The US government has the power to transform the lives of young people, yet people under the age of 18 cannot vote. Write an essay that argues your viewpoint on this topic. Should people under the age of 18 be allowed to vote? Support your claim with reasons and evidence. Will mark brainlist if its 100 words.

In any case, this type of view is just a short jump away from the notion that children do not have the intellectual capacity to make voting voices and we should recall that the same argument motivated the lack of enfranchisement of women and racial minorities (and in some countries racial majorities) for decades and centuries.

The second objection is that children are unduly influenced by others. Perhaps they are influenced by the media. Of course, on that score, it appears that adults are equally susceptible and the fact that children might watch different media may be a good thing for democracy. Perhaps teachers will have an undue influence. That may be worrisome but there are worse outcomes and, in any case, the political diversity of teachers is probably high enough that no single teacher could hold sway over large groups of children.

Certainly there is less risk of that than some celebrity holding sway over large groups of adults. Finally, perhaps parents will have too much influence. Again, wasn't that the reason why women were denied a vote -- on the claim that their husbands would have that influence when, more likely, it was the fear that they wouldn't that caused resistance to change.

The third objection is that very young children can't frame the issues or understand what the candidates are proposing. So if we push things to the limit, it is hard to imagine babies, toddlers or children who cannot read being able to physically vote. But this is no argument to wait until they are 18 (when they can drink as well as vote).  This is an argument to wait until they are 8 or perhaps pass some basic civics test.

Consider the upside of enfranchising children. For starters, there would be engagement on a whole set of issues to do with them and also with families as a result of allowing children to vote. Now some have proposed that perhaps a child's vote can be held by their parents as a proxy until they are of age (see this discussion by Miles Corak on Demeny voting). It is true that this will bring family issues more attention but, of course, children may differ in their views on a number of issues from their parents.

But more importantly, by giving children the vote, they will be engaged early on and more interested in policy issues so as to formulate their own views. Democracy flourishes on engagement as much as it does on who gets to vote. Children may well be more likely to take this right seriously and also to take a longer-term perspective on many issues. That was certainly the case with my own children when I gave them a voice in my own voting.

When it comes down to it, if you are sceptical about all this, when you look into your heart as an adult, aren't you worried that by giving children the vote, that policies will change in a whole set of ways you don't want? That children won't share your views and that politicians will respond to that by acting in ways you don't want them to act. Perhaps you have an image of candy subsidies although you might want to check on that when you look at what happens with sugar in most countries!

And if that is really your objection then what you are saying is that you don't want a group to have the vote precisely because it will give them political power and reduce your own. And that is about as anti-democratic a view as is it possible to have.

- the heat nearly killed them that first summer.

i have learned a great many things from participating in varsity football. it has changed my entire outlook on and attitude toward life. before my freshman year at [high-school], i was shy, had low self-esteem and turned away from seemingly impossible challenges. football has altered all of these qualities. on the first day of freshman practice, the team warmed up with a game of touch football. the players were split up and the game began. however, during the game, i noticed that i didn't run as hard as i could, nor did i try to evade my defender and get open. the fact of the matter is that i really did not want to be thrown the ball. i didn't want to be the one at fault if i dropped the ball and the play didn't succeed. i did not want the responsibility of the team because i was too afraid of making a mistake. that aspect of my character led the first years of my high school life. i refrained from asking questions in class, afraid they might be considered too stupid or dumb by my classmates. all the while, i went to practice and everyday, i went home physically and mentally exhausted.

yet my apprehension prevailed as i continued to fear getting put in the game in case another player was injured. i was still afraid of making mistakes and getting blamed by screaming coaches and angry teammates. sometimes these fears came true. during my sophomore season, my position at backup guard led me to play in the varsity games on many occasions. on such occasions, i often made mistakes. most of the time the mistakes were not significant; they rarely changed the outcome of a play. yet i received a thorough verbal lashing at practice for the mistakes i had made. these occurrences only compounded my fears of playing. however, i did not always make mistakes. sometimes i made great plays, for which i was congratulated. now, as i dawn on my senior year of football and am faced with two starting positions, i feel like a changed person.

over the years, playing football has taught me what it takes to succeed. from months of tough practices, i have gained a hard work ethic. from my coaches and fellow teammates, i have learned to work well with others in a group, as it is necessary to cooperate with teammates on the playing field. but most important, i have also gained self-confidence. if i fail, it doesn't matter if they mock or ridicule me; i'll just try again and do it better. i realize that it is necessary to risk failure in order to gain success. the coaches have always said before games that nothing is impossible; i know that now. now, i welcome the challenge. whether i succeed or fail is irrelevant; it is only important that i have tried and tested myself.

the topic of this essay is how the applicant has matured and changed since his freshman year. he focuses on football. one of the strengths of this essay is that it is well organized. the applicant clearly put time into the structure and planning of this essay. he uses the platform of football to discuss and demonstrate his personal growth and development through the high school years. what he could have done better was spend more time describing himself after he made improvements. as it is, he only tells us about his newfound confidence and drive. this essay would have been stronger had he actually shown us, perhaps by including a story or describing an event where his confidence made a difference

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