PSL Advocacy Forum Response

It was interesting to read about my fellow PSLers papers on global issues facing the world today that need more attention. The ones i read were about deforestation, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and how personal debt effects the economy. All of these things are issues in the world today but they do not get much attention. In order for all of these issues to receive the proper attention and resources, they need to be talked about more often and brought to more peoples’ attentions. The three issues I read about will all worsen with time and lack of attention, and will become more of a impact in the future.

Deforestation effects our water cycle and will effect all of humanity worse and worse over time. With the destruction of rainforests and other ecosystems, there will be less resources and plant to make medicines and other things derived from nature. This and disruption to the water cycle will have drastic effects to humanity that could risk lives.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a growing mass of garbage floating in the Pacific stretching from Japan to the United States. Obviously, without proper attention and care this will continue to grow and effect marine life and human life. The garbage patch kills fish and other marine life that get entangled in it or consume garbage that was mistaken for food. The patch will prevent marine life from going on normally which will then effect humans food supply of fish.

Personal debt effecting the economy is apparent, but in my eyes, it is inevitable. Americans buy a lot on credit and find themselves debt spending which is bad. But our system is set up to support credit spending. Credit card machines are everywhere and it is now just a part of everyday life. The government needs to step up and quit spending in deficit to set an example for their citizens.

All of these problems require more attention. Without the proper attention, they will get worse.

Artifacts

I believe there are many ways to increase voter participation in the United States. Firstly, I would make the process of voter registration much more simple and more efficiently. This would increase the amount of eligible voters and people who want to vote which would hopefully increase voter participation. Another way to speed up the voter registration process would to have automatic voter registration for young adults when they become of age. Secondly, a much more controversial idea, is to to restore voting rights to incarcerated people across America. Although they have committed crimes and are being punished, incarcerated people should still have the right to vote as issues about crimes and other related things that effect prisoners. Prisoners should have some say in laws as they are affected by laws and are still people. The right to vote is one that should be a born right and not taken away from anybody under any circumstance. Strengthening the teaching of government and civics to emphasize the importance of voting to young adults. This would encourage them in a positive way and leave them more educated about government as a whole. The more educated people are the better they are in life as a whole.

 

More ways to increase voter participation is to make voting day a holiday. This would allow time for people to vote as many people do not vote because they can not take off work. By making voting day a holiday would create time for everyone to go vote and would surely increase voter participation. Politicians actions and words drive people to not vote, for example, in the 2016 presidential election many people did not like either candidate and did not vote. Politicians need to promote voting as people listen to what they say. Politicians could also earn more trust from voters if they are more honest and do not gerrymander or lie about their campaigns. When politicians gerrymander and do not commit to campaign promises, voters lose trust and then end up not voting. When people feel truly represented and trust their politicians they participate more and vote more. Eliminating the electoral college could also promote more people to vote because it is an outdated system that people believe is unfair. In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote over Donald Trump, but Trump won because of the electoral college. This upset more people than it did make happy as more people voted for Clinton. People, as I do, believe this system is unfair and loses the trust of people.

 

There are many other ways to promote voter participation, but, as anything in today’s world, money is needed to for everything. To start any of those ideas previously written about, federal money would be needed. Although money would be needed, it is worth the investment to increase voter participation and create a more educated, involved public. The more people that vote, the more majority opinions are supported and then bills can be created and passed. Hopefully, the government takes action and voter participation does increase in the United States.

 

 

My mentor, Julia Grant, is a third year finance major from Westerville, Ohio. Julia is involved in many clubs and activities such as Politics, Society, and Law Scholars program and Phi Chi Theta business fraternity. Both clubs she is proud to be in and has a lot of fun in both. If Julia could go back and change one thing about her freshman year, it would be getting involved immediately and not waiting. As many other students, Julia waited til second semester to get involved which she regrets. Julia’s favorite memory of college so far is her initiation into her business fraternity. This is her favorite memory because after a long pledging process, it was a relief to finally be initiated and she loves hr friends she met along the way. Julia’s favorite place to eat, which she recommends to everyone, is Fukyuru which is on Lane. Not many people have heard of this or have been there, but, according to Julia, it is amazing food. One thing she would change about OSU as a whole, is the room reservation system because Julia says it is confusing and there are too many systems. Julia loves to study in Orton Hall because it is nice and quiet and it looks like Hogwarts. Her favorite memory of PSL is meeting new people and making new friends which she still has to this day. As every student should, Julia does think the Buckeyes will win it all this year. Lastly, one piece of advice Julia gave to me is to figure out the bus system before it gets cold so I do not have to walk to classes in the cold.

About Me

My name is Liam Parsons and I am a first year student from Cleveland, Ohio studying political science and Spanish on the pre-law track.  I have a passion for politics and traveling and am always interested in learning new things. I enjoy meeting new people, making new friends, and creating connections. Furthermore, I enjoy being a leader and involving myself in activities and clubs in and outside of the school.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

 

  • Global Awareness: I plan to study abroad in my years here at The Ohio State University. Preferably, I want to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country to further my Spanish language skills and learn about their local culture.
  • Original Inquiry: I want to do research relating to the study of politics. I do not know about what exactly yet, but I am interested in voter interests and the prison system.
  • Academic Enrichment: One of my most important goals is to maintain a GPA above 3.5 and graduate with my Bachelor’s degree on time.
  • Leadership Development: I am involving myself in multiple clubs, and I plan to become a leader in at least one of them.
  • Service Engagement: At my time here at Ohio State, a goal of mine is to help out the community by volunteering, either through the school or an organization outside of the university.

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]