Religious Advertisement

Religions should not be using billboards to advertise their faith.  It is a cheap way to attempt to gain followers.  If people are actually swayed by any religious advertisements they see, then they should not be following whatever faith they are.  Religion is supposed to be spread by word of mouth, but instead many churches will use signs to gain mass followers.  In the end it all turns into a money game.  The more people in your congregation, the more money will be raised for the new organ.  I do not fully understand faith, but when I see signs advertising it, it makes me cringe.

What techniques should schools use to strengthen literacy?

Throughout high school I found that most of my writing classes lacked the ideas of self expression and creativity.  Being forced to write about specific topics with specific guidelines only made me want to break out of the shell more.  If classes would become more creative and encourage new ideas more, they would see more improvement from their students.  Writing in itself takes a creative part of the mind to accomplish.  It comes naturally to express ourselves with creative words instead of being forced into writing about "standardized topics".  If all English classes were more like this one, students would be much better off.

Should juveniles be tried as adults?

I feel that children under the age of 18 should not be charged as adults.  When they are charged as kids, there is a much higher chance that they will change their ways earlier on.  Once facing larger, adult charges, kids may be getting in too much trouble to be beneficial.  Whether or not the charge is permissible, juveniles should be able to have a second chance on life.  I am not saying that someone who has killed in their youth is not likely to do so in their future, but many problems that kids have stem from living at home with even worse parents.  Adult punishment is for adults.

Should tobacco companies be responsible?

I do not think tobacco companies should be held responsible for smoking related deaths or illnesses.  People who smoke do so with the understanding that it is not good for them.  The idea that "smoking kills" is imbedded into our minds as children and is continually reiterated throughout our whole lives.  Even the packs of cigarettes themselves have warnings on an entire panel.  Why should a company who warns their potential users of danger be held responsible for it?  Smokers who do not know or fully understand the risks of smoking must be very few.  Congratulations if you made it through your whole life not knowing what is not healthy.

Should homosexuals be permitted to serve in the armed forces?

The idea that homosexuals would not be allowed in the armed forces is crazy.  All men and women should be permitted to serve in the armed forces if they desire, regardless of sexual preference.  Sexual preference is the only thing that I can see different from homosexuals and heterosexuals.  Based on this it seems ridiculous to say that they cannot serve.  What are the requirements of anyone to serve?  It makes as much sense to ban all people from the military as it does just the homosexuals.  If anyone feels uncomfortable about fighting alongside a homosexual, they should seriously reevaluate their morals.

Should English be declared the official language of the United States?

Declaring English as the official language of the United States would be unconstitutional.  Since our country is a country founded primarily based upon individual freedoms, saying that everyone needs to know exactly one language would be unjust.  Immigration has a large part in why they should not as well.  With more and more immigrants coming to the US every year, it is improbable to expect them all to know English fluently.  Hispanic immigrants are a large part of the population so why not declare the official language of the US Spanish?  This may sound outrageous to some, but to others English as a primary language is outrageous.  By having no official language, we eliminate the need to single anyone out based on where they come from.

Should children be forced to stay in school past age 16?

Children at the age of 16 possess underdeveloped thought processes.  For this reason they should not be allowed to drop out of school.  There are many kids who will decide they hate school by the time they are only 16 and then realize later in life (maybe only a few years later) that they regret their decision.  Obviously society would be much better off with more and more high school diplomas, so why not raise the statistics?  If we kept all kids in high school until age 18, then there will be many more people graduating.  There would also be much more regret in the country.