lae.org Legislative

Legislative

Politics: A Fact of Life

When you were born, someone appointed by an elected official registered your birth. When you die, someone else appointed by an elected official will record your death. Between the cradle and the grave, elected officials and their appointees determine:

• The qualifications and certification you need to teach
• The size of your class
• Whether you can bargain a contract to protect you
• The amount of your pension
• Whether you have tenure
• The textbooks you may use
• The salary you earn
• Whether you will have a job in the future
• The quality of the air you breathe
• The nutritional value of the food you eat
• The cost of your health care
• The education your children receive
• The effectiveness and safety of the medicine you use
• The safety of the streets and the quality of the highways
• The interest rates you pay
• Your unemployment benefits
• The cost of fuel for your car
• The cost of gas, electricity, water and phone service
• The speed you can drive

Don't we have a responsibility to help elect the people who make the decisions that affect our lives and careers?