JSA – Junior State of America

By: Simone Klein

Though no longer the “Arab Spring,” tension in the Middle East continues today, especially in Syria.  For the first time since the beginning of protests, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addressed Americans in an interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters on December 7. Read the full story

By: Iman Baghai

377 Delegates from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho convened in Portland, Oregon for largest Winter Congress in PNW history. Winter Congress serves as a simulation of actual congress with students divided up as either Representative or Senators. During the first day delegates try to pass legislation that they created through both the House and Senate committees and if they are passed out of both committees they will then be debated on the main floor during the second day  when the delegates are again divided into either the House or Senate. Read the full story

By: Kimberly Liu

Snow buried the streets and icicles glittered off rooftops after a frigid Chicago snowstorm swept through overnight. Yet dedicated JSAers braved the blizzard and trekked through the doors to attend Neuqua Valley’s annual chapter conference. This year’s theme, “Who is America?” prompted heated debate on resolutions that ranged from the voting rights of incarcerated felons to the elimination of the Pledge of Allegiance from public institutions.

Read the full story

Politics today, Results tomorrow

By: Gino Ochialani

On Saturday, January 21st, students, tasked with the JSA motto of Being the People, flooded to Texas State University in San Marcos from across Texas to discuss and debate in the halls once graced by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Texas Senator Jeff Wentworth started the exciting discussion and insight of the day, speaking on the theme of Politics Today, Results Tomorrow. Senator Wentworth delivered an inspiring speech on how Texas politics really work, describing life inside the Texas Capitol, and discussing topics ranging from funding cuts of education to recent federal court decisions on Texas redistricting policies. The senator gave future politicians the insight that constituents, not party leaders, were their bosses. Read the full story

By Anthony Kayruz

Over the course of history, individuality has functioned as a sort of inner luxury: desired by most yet acquired by few.  Prolific writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and John Stuart Mill have encouraged the pursuit of self-reliance and praised the sovereign spirit as the epitome of mankind.  However, in modern times, the needs of the many – advertised by the media, described by politicians, and depicted by images – seem to demand that Americans pocket their personal pursuits in exchange for the “overall good” of society.  Read the full story