registered to vote also have high turnout “Locally, the council can raise taxes, implement ordinances numbers that are at about 84 percent, but overall as a whole and laws within like a curfew.” that makes up for roughly 45 percent of the total youth eliRock the Vote works to get eligible to vote. Potentially, with gible students registered and ready enough voter turnout, the youth “Social media at this point has to vote when the time comes on a could be the swing vote for an almost everything to do with national scale. With support from election,” Statman said. student misconceptions. The media current pop culture standouts like Mountlake Terrace City has portrayed many events in John Legend and Ariana Grande, Council Member Laura Sonmore government as a joke or something millions of youth have been regissaid while trusting in the youth, to laugh at.” tered through the organization’s implied that the future may not Sam Schippers online registration. be as bright as it was before. Freshman Voting is not a requirement or a “Seattle used to be the federal law, but a right, as Schippers ‘Emerald City’ for Washington emphasized. He also said that he intends to vote when he and I think we’re becoming the rusty city,” Sonmore said. turns 18. “[Youth] can really influence the future of Washington,” “I care about America a lot. It’s not the greatest country in Sonmore said, emphasizing the local impact all students the world at all. But it has potential to be something memohave. Dremousis reiterates the importance of students in politics. rable again,” Schippers said. “I believe that we can make the right decisions together if we focus more on being together.” “You guys are the next generation, you’re the wave of the Dremousis stressed the gravity of informing yourself on all future. At my age, I’m almost 50, the future’s in the next gensides of an issue using reliable sources. eration’s hands. We’d like to believe you’re making educated

“Look at not just one or two sides, look at a variety of sides. Try to go to reputable news agencies, the big ones CNBC, MSNBC, CBS, FOX, Huffington Post; you want something established. And then you try to make an opinion not based on emotion but on what’s realistic, the facts and statistics,” Dremousis said. Nakkour also encouraged students to put forth more effort into involving themselves with the presidential race. “I would like to see more action [from people]. People are saying a lot of things, but they’re not actually doing it,” he said. Although Nakkour is unable to vote for this year’s election, he said he’s encouraging his mom to vote despite her and other immigrants not seeming to care. “[Cultures] that [care], like some Mexican-Americans and African-Americans, they all involve themselves because it is affecting them and I do really like seeing that,” Nakkour said. “[It’s] nice to see that they’re actually taking a stand because it’s not like standing back, but I also feel like different cultures that are not affected by this should be involved also, because it’s not just affecting other cultures, it’s them too.” H

How often the candidates have been Google searched since June 2015

Donald Trump

Sen. Bernie Sanders

Sec. Hillary Clinton

Sen. Ted Cruz

(Partial Data) Netania Rivera | Hawkeye

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the Future of Muslim Americans With hate crimes toward Muslims on the rise and a lack of sympathy for Syrian refugees, the presidential election of 2016 is sure to be the most consequential ever for Muslims in America

Boys at the Masjid Umar Al-Farooq mosque in Mountlake Terrace study the Quran. During these night classes, imams like Abdul Mansoor teach young followers of Islam about the teachings and messages in the Quran. Story by Sierra Clark to all of 2010-2014, according to Levin. These attacks range Photos by Jack Fiorillo from death threats and intimidating letters, to physical Hawkeye Staff

attacks on people and mosques. In the past five years, there has Imam Abdul Mansoor, the been an average of 150.8 hate religious leader at the mosque, “[Syrian refugees are] being tortured crimes toward Muslim Americans expressed his gratitude for the in their country. [The United States] yearly, according to FBI statistics tolerance of others in the comcould provide them a better, from California State University munity. healthier place to be. They’re professor Brian Levin. This equates Mansoor said the Masjid Umar not harmful at all. They’re broke. to more than 12 attacks per month. Al-Farooq mosque in Mountlake Whoever is killing them in their These numbers appear to be risTerrace has never experienced any country is non-Islamic.” ing as recent statistics indicate. hateful acts toward its building or Abdul Mansoor Between Nov. 13, 2015 and Dec. members. Imam of Mountlake terrace mosque 20, 2015 – the month directly fol“No, thank God there lowing the Paris terrorist attacks – there were 38 suspected hasn’t [been any crimes toward the mosque], I apprecihate crimes, putting the rate of hate crimes against Muslim ate Mountlake Terrace and I have [a] deep, deep love for Mountlake Terrace because I’m from here,” Mansoor said. Americans at nearly 10 times the monthly rate compared

“The [community] knows us, we know them, people here, they’re like my family, they are my family. They appreciate us, we appreciate them.”

Stereotyping Muslims as terrorists in the United States Some of the more extreme examples of anti-Muslim sentiment include an incident that occurred in December 2015 at Riverheads High School in Staunton, Va. According to The Washington Post, the school had to start its winter break a day early due to threats toward the world geography teacher, Cheryl LaPorte, who sent home an assignment in which students were to try and copy the Shahada, a Muslim profession of faith that is said in daily

Hawkeye prayer. There was no religious meaning behind LaPorte’s actions, as she said she was attempting to show her students the intricacy of Arabic calligraphy through the assignment. LaPorte received threats from parents saying it was an act of anti-Christian indoctrination, according to the Post. Mansoor, who has a masters degree in Islamic theology, said the parents’ reaction was only going to end up hurting their children. “I think that [LaPorte was] just doing her job. I think it’s the parents’ fault, if that’s how they are nurturing the kids at home,” he said. “They just put a huge scar on their kids’ minds that they won’t ever forget.”

Why Syrian refugees want to come to the United States With the recent political debates in this election year, the issue of Syrian refugees entering the United States has become a widely discussed and controversial topic. According to BBC World News, the situation in Syria has resulted from an ongoing war ever since a drought that began in 2006 and lasted until 2011. This led to Syrian citizens speaking out against their president Bashar al-Assad for not acting in their interests. Soon, this led to a rebellion. Syria has been in a civil war ever since. Large areas of land and civilian territory in Syria have turned into volatile war zones, driving many civilians out of the country. The countries taking in refugees vary widely by how many they admit. According to the Syria Regional Refugee Response, an inter-agency information sharing portal for the United Nations, Turkey leads the count taking in more than 2.7 million Syrians, Lebanon has more than 1 million and Jordan more than 600,000. All of these numbers have been recorded since January 2012, the start of the refugee crisis. According to the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the United States has taken in an estimated 2,300 Syrian refugees. This means the United States has accepted about .08 percent of the refugees that Turkey has. Of the roughly 2,300 refugees who have made it into the United States as of today, 93 percent are Sunni Muslims, who support the rebels of Syria, according to the website Fact Check. In addition, 67 percent of the refugees applying to come to the United States are women and children younger than 12. These people are trying to escape the war, drought, unemployment and lack of basic needs, such as food and clean water in Syria. According to the United Nations Office for

april 2016 | 17 the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, an estimated 70 percent of Syrian citizens do not have access to clean water. Additionally,

one third of the population have no access to basic foods, and roughly four of five people live in poverty.

If they want to come to the United States, Syrian refugees must go through a screening process. This process takes even longer than the normal 18-24 month refugee process, according to CNN. The reason for the long wait is to ensure that those being taken in are completely safe and secure to bring into the country. According to CNN, refugees begin the process by applying for refugee status, then the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) filters that through their guidelines based off of the 1951 Refugee Convention. If these standards apply to the applicant, the refugee will be settled in a third country and will be given a “legal resident status”. There they will eventually be able to apply for citizenship in the country they are put into. If they’re going to be resettled into the United States, the refugee’s information is processed and is prepared for the screening process by a support for resettlement center. This process is made to help determine if the refugee is or isn’t a threat to the United States, according to CNN. The screening includes an interview, a medical evaluation and a security screening process. According to CNN, when placed into the United States, the refugee will receive help by a resettlement agency that provides assistance in things including learning the english ABOVE: A young Muslim student takes a break from his studies at the mosque in Mountlake Terrace. language and paying for housing and other BELOW: Muslim Americans continue to face increased scrutiny and stereotyping, including necessities. presumed association with terrorist groups – even from some leading presidential candidates.

coming to grips with

Reality vs. Stereotypes

Presidential candidates on Muslims’ rights

As it is an election year, presidential candidates have voiced their views about what they would do concerning the Syrian refugee crisis and their stances differ greatly. During a Democratic debate, frontrunner Hillary Clinton said she believes President Barack Obama’s planned mark of letting in 10,000 refugees isn’t enough. She wants to let in at least 65,000 Syrian refugees into the United States if she becomes president. In an interview he did with CNBC, Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, said he believes that Syrian refugees shouldn’t be allowed into the United States at all. His reasoning for this is over his concern for the safety of the citizens living here. “If Obama, through his weakness, let’s [Syrian refugees] come in, I’m sending them out if I win [the election],” Trump said in the interview. There are also members of the Muslim American community who support Syrian ISAAC OTIS | HAWKEYE

Continued on page 18...

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Obama: “Islam has always been a part of America’s story” executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission only 25 percent were still for it when Trump’s name was of Human Relations, said in an interview with the Southern mentioned. California NBC affiliate. “We always On the other hand, when refugees entering the United States, including Mansoor. hope and wish that we progress as Republicans were asked, while Trump’s “[Syrian refugees are] being tortured in their country. [The “We always hope and wish that a society [and] that people are less name was mentioned, 71 percent of United States] could provide them a better, healthier place we progress as a society [and] prone to acting out without thinking to be. And who knows? Out of 10,000 refugees, imagine that them were in favor, while 70 percent that people are less prone to and not generalizing an entire group still supported it without his name 500 of those children could become engineers and doctors acting out without thinking and or religion based on the acts of a few, mentioned. and give back to the society. You look through that vision, not generalizing an entire group but we know that not everyone is In 2015, from Dec. 7-11, there were that they could contribute to our society and they can,” he or religion based on the acts there yet.” 23 hate crimes against Muslims in said. “They’re not harmful at all. They’re broke. They have of a few, but we know that not In 2014, only one hate crime the United States, according to U.S. no homes, they have nothing else, their country has been everyone is there yet.” toward Muslims was recorded in San Uncut, a news site that focuses on tortured by non-Islamic people. Whoever is killing them in Robin Toma Bernardino, however after the attack United States Politics. their country is non-Islamic.” executive director of the los angeles county commission of human relations in 2015, there were 11 recorded hate Some of those crimes included vanRepublican Donald Trump doesn’t want to just remove crimes in the area against Muslims in Syrian refugees, he also wants to ban all Muslim immigrants dalizing houses and mosques, as well as November and December alone, according to the Southern arson. There were also other violent acts against individuals from coming to the United States. California NBC affiliate. as well as people posting threats In a recent poll conducted by FOX In September 2015, a 14-year-old Muslim boy from Texas, against Muslims on social media, News, Democrats, Republicans and “If Obama, through his weakness, Ahmed Mohamed, went to school with a homemade electric according to U.S. Uncut. Trump supporters alike were asked let’s [Syrian refugees] come in, FBI statistics show a rise in clock and was arrested under suspicion of the device being a if they supported Trump’s Muslim I’m sending them out if I win [the these types of attacks toward bomb. ban. Some were asked with his name election].” Muslim Americans in the United After Mohamed’s story was released to the press, mentioned, some were asked with his Donald Trump States in 2015, leading many to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton posted name not being mentioned at all. republican frontrunner on Twitter, “Assumptions and fear don’t keep us safe – they predict that the rates will conFOX reported that 50 percent of hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building.” tinue to rise. Trump’s supporters support the Muslim refugees ban, while Trump has not publicly commented on this incident. There also was a spike in hate crime rates in San 46 percent do not support the ban. In 2011 when Clinton attended the annual U.S.-Islamic Bernardino after the terrorist attack on Dec. 2, 2015. When Trump’s name was not mentioned, 45 percent of World Forum, she voiced respect and admiration toward “We expected there to be an uptick,” Robin Toma, the Democrats who took the poll were in favor of the ban, while Muslim Americans. “I am proud that this year we are recognizing the contributions of the millions of American Muslims who do so much to make this country strong. As President Obama said in Cairo, ‘Islam has always been a part of America’s story,’ and everyday American Muslims are helping write our story,” Clinton said at the U.S.Islamic World Forum. Trump remains avid in his disapproval toward Muslims in the United States. At one point, he had even called for a “complete shutdown” on any Muslims entering the United States. Trump has also said he would support implementing a database of all Muslims in the country, so all Muslims would be required by law to have special identification on them, according to NBC News. Trump has even gone as far to say that the Quran has a negative impact on the Muslim community, according to CBN News. ...Continued from page 17

The assumption that Muslim equals terrorist There are upwards of 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, 3.3 million of whom live in the United States. Similar to Alawa, Mansoor believes that Muslims should not be associated with terrorists. He said the Muslim faith is not a “terrorist Abdul Mansoor, an imam (religious leader) at the mosque, tutors two students on the Islamic religion. The class is structured so that students are religion,” referring to the definition of Islam, which actually means peace. separated by knowledge of Islam and the Quran rather than by age. “If someone, because of their ignorance or

Hawkeye strengthen our nation if it is free; if it is not an extension them being illiterate, under the umbrella of Islam, they do of the state,” Obama said. “Part of what’s happened in the something that’s wrong, Islam does not teach that,” he said. Middle East and North Africa and other places, where we “It actually negates all of there things… Islam eliminates all see sectarian violence is religion being a tool for another evil from the core. [If] someone does something just because agenda, for power, for control.” he’s Muslim, he’s not practicing Islam.” Along with Obama, Mansoor Various leaders from different believes in the importance of the U.S. nations have also taken stances Constitution, especially when it relates to support Muslims, including “I am proud that this year we are recognizing the contributions of to religious freedom and liberty. Obama, who visited a mosque the millions of American Muslims “To change the Constitution is actuin Baltimore on Feb. 3. At the who do so much to make this ally spitting in the face of our forefamosque, he gave a televised speech, country strong.” thers who [wrote] the Constitution. expressing his views toward the Hillary Clinton They weren’t illiterate, they knew what act of comparing Muslims to terDemocratic frontrunner they were doing. They read the Quran, rorists. they read the Bible, they knew who “You see, too often, people conthey were dealing with. They knew flating the horrific acts of terrorism that if we work together, we can move forward. That is the with the beliefs of an entire faith… And of course, recently foundation of this country, that is how far we have come,” he we’ve heard inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim said. H Americans that has no place in our country,” Obama said in his speech. Throughout the speech, Obama said many things that pointed to the importance of the First Amendment on the RIGHT: A student at the mosque displays a book used in issue of religious rights. the classes at the mosque for religious teachings. BELOW: The Masjid Umar Al-Farooq mosque in Mountlake “I already mentioned [the United States] founders like Terrace sits on 238th St. The mosque has never endured [Thomas] Jefferson knew that religious liberty is essenhateful acts, according to Mansoor. tial, not only to protect religion but because religion helps

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