When it comes to the subject of politics and current events, many teens don’t care one way or another. But as we get older, we start to realize that we are the future of our nation, and start to care a little bit more. One of the most important things that our Country has to offer us, is government.

As you probably know, our government is made up of three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. I don’t want to bore you with all of the specifics of each branch, but basically Legislative is the law making branch, which includes congress. The Executive branch is made up by the President and vice president. And the Judicial branch is the court systems in the U.S., which includes the Supreme Court.
A lot of people are probably most familiar with the Legislative branch. This is because the House of Representatives, and the United States Senate, are a very popular subject to discuss when it comes to the Nations news, and in school, especially.

There are many things that are different about these two bodies of government, but one common trait, that both share, is that they both are made up of two main parties, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Now there are some exceptions. Some would argue that there is also the Conservative Party, the Independent Party, the Moderates, and others. But many of the members that fall within these exceptions, usually lean towards one side or another.

There are many misconceptions that teens, as well as adults, have about both of these Parties. Contrary to popular belief, all Republicans aren’t old, white, rich men. For instance, two very popular republican women have taken America by storm in the past few years. These ladies are Michelle Bachman, who is running for president in 2012, and Sarah Palin, who was the Vice Presidential Candidate in 2008 along with John McCain.

Republicans are widely known for being in favor of limited government. By this, I mean that Republicans want to decrease the amount of government involvement in the “Private Sector”, which is basically privately owned businesses. They do not want to tax the wealthy or the business owners, simply because these are the people who create jobs in America, and if they are taxed to death, then no jobs will be created.

Most Republicans do not support women's health care and also do not support obamacare, which are two very touchy subjects in the whole political arena right now, along with many others. Finally, the Republicans “Mascot”, you could say, is the elephant. This is because the elephant is known to be strong and smart.

You could say that the Democrats in this nation are very, if not completely different from Republicans. You might have also heard Democrats being referred to as “Liberals”. They believe in giving tax breaks to the blue collar family, and increasing taxes on the wealthy and business owners. I can’t accurately speak for them, because I, personally, am a Republican, so this is a quote directly from democrats.org, describing their party.

“Our party was founded on the conviction that wealth and privilege shouldn’t be an entitlement to rule and the belief that the values of hardworking families are the values that should guide us. We didn’t become the most prosperous country in the world by rewarding greed and recklessness or by letting those with the most influence write their own rules. We got here by rewarding hard work and responsibility, by investing in people, and by growing our country from the bottom up.”

No matter what anybody’s views or opinions are, I believe that both parties want the same outcome, fairness and prosperity for all. The two Parties just have different ideas about how to reach that goal, and until they do, we as teens, need to stand up for what we believe in, and make sure that we have a good future of freedom, and equality, to look forward to. So I encourage everybody to at least pay attention to what your representatives and leaders are doing in Washington and in your state, and don’t be afraid to shoot them an email about what you think needs to be done to make this County a better place for all of us.