Luther Strange

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
AUDREY WALDROP
While older citizens may believe that with election day approaching and the economy in a pitfall and teenagers are still worried about getting into college and planning homecoming, they are correct.

However, most Mountain Brook High School students are dually preoccupied between the two levels of issues.

As typical for election years, the school recently arranged for politicians to address students ages 15 to 18 in an assembly, reviewing the role of politics in life at any stage and responding to questions concerning relevant issues for the candidates of the upcoming presidential election.

Congressman Artur Davis and former lieutenant governor candidate Luther Strange were the guests last week, both stressing youth involvement in the political process, no matter the party.

Davis, after claiming to be a conservative Democrat and noting disagreements with presidential candidate Barack Obama, conveyed to his audience that it is important to be informed and open-minded to different points of view. "Smart, wise, and moral people can disagree," Davis said.

Straying from the conventions of home, teenagers begin to develop individual beliefs, thereby relegating significant decisions to the persuasion of the media and other external influences. In an effort to solidify independence without subjugating themselves to vulnerability, Mountain Brook High School students curiously surveyed the speakers to discover their history, past dreams and future plans.

Strange traced his political roots from heading up Bill Pryor's successful campaigns for attorney general in 1998 and 2002 to running for office, saying, "Everybody comes to politics in a different way." Davis told the assembly that his plan to enter politics began at age 10 but said he did not associate with a specific party until growing older.

Together, Davis and Strange both professed that voting is not the only or even the most important way to participate in government because it is so basic.

Instead, high school students, many of whom are not yet of voting age, should canvass and volunteer for campaigns, Davis said. Strange recommended they endorse constitutional reform.

Several students visited the politicians after the assembly to discuss current events, to exchange information for rising work opportunities, and to compare perspectives in preparation for the next gubernatorial election in 2010. Most current Mountain Brook students will be able to vote by then, and Davis and Strange might even be opponents in that election. Audrey Waldrop is a junior at Mountain Brook High School and writes for the Sword & Shield student newspaper.