I have titled this piece of reflective writing "My thoughts on politics: why I am no longer hopeless" because this course has renewed my belief in the efficacy of our representative democracy. I do not think that we have a perfect political system. However, I do believe that it is accomplishing real work on behalf of the people, although perhaps not the people most in need. The work and changes being made are also happening to slowly to address the most pressing issues such as health care, better care for veterans, military action in the middle east and the rising of the national debt. I hope that more members of my generation can also educate themselves and find hope, so that they will become politically active in their own communities.

For this class, we were required to participate in an online discussion each week. These assignments forced me to do my homework, in a literal and figurative sense. While it was required for the class, it forced me to dig deeper into issues that are important to me and allowed me the freedom to learn and explore what I was most interested in. I had the opportunity to choose which Presidential advertisements I examined for the Political Ads discussion. It was also up to me to determine what information was most important from the Campaign Finance websites. The discussion piece of these assignments were helpful because they taught me to keep and open mind and to delve deeper into issues that were not of great interest to me. This is important because it made me ask new questions and introduced me to new and different ways of thinking. Ultimately, I think that is the goal of a great education, to teach one how to think critically and come to a logical conclusion using all of the information available. Therefore, these assignments satisfied Salt Lake Community College's fourth learning outcome as well as the second, "Upon successful completion of any program, students should be able to communicate effectively." I hope that you will see my ability to write and communicate effectively as you read my work.

Political Advertisements Discussion
Website to view political ads referenced: http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/

Campaign Finance Discussion
Website referenced: http://www.opensecrets.org/races/index.asp

Seneca Falls Declaration Discussion
A copy of the Seneca Falls Declaration
The Atlantic Article: "Why Women Still Can't Have it All" by Anne-Marie Slaughter