print version

The Devils' Advocate

Return to Index of Devil's Advocate Articles

Any Republicans at Chelsea High School?

By Clifford Cunningham: Conversations about politics are not common with students at Chelsea High School. However, students in Mr. Weinberg's AP Government class are not the only ones who are capable of having those conversations. Each student at CHS has at least one issue that is important to her. While in AP Government class we took an online survey, answering questions intended to define where each of us stood on the political spectrum. After the survey results showed that most of the students in class were liberal (except one - me), I wanted to see if most of CHS was liberal as well.

I gave the same survey in paper form to fifteen students to see where they stood politically on economic and social issues. Some of the issues involved were: free trade, corporate regulation, taxes, abortion, legalizing marijuana, same-sex marriage, the death penalty, social security, and welfare. Of the fifteen students surveyed, thirteen were socially liberal and two were conservative. Of those same fifteen students, eleven were economically liberal while four were conservative. Fourteen students said they were Democrats, while one said he was a Republican (only me, again, no big surprise).

Chelsea High School is not unique; Massachusetts is one of the most liberal states in the United States. The Massachusetts legislature has five Republican senators out of 40, and nineteen Republican representatives out of 160. Both U.S. senators and all ten congressmen from Massachusetts are Democrats. One Chelsea High student, who asked not to be named, said Republicans are, "“a bunch of racists who should all go to hell."

Typically, those who are economically liberal support regulating corporations, protecting the environment, increasing the minimum wage, implementing universal health care, and spending more on welfare and social security. They oppose free trade agreements and the privatization of social security. Economic conservatives support limited (or no) regulations on corporations, lower taxes, privatizing social security, and oppose large government spending on anything other than defense.

Social liberals tend to support affirmative action, same-sex marriage, abortion, stem cell research (with federal funding), and gun control, while opposing the death penalty, and school vouchers. Social conservatives usually oppose abortion, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, and stem cell research, while supporting the death penalty, school vouchers, and prayer in schools. The majority of liberals belong to the Democratic Party, while most conservatives support the Republican Party.

In a state with so many Democrats, it would seem Republicans are extinct. Three CHS teachers, however, told me they were Republicans. Joseph Sullivan, a history teacher and a moderate-conservative Republican, was once a Democrat but joined the Republican Party after the election of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. John Cammarata, a self-described Libertarian Republican (one who opposes government involvement in economic and social issues), dislikes the stereotypes many people have of Republicans. One stereotype, he says, is that Republicans are considered, "“a bunch of minority-hating, women-hating, elderly-hating, poor-hating people." Rachel French, an English teacher and a conservative Republican, believes the Republican Party must do a better job of communicating with the American people. The inability to do so, she says, is a major cause of the unpopularity of the Bush administration and the Republican Party itself.

Article posted to chs.chelseaschools.com: .

Return to Index of Devil's Advocate Articles

Learned all the SAT words already, you snicker? No problem, overus achieverus.
Random step you can take to help reduce global warming number 17 is...

• Insulate and weatherize your home -- Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. Energy Efficient has more information on how to better insulate your home.