Want to know what thousands of middle and high school kids across the country are thinking about in politics?

Go to Letters to the Next President and find out.

Be prepared to be surprised. And impressed.

Here are some excerpts from a letter written by Matt B. from Oklahoma:

Hello Future President,

As you can see, our country’s economy is at a all time low. There are some issues that I am concerned about, and believe that they should be dealt with before anything else. As you are sworn to office in January you should fix our college funding programs, propose energy solutions, and address healthcare as soon as possible because these are the top issues that all of America needs changed…

I believe that nobody should be denied an education because of their money situation. There needs to be more financial aid than there is now in the U.S.. Where I live in Oklahoma they only give out financial aid if your family makes $50,000 or less a year. I don’t qualify because my family makes $70,000, but I can still not afford college my my mom has to support 3 kids and she can’t afford to help me out with college. So the family with 1 child making $50,000 a year gets their child’s education paid for but the family making $70,000 a year doesn’t. I don’t believe that is right because my mom and dad have to support 3 times the children only making $20,000 a year more. If I can’t get any scholarships then I am going to have to take student loans and be in great debt several years after college, because I had no financial help after high school. I believe you need to raise financial aid for those middle class families that can’t afford to send their kid to college…

Our country is never going to be perfect but you can make it better then it’s ever been in the past years by raising education funds, converting cars to run on CNG, and making sure every American recieves healthcare. Please Mr. Future President don’t make me move to Canada.

Last week I asked about home made costumes versus store bought, and the majority came out for home made, but that didn’t necessarily mean you actually do a home made costume. This year’s costume for the Munchkin was a mix of a couple of store bought items, along with some home made/crafty aspects.

This week, I just have to talk a bit about politics. But don’t worry, I’m not going to ask who you are voting for.

In my state, we have lots of initiatives on the ballot, one of which I am very much against. Imagine my shock (although maybe I really shouldn’t have been) when we came to the house of one of the Munchkin’s buddies to pick them up to go trick-or-treating. There on the lawn was a sign advocating the very initiative I have a problem with. And of course, I didn’t rip it down, or even make any mention of it. I don’t think I ever will, either. They are nice people, and I’m not sure I would tell the Munchkin he can no longer hang out with his friend simply because of the parent’s political views.

So, my question today is: