Growing up just 30 minutes south of the nation’s capital, I was exposed to the political landscape of Washington, D.C., at a young age. Despite residing in a state which is considered one of the most Democratic in the country, I was raised in a fairly conservative household. My parents identify as Republicans and have always been conservative on most political issues.
As I matured, I regularly agreed with my parents’ views on political issues, although, at the time, I didn’t fully understand how the government and policy making worked. However, throughout my time in college, I had the opportunity to learn about the ever-changing and complex field that is political science. In today’s politics, there is a considerable rift between the left and the right. Politicians seem to be working towards their own personal, and party, agendas rather than working for the people. Add the fact that the media takes sides on each political issue that is brought to our attention, and the division between each party continues to increase.
Currently, it is hard to identify with either major party. Each side has taken extreme stances on issues seemingly without the possibility of negotiation. If this situation continues to exist, progress will not be made, and America will be left in a standstill. This is why you should care about the upcoming Presidential election. As our generation becomes an increasing percentage in the post-graduate world, the effects of politics and candidate policies will begin to affect our lives even more. Today, candidates talk about making this nation great again. They talk about cutting taxes, reducing the deficit, and getting the people back to work. While these ideas are great, they are not new.
The ideas that made this nation great were exemplified by John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was able to look past party lines and find solutions that bettered the country rather than better his own party. However, while his time in office was too short, and his opportunity to positively impact the world ended too quickly, his ideas still resonate today. The following 10 quotes, although 50 years old, are still relevant with regard to the issues we deal with today.
1. “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”
2. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
3. “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”
4. “Mankind must put an end to war -- or war will put an end to mankind.”
5. “Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.”
6. “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.”
7. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
8. “For a city or a people to be truly free they must have the secure right, without economic, political or police pressure, to make their own choice and to live their own lives.”
9. “If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of no help.”
And finally,
10. “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country."
