Participation in Politics project

1. Participation in Politics
Project
Crislynn Autry

2. About Me:
• My name is Crislynn Autry
and I am a senior in high
school. My major is
undecided, however I am
thinking about going into
Physical
Therapy/Kinesiology.

3. • The thing that motivates me the most to be a good citizen
is the label my generation already has as careless. I think
that it is fair to say that the majority of people my age have
grown up basically learning how to disrespect the
government. This is a huge problem in our mentality. I
believe that wether you respect the person in office or not,
you must always respect the president. I believe that each
vote counts, and although I will not get to vote until 2020, I
will be voting every chance I get. However I do not feel like
people my age are motivated to do so at all. It is so
extremely taken for granted that we have the freedom to
vote. That we have a say in matters at all is a gift, and it
was fought for. I think urgency, respect, and honor need to
play a bigger roll in our political system.

4. • One thing I learned a lot about in this class and that surprised me were
the reasons for low voter turnout. I did not realize how much the beliefs
of our family and friends affect our beliefs and actions as we grow up. I
think this is part of the reason for low voter turnout because many kids
have been taught not to care. Non-citizens and criminals account for a
portion of the population, and neither of which are allowed to vote, so
this is part of the cause as well. Another thing that stuck out to me in
this course was how little say minor parties actually have, and how
much it would take to change that fact. Their only actual purpose is to
act as a sort of buffer between parties. One thing I was surprised by
was that different cities are allowed to use different systems, and how
little the governor can actually do. Growing up I thought that the
governor was in charge of everything, but as it turns out they are more
of a publicity position. The last thing that really made me think was the
death penalty. I was surprised while I was researching how even the
opinions are, and by the valid points on both sides of the argument. I
still have a hard time deciding which side I am on.

5. • I think the biggest issue when it comes to future
generations is the divisiveness of the two party system,
which is not constitutional at all. This is mostly due to the
dysfunctional legislative branch run by congress and the
house of representatives which is divided into republican
and democrat It’s tendency to turn citizens against
citizens, and brothers against brothers, and cause
disagreement and hostility, could pose an increasingly
more detrimental problem. No where in the constitution
does it mention having two parties, however some would
argue that is is a natural outcome of plurality voting.

6. • Texas is one of the states with the most influence. With
the oil industry booming, along with the cattle industry, and
technology, Texas has one of the strongest economies in
the United States. With the second most electoral votes of
any state, Texas definitely has a say in each election. In
my opinion, I would say that everything is bigger and
better here, and that we could potentially secede and
become our own country, so we should have the greatest
influence.

7. • I have learned many lessons during this course, but the
one that impacted me the most was our State’s tendency
to stick to traditions. I knew that we had more of a
traditionalistic view, but I did not know the extent of it. All
of the discussion responses I read talked about the pride
we all have in our great state. The consistent mindset the
majority of texans have that our state is the best is truly
astounding. Even though we may be divided by party, we
are united in that Texans are proud to live here.