katie gaughan
opinion
washingtonian
5.14.10
It is my opinion, not yours
Taylor Richardson Reporter
Opinions, everyone has them. A few issues ago I wrote an opinion column about fashion and first im- p r e s s i o n s and most of you probably remember it didn’t go over to well. Many people thought it wasn’t right and thought all I was, was stuck up, judgemental, shallow, and thought less of all the students who wore sweats at the WHS. Well they are all wrong. Some of my best friends wear sweats everyday, and I don’t judge them for what they wear. The main point of the column was first impressions. Such as job interviews, meeting new people, and other events like that.
To me some people overreacted about the column. Statuses on facebook changed and rude comments were made, there were even blogs written about the article. I was more shocked than anything that people were wasting their precious time writing and talking about my article. I would say some people were taking it a little too far. So much drama was started for a little 200 word story. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, my opinion was simply that sweatpants do not make a great first impression. People can agree or disagree all they want, they have all their rights to an opinion also. But posting all their opinions all over the internet was a little more then I expected. I knew some people were going to disagree with me, it was a given.
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But all the talk about it for months was totally uncalled for. Still to this day I do not regret writing that column. I think it is the truth that sweatpants do not make a good first impression. Clothes are the first thing you see when meeting a new person, not your personality. Has anyone heard the saying dress for success? I know when this issue comes out, many people will have plenty to say about this column, people should not take this personally it is just my opinion, take it for what it is worth. To some people it may be nothing but the “stupidest article ever”, but for others it might mean something different. Either way it is my opinion, not yours.
There are better things in life Miguel Marcelino Reporter
nowhere. Once someone starts, they are most likely to keep on going - meaning an addicMost people don’t take life seriously. tion starts. At this point, I feel, people stop They put what is most important like thinking about their futures. school, work and family beThis happens a hind. For some reason people Because it is the norm lot throughout the think they can put drugs and high school years for around school, other teenagers. Peer presalcohol ahead. I know for sure there are better things in life. students feel - “since sure is the sole cause I think people who decide of why most students to put insignificant things be- everyone is doing it, I start. Because it is the fore what is most important around school, should too” - yeah right. norm are throwing their lives away. other students feel If someone is using drugs and “since everyone is doalcohol then they are putting their educa- ing it, I should too” - yeah right. Because tion behind. If you want to succeed in life, everyone is doing it means you should be education should be top priority. Educa- better than them and not do it. Make the tion is vital. Someone having bad grades in smart decision and don’t start. school is just setting themselves up to go When that addiction starts, the student
is pretty much putting their education behind. With the addiction involved, it will make life harder. Taking drugs and alcohol isn’t helping anyone yet, it is hurting everyone and the person’s ownself. Using drugs and alcohol makes a person’s school and home life harder. Making it harder to concentrate and be alert. I have never used drugs or alcohol. I plan to keep it that way. I won’t let peer pressure get to me, I am better than that. I want to make a difference in the world. Turning to drugs and alcohol will only keep me away from that. For me education will be first until I am done with my college years. Then, when I am sitting in my office, I will know that I chose the better things in life. I’ll know then, that I made the right decision, the decision to stay alcohol and drug free. And it will stay that way, forever.
When a thank-you means more than a paycheck
Rebecca Dunbar Reporter
This year on Veteran’s Day I texted a close friend in the military to thank him for serving our country. The text I got back from him has stuck with me since than. “Thanks for thanking me, a thank-you means more than a paycheck could ever mean.” That is the text I received and it blew me away. Since I was little I knew about people serving in the Army and throughout my whole life I have been surrounded by soldiers. In the past couple years I have learned to appreciate their service and everything they do for us back home so much more than I ever have. It amazes me that a solider I have never met will go over to a foreign country and put their own life on the line
every single day for another person. They will never meet more than three fourths of the people they are saving in their life, but yet they put on all their gear everyday and go out on the front lines. The one reason they do this is for our freedom. I believe that the soldiers are not getting enough support and deserve a lot more support. There are so many ways to support soldiers. A person can write a solider a letter telling them thank you for their service and saying you support them. I also believe that if a person is not overseas serving our country or is in the military than they should be supporting those who are. I know I would never be able to be in the
Army, but I am not just sitting here taking everything for granted either. I constantly tell my friends thank you for serving us. I also just recently donate $1 which is not much at all and helped a solider get a new computer because someone in the U.S. had the nerve to steal his at the airport. If you are a person just sitting there I encourage you to watch the movie Hurt Locker and than think about supporting the troops. All they need to know is we are supporting them all the way and we will be there for them when they return home. Thank a solider today.
The one reason they do this is for our freedom.
La Policía de Inmigración, Calmarse Rachel Carnes Reporter On April 23, 2010, Jan Brewer, the governor of Arizona signed SB1070. It will then be illegal to live or travel through Arizona state lines if you are an undocumented alien. Both sides of the story have very good points. The immigrants have a right to the “American Dream”, the right to a better life style. The Arizona legislation want to decrease the amount of illegal aliens crossing the boarder. They want to be able to at least maintain the amount coming in. The immigrants who are crossing the boarder illegal and get caught could be arrested, locked up for at least six months and fined $2,500. That’s a little crazy. If the person who got arrested was the
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primary caretaker for their family, that could put the rest of their family in a finance crunch. The fine of $2,500, wouldn’t help them out much either. They came here to make the money, not have us take it. They do the jobs that no one else is willing to do. And yes, Americas unemployment rate is in the double digits, but it’s not because of the immigrants. They work long hours and hard labor for lower wages then what most people would. If Arizona was to get rid of the estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants, then Arizona’s economic activity would lose a huge amount of money; an estimated amount of more than $26 million.
Each school gets a certain federal amount of money for each student that attends that school. If the illegal immigrants that attend a school in Arizona, would be departed then the schools would also lose a great amount of money. However, the Constitution states that if you were born in America, then you are an America citizen. Both the government and the immigrants need to come to an agreement and not be biased about issues like this.
They do jobs that no on else is willing to do.