This week we are discussing how one person or group can have an influence on the political process. I've stood on my soapbox and preached about the importance of voting. This is the most important aspect of a democratic society. That said, I am going to switch to groups and discuss the revolutions occurring in our world right now. We recently witnessed historical changes in North Africa. The governments of Egypt and Tunisia were peacefully changed. A peaceful protest in Libya is being met with violence and the citizens are fighting back. Yemen and other Mideast and African countries are saying enough is enough. Governments are listening and change is happening. But the question still remains, "are these changes going to make the countries better".  

Across our own country changes are happening as well. In the Midwest, local governments are trying to balance their budgets. They are doing it at the expense of public employees. In Wisconsin the governor is trying to take away the collective bargaining rights of teachers. He wants to make changes in their benefits, which the teachers union says they are willing to do, but he also wants to take away their right to negotiate in the future. The workers in this country have, historically, unionized to support their rights. The Republican governor now wants to take that right away. It is a form of union busting that we haven't seen in our country since the early 1900's. In Providence, Rhode Island the mayor sent out slips to all teachers saying that they could all possibly be fired. Why is there a sudden attack on our education system in this country. I am definitely a supporter of education reform, but without teachers, any kind of reform will not work. If money needs to be saved find another way to do it. An uneducated country is a week country. In order for us to continue to compete in the globalized world, we must be as educated as the next country.

Since we are talking about individuals making a difference in the political process, we must talk about Mark Zuckerberg. Unknowingly, he created a website that has caused upheaval in the world. The ability of young people to see the way the U.S. citizen lives is a major cause of the unrest in the Middle East and Africa. The technological age we live in now creates a world with few secrets. Globalization is happening and the world will never be the same. Thank you Mr. Zuckerberg. Little did you know that your social website would be the catalyst for world wide change.