State of the Union Address

"and dropping out of high school is no longer an option... it is not just quitting on yourself, it is quitting on your country."

Obama is and always will have a way with words. When he speaks it is not just reciting a few sentences, he booms with emotion and ignites this spell on you. Everyone in the room grows silent and for once listens. Honestly though, I do not know what to think. I do not know what to expect. He said himself, that such high standards like this usually end in broken promises. How am I to know that this will not be another let down? Yes it will take a grip of responsibility to avoid this, but how much of that rests in America's hands and how far are we willing to go?

He called upon us, this generation, and told us that higher education will happen just through volunteering or helping our country. Does this apply now though? Or will those after me be able to take on these great opportunities? How can it be assured that we ourselves will not be the ones placing acceptance letters back in envelopes?

I am told to talk about how this makes me feel. I am scared. I am scared that we will make the payments for college, and after years of tyring I will go into a competition where there is no game because jobs will be scarce. I am scared that I will never be able to afford my own house, buy a new car, or even be able to afford insurance of my own.

Obama mentioned that when we become the next generation fo parents, we need to introduce education into their lives as early as possible. When that time comes though, will we even be able to afford babies? After they come, they come with a few prices and diapers are not free. I guess a way to help though maybe would be to just not pro create. Yes, babies are beautiful and bring joy and so on but come on. Can we really afford them? We are going to ahve student loans on our hands, plus bills, plus maybe bank loans. We can sit down and read a book all we want but that is not going to put dinner on the table and clothes on their backs.

I know this all sounds cynical and angry, but I just do not want to get my hopes up and have them crash down before me. I would rather expect the worse and be impressed later on when the worse does not come, than look for the rainbow that will never show through.

Media Bias/Spin

When it comes down to it, I honestly think that the media constantly pumps out negative subjects in order to keep our country living in fear. It is easier to run a Nation who is scared than one who is confident. I think at any time a Republican makes a mistake, it's becomes a frenzy and they are targeted for it. However, if a Democrat does something of the same, it is almost excused. Even among people, Republicans are generally shunned. I myself have frowned upon them.

I have also noticed that the different articles you read about the same subjects, contain different facts. Like with the attack in Pakistan, they had three different death tolls in each article and totally different titles. In the first it was negative, and made you angry. The second mentioned how it was the Taliban getting bombed, and honestly Taliban is incredibly negative in the American vocabulary. Then in the third it mentioned how we had a U.S. representative there to "find facts". No one really knows what really happened though because it is all so different.

My memory was refreshed today, on how writing can contain opinions that can curve your views. We read two articles about Sam Hughes. One was about how he was a war monger and people were happy to be rid of him and then the other mentioned how he should be respected and thanked for all he has done. Which is which though? It almost feels like you cannot rely on the media because it is constantly going in both directions of opinion. Yes, they offer some facts but certainly not enough to get the story straight. With the little facts they do give, it feels like a maneuver used on the audience to persuade them into agreeing.

It is ridiculous.

Graduation Speech

My mother once said to me, that her dream was too see me in a cap and gown. Well mom, I made it.
As we stand here before you today, we have proved to not only our family, friends, and peers but to ourselves that we can conquer anything. Today marks the end of our 12 year quest to obtain the title of high school graduate and take grasp of the paper that determines the rest of our lives. Today, the system we had grown so accustomed too comes to a close. We, as a class, represent the Phoenix. We dueled out all the ridiculous hardships, survived the "best" years of our life, and it is finally combusting into flames. As we rise out of the fire though, we embark on a new journey through life, as full fledge adults.
It was not always like this though. Before we walked through the doors of McLain I think we all had the fear that this school, like any other high school, would be the same. We would be overlooked for not being captain of the football team, forgotten for not taking part in any sort of club, and only passed because we could not be dealt with. That was far from the case though. When we came teachers actually remembered our names. They were truly interested in getting to know us as people and help us to achieve. The counselors made it a mission to do anything possible to help us gain credits. And we did. Even the administrators of JeffcoNet took the effort of learning about us. This include those who were not always in trouble either. For the first time in ages, the desire to go to school was revived. No longer was it a burden to wake up and sit in a class. It became enjoyable, which is something that is generally unheard of. This is all thanks to the people of McLain, and to personally the staff of JeffcoNet. I truly believe that this school is Jefferson County's best kept secret. And none of us, class of 2009, would be here today, ready for the next step, without them.
So here is to them, for not leaving us behind. And here is to us for not giving up. I wish you all the best of luck in everything you do.
Congratulations class of 2009, we really did it.