Volume 65
Issue Six
January 26, 2010
KIDS IN SCRUBS Page 4
Mr. Plano Contestants and Acts Page 9
Students express opinions on government issues
The 112th Congress convened on January 5 ushering in another year of new Congress members and promises to the American people. Some of the issues they will address are the federal deficit, the new health care bill, and possibly immigration. Last November, America spoke up when it elected many Tea Party candidates who ran on the platform of reducing the federal budget, which many Americans agree is on the high side, and lowering taxes across the board. Around the time students reach the senior high school level they have either reached the voting age or about to turn 18. Many students start forming political opinions, become attached to political parties, and become passionate about their
country and its politics. “Our economy is horrible, unemployment is dreadful, border security is poor, and yet we’re going to other countries to fight problems?” senior Grace King said. “I think that somewhere that logic is skewed.” King is not alone. According to the Real Clear Politics poll, which averages many major polls around the country, about 29 percent of the country thinks the country is headed in the right direction. Luckily for Republicans and for Tea Party supporters the 112th Congress means more members from their party of choice in Washington supporting their beliefs on smaller government and deficit reduction. “I feel pretty good about the 112th Congress
considering that the republicans won back a majority in the House,” King said. “Also, although the republicans did not win a majority in the Senate, they did win back a few seats. However, these small triumphs can be meaningless. The republicans have gotten power in the House and Senate before and not done anything. A lot of the time politicians say what they have to say to get into office, and once they do their campaign promises and ‘core beliefs’ all fly out the window. This is why I am skeptical. Although I am happy people who better represent my viewpoint are now taking back Congress, I am even happier that Tea Party candidates like John Boehner were elected.” However not everyone shares the same optimism that King does.
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Men’s
Basketball Page 6
THE CAPE REVIEW Page 12
Plano’s got Talent Page 11
2200 Independence Pkwy Plano, Tx 75075
Who Cares?
What’s Inside? By Daniel Hinson
Plano Senior High School
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
U.S. Government Repeals New Year, New Start Students dedication to resolutions Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell By Whitney Fein
By Diva Gulati
A
fter being instated for 17 years, the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy was repealed on December 22 of last year. Statistics show that the policy, which prohibited homosexuals from openly serving in the military, was opposed by the majority of Americans. “I didn’t like [Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell] because I thought it was inhumane and unfair to have people dying for their country having to hide who they are,” junior Wajiha Rehman said. “It was wrong.” Although the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy stated that allowing gays and lesbians in the army “would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability,” students seem to feel that sexual orientation should not be important when it comes to serving one’s country. “I don’t see how knowing someone is gay would affect the quality of their service or your service,” junior Lauren Sankey said. “There’s more important things to worry about if you’re fighting a war, in combat, than if someone is gay. I don’t see how it’s important at all.”
In fact, there students, like junior Prashant Narayan, who completely disagree with what the policy stated. “A military, especially within individual units, it needs a sort of camaraderie,” Narayan said. “You need a healthy relationship with your teammates. If you’re not able to be honest with them and be out as a gay person, you’re not able to form those relationships and you’re not able to be an efficient soldier.” President Obama’s signing of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 was met with praise and appreciation. “I think [the repeal is] a good thing,” senior Shelby Stubbe said. “People can live their life the way they want to. I don’t think the government has a right to say [gays and lesbians] can’t tell people about themselves.” The repeal is not only a step forward for gays and lesbians who are already in the military or for those who want to join the military, but students think that the passing of the act is something that the government too should be proud of. “I feel that it’s a moment of greatness on part of the government
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I
t’s 12 a.m. on New Year’s Day, and what do you do? Not kiss your parents. Not scoop handfuls of chips in your mouth. You promise yourself you’re going to be a better person, or get better grades, or work out every single day. But why do we make these resolutions? “We make a New Year’s resolution because we see the problems that we had in the last year and we want to make them better,” senior Katie Weaver said. “The problem is that most people haven’t thought about their new year’s resolutions and they don’t think them through to see if they are actually possible. You can’t work out every single day, when we all have stuff to do.”
If you go to the gym to work out on January 2, it will be so packed that you have to wait in line just to use the treadmill. But if you go on February 2, the many people who said that they would work out more this year have faded away and the gym is close to empty. “I think people feel obligated to keep their resolutions because it’s the start of a new year,” senior Hanna Hunt said. “They want to do something different with their lives and make their year that much better. I had a new year’s resolution in 2010, and I didn’t really keep it. It was to run five times a week. I didn’t really follow that, but I do now.” Many students at school are making New Year’s resolutions of
their own. “This year, my New Year’s resolution is to stop cussing,” Hunt said. “I’m going to try not to be as angry as much and to make up other words to say instead.” “I’m going to try and save some of my money from work instead of spending it,” Weaver said. “In order to keep it, I’m going to have my parents hide my money from me.” “My new year’s resolution is to get better grades, and I’m going to do that by studying a lot harder than before,” junior Brian Dale said. Weaver, Hunt, and Dale are three of many students who want to do simple things this year. Others want to do much more extravagant things.
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