Pony Express
Opinion
October 4, 2012 • Page 3
The Divided States: Democracy’s perpetual dilemma by Lauren Bollinger From the time we enter elementary school, we are told to pledge allegiance American politics is not simply black and white, or red and blue for the matter; it is to “one nation” that is “indivisible.” Our money is stamped with the Latin phrase “E composed of a spectrum of political beliefs. And currently, our political system fails pluribus unum,” or “out of many, one.” Even the very name of our country suggests to represent a large portion of Americans that fall in the middle of this spectrum. our unity as a nation. Nonetheless, there is an emerging affliction that threatens On a national level, a 2011 Gallup Poll concluded that 27% of Americans identify to forever destroy this union. It’s one, that if we fail to cure in its early stages, as Republicans, 31% as Democrats and an overwhelming 40% as Independents. will be incurably fatal to our country’s future: the division between Democrats and Moreover, a political typology quiz conducted by Obstarczyk in his AP U.S. History class, reports overwhelming findings. “During the 6 years I’ve been doing the test, Republicans. Though partisan animosity has been smoldering since antiquity, the nearly 99% of tested students score as political moderates.” Such conclusions beg the competitive nature of the 2012 Presidential Election has undoubtedly rekindled question: If most Americans qualify as moderates, why is the American legislature this hatred. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, our political dominated by Democratic and Republican politicians? While there are no clear answers, many attribute such hyper-partisanship system has become “more polarized than at any point in recent history.” This to the constant “us versus them” mentality assessment alludes to an underlying political trend: the growth of hyper-partisanship, Illustration by Paige Taul that plagues the American public. We’ve all which is described as “a sharply polarized seen them: the Tea Party posters that proclaim situation in which political parties are in fierce “Liberalism is a mental disorder,” to the liberal disagreement with each other.” protest signs that warn that “Friends don’t let While disagreement is a natural result friends vote Republican.” We’ve perhaps even of conflicting political beliefs, when carried said them ourselves. Junior Ben Rasmussen to extremes, it causes enormous problems in urges against the aforesaid mindset. “While a democracy. Political philosopher Edmund I personally sway more Republican, I will Burke once said “All government, indeed definitely listen to liberals and people with every human benefit and enjoyment, every opposing beliefs. It’s ridiculous how some virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on people dismiss others as ‘less American’ compromise.” San Marin’s AP U.S. History because they may have different political teacher, Mr. Obstarczyk, agrees, saying “That’s opinions.” Rasmussen’s thoughts allude to an how an effective government works; you meet underlying trend: the prejudice against people in the middle.” Unfortunately in modern from opposing parties. Accentuated during times, our political system has lost the ability tense election years, this notion mandates that to cooperate, a virtue that is absolutely vital Hyper-partisanship tears apart our country. a different political affiliation is representative for progress. To some, compromise represents weakness or a lack of conviction in one’s beliefs. However, sophomore Raana of fundamentally different values. Described as the “new bigotry” by a June 2012 Mohyee says that, “There’s a big difference between being a pushover and being CNN article, this party-first mentality encourages name-calling and oversimplifies willing to compromise.” By encouraging ideological crusades rather than pragmatic beliefs to a one word label. According to sophomore Raana Mohyee, “It should be a discussion, our inability to cooperate affects nearly every issue imaginable, from person’s ideas that matters, rather than their political label.” Nonetheless, Obstarczyk our military policy in the Middle East, to immigration problems at our own says that “Politics has always been ugly. It always will be ugly. But once the election is border. Senior Jennifer Brodsky said that, “In general, people should try to be over, we need to realize that we are all stuck in this boat together.” Amidst all the posters, bumper stickers, and rallies, we forget the simple more respectful of other people’s political opinions, and maybe more open-minded, too.” Unfortunately, open-mindedness is a scarce virtue that would likely prevent the truth: that whether you are labeled Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, we are all Americans. Changing the culture of hyper-partisanship will take time; it political paralysis that defines this age. While America loves to glorify the virtue of democracy in principle, in reality requires that that shift political discourse from “Us versus Them” to “We the People.” our very political system threatens that natural right. By dividing American politics It necessitates that we end this cycle of dysfunction by changing our political system into strictly Democratic or Republican, the two-party system limits the freedom of from one that values point-scoring to one that cherishes problem-solving. And political expression and promotes political conformity. As said by Richard Gephardt above all, it demands that we stop fighting and start fixing our fragmented nation. of Missouri, the former Democratic leader in House of Representatives, “You After all, our problems are bigger than politics itself and it is up to all of us, whether are either in the blue team or the red team, and you never wander off.” However, you are Democrat or Republican, to find a solution.
It Makes Cents: Why college pays off in the long run by Sumaiya Mubarack
She was accepted into MIT at age 14. He built a nuclear fusion reactor at age 14. These individuals, Laura Deming and Taylor Wilson, are both winners of the Thiel Fellowship, a program created by Peter Thiel that awards $100,000 to students to pursue their goals of building companies, furthering research, or generally changing the world through their groundbreaking ideas. But to do so, the Thiel Fellows had to drop out of college. Thiel said, “Education may be the only thing people still believe in in the United States. To question education is really dangerous. It is the absolute taboo. It’s like telling the world there’s no Santa Claus.” The question of whether college is worth it or not is becoming a more common concern in the American psyche. The Thiel Fellowship questions the status quo by saying that experience can be a much better teacher for entrepreneurs than four years of structure and drudgery in college. Thiel found that student debt was often the greatest obstacle for some brilliant young minds, and wants to harness their energy and ideas while they’re still fresh and viable. The notion that college can be stifling towards innovation is groundbreaking and frightening, as many students spend their entire high school lives working towards making it into the college of their dreams, feverishly studying for AP exams and spending significant amounts of money on SAT prep, only to pay criminally high tuition rates that don’t guarantee success by any means. Student
debt, on average is around $25,000, and according to the U.S. Department of Labor, 54% of those under 25 with bachelor’s degrees were either jobless or underemployed last year. The numbers are frightening, and Thiel’s argument is valid, but I maintain that college is invaluable, regardless of how brilliant you are. The value of college is not simply an economic
“To question education is really dangerous. It is the absolute taboo. It’s like telling the world there’s no Santa Claus.” consideration. As Mrs. Cunnie pointed out, the college experience provides much more than an academic education. “College is always worth it,” she said, “students will be able to compete and learn valuable life skills, like how to be independent.” Catapulting a student out of high school and into the real world can be a risky proposition, as college can serve as important training wheels. Suddenly we’ll have to do our own laundry and pay our own bills, and college can be slightly more forgiving when it comes to our inevitable
mistakes. The intellectual environment of college is also something rare; being surrounded by people with the drive and talent to make it into college can be mentally stimulating, and allows students to learn from those around them while flourishing as individuals. And as for the high cost of college, it may be expensive, but it’s an investment in one’s future that is worth every penny. The U.S. Department of Labor asserted that “Students who are first in their families to go to college end poverty in their lives forever,” and this is exhibited in the numbers. An educational study from Georgetown stated that on average, college graduates make a million dollars more over a career than those with only high school diplomas. Job opportunities are exponentially higher for those with a college degree in hand, because the job world hasn’t evolved as much as Thiel has. Employers are quick to underestimate if one doesn’t have a college degree, and though talent and intelligence are taken into account, that first impression can determine whether one gets a job or not. Thiel has noble intentions for the young minds he has collected, but college can only be an advantage for those like Deming and Wilson, who will then have an even higher chance of bringing their ideas to fruition. The knowledge as well as the life experience that come with college far outweigh the economic hardships, and the numbers show that in the long term, a degree can eventually pay for itself.