Opinion

January 21, 2022

by Landen Warner

One of my favorite visual aesthetics is that of Cyberpunk. Inspired by the world of Bladerunner, Cyberpunk aesthetic takes the lighting and technology of the future and mixes it with elements of grungy reality. That being said, anything that tries to use this aesthetic tends to immediately catch my interest. Ghostrunner (2020), by One More Level caught my eye upon release last year, but I never took the chance to actually play the game. While I was working on completing the game, set to be the topic of my next large scale review, I decided to take a quick detour to play through Ghostrunner, and I’m glad I took the time.

Ghostrunner is an action platformer game where you play as a cybernetic ninja on a mission to take down the hierarchy of a dystopian society. The game will mix elements of tight platforming and action combat to create puzzle-like encounters with a wide variety of enemies. In the game’s short run time, One More Level was able to create 14 deep levels, 3 boss stages, and one strong vibe.

When playing this game, I was worried the simple game structure would make Ghostrunner overstay its welcome. Fortunately, the game constantly includes new elements to create complicated platforming challenges. The game will often do the simple method of Mega Man 2 in introducing enemies and level elements. First, introduce the challenge in a controlled environment, then go wild with that same design element; Ghostrunner will embrace this philosophy to reuse older level elements without making the changes feel gimmicky or boring. Most of the time, I found the platforming to be satisfying, although I did find the geometry of some platforms to get me killed quite frequently. I also found that at times I would get lost mid platforming challenge, which at times could feel very frustrating and could’ve been fixed with some simple tweeks to the UI. While a map does exist in your peripheral, it only serves to mark enemy locations and never to show where my character actually is relative to the level. Overall, the platforming elements of this game work well as the main gameplay element in this game, besides a few small issues typical to smaller indie projects.

The combat of this game, as previously mentioned, is very subservient to the pre-established platforming elements. This works in most scenarios, making combat seem like a fast flourish of platforming and sword slashing that is incredibly difficult, but equally satisfying once you beat a combat challenge. One aspect of the combat I found to be quite weak was the implementation of power-ups in the game. They typically come in two forms, passive and active power-ups. The active power ups come throughout the story in the form of abilities, some include shooting beam blasts from your sword, a long sword slash useful for taking out many enemies in an instant, and deflecting projectiles. These abilities are all fine in the context of the combat, but in some aspects they all serve similar purposes, that being to stop enemy projectiles and take down enemies efficiently. Furthermore, the passive upgrade system of the game comes in the form of unlockable microchips, they do anything from increasing the power of abilities to showing enemies through walls, overall they add a small extra touch to the combat, while not being necessary to succeed in the game.

That being said, Ghostrunner is a great, concise experience that I think most people could find enjoyment in. It shows great potential for One More Level, and hopefully their next project is able to make the great aspects of this game even greater. In conclusion, because of it’s fun gameplay, great atmosphere, and stellar level design, I feel Ghostrunner deserves a 7.5/10.

November 2, 2021

by Landen Warner

There are many games known to be industry defining, but there aren’t many games that are simply good enough to create a genre of their own. Metroid is one of those few series that is so unique it has defined a genre. While Metroid may not be a best selling series on the level of Mario or The Legend of Zelda, the series has proven itself to have some of the greatest design in video games since its debut on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The third game in the series, Super Metroid, even today has stood the test of time as one of the greatest games ever created: a game so great that it defines the concepts behind the Metroidvania genre. But, it’s been twenty seven years since the release of Super Metroid, and it’s been nineteen years since the release of the last new 2D Metroid (Metroid Fusion). Despite this, that time has passed and the long awaited sequel to Metroid Fusion has arrived. After playing Metroid Dread, I can only define it one way, amazing.

The game opens up on a recap of the story of the past four games. The story of bounty hunter Samus Aran’s missions throughout the galaxy in an attempt to exterminate the metroid species and then the X parasite. Now, four games within one story may seem intimidating, however the story is by no means substantial nor important to a fun play experience. It’s no secret to anyone that has been playing video games over the past fifteen years that they have gotten, easier to say the least. Metroid Dread is a stark contrast to this trend, with little hand-holding to players with the exception of occasional nudges in the right direction. Critiques of past Metroid games tend to show that players hate either excessive linearity or excessive nonlinearity in these games. While Metroid Fusion and Super Metroid respectively represent these problems, Metroid Dread is able to take the best aspects of both games to make a perfect balance of the nonlinearity that makes the games progression rewarding and just enough in the terms of hints and directing to make the game easy to play for newcomers and. This excellence in the nonlinear nature of this game is added to by near perfect level design and secret placement. Every area in the game has many secrets to find, making them explorable, and intelligent placement of enemies draws the player's eyes to places that often hold additional power-ups or pathways.

This game also features Samus’s best toolkit in the series. While the beginning of the game gives a rather lackluster reason for Samus to lose her toolkit from the previous game, at least the game bothers to actually include some form of an explanation in them being taken by Raven Beak, the main antagonist of this romp. This simple explanation at least makes the decision to take away Samus’s abilities to be a bit more valid in the context of the story. Though Samus will start off with a basic peashooter and wall jumps, eventually she will be able to shoot triple wave beams that go through walls, zip around with the flash shift, and much more. This leads me to one of my favorite progression systems in this game. As the game continues, Samus will gain more speed maneuvering abilities. This allows the player to move around the rather huge map faster as they become more familiar with it through gameplay, making what would otherwise be a cumbersome task in moving across the map feel simple and easy because the game has already provided you with the spatial knowledge, and thus, traversing it with speed enhancements feel much more natural. Of course, Samus gets back her classic abilities in the missiles, super missiles, morph ball, and power bombs. These abilities work as great as ever in this game, and the combination of missiles and super missiles makes it much easier to progress in the game without the tedium of swapping between the two seen in previous games.

This wonderful toolkit is complemented by incredibly refined movement, making gameplay feel fast and fluid, and giving the player complete control over Samus. It may be a good time to add that the developer of this game, MercurySteam, previously developed a remake to Metroid 2: Samus Returns on the 3DS. Many of the new concepts implemented into that game, including full 360 degree aiming and melee based combat (mostly in the form of timed parries), make their way into Metroid Dread as well. While those systems worked great on the 3DS project despite its small screen, those systems enhance gameplay even more now on the Switch. These elements make this the best playing Metroid game, and Samus a fun character to control.

The game features a plethora of enemies and bosses, in fact I would consider the bosses to be one of the strongest aspects to this game. While there aren’t a lot of them, the bosses on display make great use of all of Samus’s abilities to defeat them and therefore feel like rewarding challenges. The best bosses feel like some of the best crafted fights in gaming history. Unique to Dread are the EMMI enemy type. To simplify things, these enemies preside within a designated area on each level, and when Samus enters the area, the EMMI will begin to track Samus with the eventual goal of insta-killing the player. While it is possible to escape the grasp for an EMMI, the timing is so precise that it is practically impossible for any normal human being. The nature of these encounters paint the dreadful atmosphere the game hopes to present. While not being able to shoot back with your basic weapon may feel infuriating, being able to unlock the omega cannon (the only weapon capable of slaying EMMIs) and finally putting an EMMI down for good is gratifying. Furthermore, turning the previously inhabited stealth area into normal areas amplifies exploration. Overall, EMMIs tend to be a very well thought out addition to the game.

If Metroid is known for one thing other than its gameplay, it definitely has to be its ability to create tension and an atmosphere. There is simply no other game that portrays the feeling of exploring an unknown planet with its own history and civilizations like Metroid. The dark realistic backgrounds, the biotic creature designs, and especially the iconic music help these games create a sense of unease when exploring new areas of the world. Metroid Dread carries on this tradition, creating some of the most lifelike environments in video gaming. However, the music feels like a step back in some aspects. While the Metroid series has never been known for “in your face” tracks, it has always been known for providing great ambient pieces to add to the game's tone. Dread unfortunately fails in this department; while the songs aren’t outright bad in any capacity, they sometimes simply fail to catch the aesthetic of Metroid. They often end up sounding like subtle techno music as opposed to the creepy ambience of past game’s tracks. This problem is made up for by its incredible backgrounds and visuals, making the issue of the soundtrack not all that bad.

While the game only clocks in at around ten hours, the game definitely includes replay value, with some exclusive rewards being locked behind beating the game over again under certain criteria. The Metroid series incentivizes people to speedrun these games, with most rewards being given to players able to beat the game under a certain amount of time. Furthermore, if the main game wasn’t hard enough for you, the post-game unlocked hard mode should be enough for a replay. For anybody that likes inventive, genre-defining games, Metroid Dread is for them. The game is near perfect, and it does almost everything right while fixing the errors of its predecessors. If you own a Nintendo Switch, this is a must buy for the system, and is definitely worth the 60 dollar price tag.

My Final Verdict: 9.8/10

May 2021

Boiling Springs High School offers many AP classes, including AP HUG, AP Seminar, and even AP Calculus. Between the wide ranges of AP classes, one thing remains the same; how stressful each and every one of them are.

This year has been stressful enough, let alone AP testing right around the corner. Every kid is preparing and studying to their full extent, while also dealing with their everyday life, whether it’s sports, extracurriculars, or work from other classes. I am only taking one AP class this year and I am very stressed. I cannot imagine how my other peers are dealing with their AP tests because I know some of them have multiple going on. Finding time to study for these tests while also dealing with the typical end of year things, such as finals, Mini-Thon, and sports, takes a toll on the students in these classes. They have to work extra hard for their tests, if they are taking them.

Many of the students in AP classes take the end of year test to try to potentially obtain college credits. Any student who takes an AP exam must get an overall 3 out of 5 to “pass” the test. Many colleges will not take these classes as college credits if the student does not get at least a 3, and some even don’t take a 3, but a 4 or higher. With this in mind, it makes taking these tests all the more stressful because it would be a waste of money to take the test and not even pass, let alone not get the college credit. This year poses an extra challenge because any student has not been at school for the full amount of time a normal school year consists of. As a result, they have not gotten the curriculum to the best it has to offer and could struggle with the test because they didn’t learn all of the material necessarily.

This year has been special for everyone and AP testing will be no different. Juggling to make time for the busy schedules each student has is hard. Fitting everything in will be hard, as well as completing everything to their full potential. As for me, I know firsthand how stressful AP testing can be and how much work studying is for the test, let alone how much other things I have had to complete on top of my AP class. Between band, sports, other classes, and everyday life, I have struggled and gotten very stressed with all of the things I have to complete. Some advice I give to my other AP peers is to take breaks often and don’t get too overwhelmed with all of your work. It is worth it to take the extra 15 minute break rather than to stress yourself out over the studying. You got this and don’t worry, you’ll do great!

March 2021

In the turmoil of the major Black Lives Matter protests last summer and the fast approaching deadline for countries to cut down on their carbon emissions before the effects of climate change become irreversible, many people are asking what they can do. These problems are so vast and highly prioritized that they seem to be only in the hands of major governments and corporations. But this is not the case. While we ourselves cannot write up the laws that can shape the changes necessary to solve these complex issues, we can make small changes that can overall have an immense impact on our communities.

The most basic thing you can do if you don’t know where to start is donate. Find an organization that supports what you do and donate to them. For example if you’re fighting against racial injustice, you may try donating to the Black Lives Matter organization, a global organization working to empower black communities and dismantle white supremacy. You can also sign petitions that put pressure on lawmakers to make changes to our legislation for the better. These choices, while small, truly do have an enormous impact on the advancement toward social justice.

Another simple thing you can do, especially in the age of social media, is educate yourself on the aspects of the issues you care about. You may know why the movement exists and why it is important, but you may not realize how many aspects of our daily lives are affected by them. For instance, climate change is obviously a very widespread issue, but there are a lot of aspects besides carbon emissions that go unrecognized. One example of this would be the ancient active viruses contained within icecaps that are melting as global warming accelerates. These viruses have been trapped within icecaps for ages and once the icecaps melt they can get out into our world and infect the population at an alarming rate. An easy way to educate yourself on topics like these is through trusted sources of information on social media. There are accounts that dedicate themselves to informing people with the facts of current events, especially in an age of widespread misinformation. One that I would highly recommend would be So You Want To Talk About, a social media account that uses graphic slideshows to dissect social issues.

While it may be hard in the current circumstances of the past year, attending protests can be a great way, not only to support those affected by these issues around you, but also to further educate yourself on what you can do to help out and empower the movement. At a peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd in Carlisle last year, protesters heard from prominent community leaders. This includes speaker Ellie Park, who encouraged her fellow white participants to not pretend to be ignorant of what is happening to their Black counterparts and instead continue to acknowledge the racial disparities in our country. Another speaker was Stephanie Jirard, a criminal justice professor at Shippensburg University that gave insight to the ways that the criminal justice system continues to oppress Black people in our country. Protests like this one are essential to learning what you can do to help and of course showing your support for those affected.

The last thing I would say is that change begins with you. If you want to lessen the country’s total carbon footprint, make that modification begin with you. Bike to work and school if you can, consume less meat and dairy, eat more locally grown food, make swaps for common single-use plastics in your life, etc. If there’s something you want to change, make the first change with yourself. This includes educating yourself and changing your mindset, especially when these issues can make us all a bit defeatist. Remember that you can make that change and you can make a difference, so spread the word and keep up the energy and hard work.

Organizations fighting racial injustice:

https://www.nomoremartyrs.org/blog/2017/3/6/28-organizations-that-empower-black-communities

Organizations fighting climate change:

https://foodtank.com/news/2020/10/36-organizations-helping-solve-the-climate-crisis/

Organizations supporting the fight for gender equality:

https://www.humanrightscareers.com/magazine/organizations-gender-equality/

Organizations supporting the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights:

https://www.childwelfare.gov/organizations/?CWIGFunctionsaction=rols:main.dspList&rolType=Custom&RS_ID=146&rList=ROL

Organizations fighting against antisemitism:

https://www.bethshalomaustin.org/organizations

Organizations fighting Islamophobia:

https://www.afsc.org/key-issues/issue/communities-against-islamophobia

https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/network-against-islamophobia/

https://www.takeonhate.org/partners

https://www.cair.com/

Organizations fighting ableism:

https://ncdj.org/resources/organizations/

As we know, COVID-19 has brought a downfall to many people’s lives. From taking away their jobs, taking away their social life, and even potentially their family. There is one clear thing though that COVID-19 has taken away from teenagers; their sports. Many teenagers nowadays play at least one sport, if not multiple, and their sport tends to be a big part of their life, no matter what it is. Every sport takes time and dedication to get better, and these teeangers have proven that and worked very hard to get to where they are today. But, COVID-19 has put a halt to the extent of sports ever since they cancelled the spring sports season in 2020. From there, PIAA was hesitant with fall sports, but eventually gave the go-ahead and there was a season for all the fall sports; football, soccer, volleyball, etc. In addition, they were allowed to have spectators because they were outside (most of them), and everything ran smoothly for the most part. On the other hand, winter sports were still a go, but PIAA was much more hesitant with their spectator capacity because all sports were held indoors. Now, as the year is rolling ahead, we are getting into the preparation for spring sports. Once again, these events are held outdoors, just like fall sports, and it is looking good for the go-ahead to pursue teams. With the vaccines rolling out at high numbers, it might just be possible to have some sort of a “normal” season. Going along with that, now that vaccines are coming out more regularly for those who would like to get them, maybe life itself could start to go back to normal and we could see a glimpse of hope in the distance of life going back to the way it once was, before COVID-19. I know a lot of teenagers, myself included, would love to get back to normal and be able to see all of our friends at school and hangout with them more regularly. With the vaccines, this might be possible in the near-future and spring sports could potentially have a more normal look than the fall and winter seasons did. As a member of the track and field team and a sophomore in high school, I personally missed out on my first track and field season due to COVID-19 last year and it would be great if I could experience an actual season this year. With everything hanging in the air, there is no definite answer at this point in time on whether or not spring sports will be happening, but there is a pretty good chance they will be, as well as maybe a glimpse of normal life in the future.

Due to the effects of Covid-19, most Americans have had to quarantine at some point over the course of the last year. Going along with that, back in the spring, everything was shut down, including school, work, and extracurricular activities. Many school-aged children, specifically teenagers, are in multitudes of extracurriculars, ranging from sports to band to clubs. These activities were always a way to distract those teenagers, helping them with stress relief and other forms of anxiety they might be facing. However, back in March of 2020, all of this was stolen from them due to a virus, specifically a worldwide pandemic. Everything was shut down and nobody could leave their houses unless they were getting necessities like groceries and toiletries.

This may not seem like a big deal, but for some teenagers it was a huge difference. For some, the end of their senior year was taken from them, prom, graduation, senior week, while others did not necessarily have very much taken, maybe a few things here and there or their sports season. On the contrary, for many teenagers around the world, something even bigger was taken from them. Many teenagers discovered some variation of a mental illness that they did not know they had.

Sadly, various teenagers could not handle this isolation from everything they’re used to and decided to take their own life. This is never the answer to your own problems, and if you have these thoughts, you should seek help and talk to someone about how you’re feeling. Also, mental illnesses such as anxiety have occurred in others, and they potentially have had to get medication or talk to a therapist about what is going on.

This time has been hard on everyone, regardless of age, gender, religion, etc., and resorting back to a nationwide quarantine is not the answer to helping the country fight this pandemic. These children, specifically teenagers, need that outlet and inclusion with their peers to live their crazy lives and they deserve to not have that taken from them, especially when they had it taken for months upon months just half a year ago. Taking away teenagers' outlets of happiness and inclusion will not help their mental state, no matter what is happening in the world; there is always a way around the impossible.

Last week, Americans across the country watched as rioters supporting the election of President Donald Trump swarmed past the police stationed in front of the Capitol, broke through the windows, and marched around the Capitol as if it belonged to them. This was all incited by President Trump, not only through his Tweets, but also through his unwillingness to concede the 2020 election to Former Vice President Joe Biden. These protesters spouted hate, flaunting symbols of antisemitism and waving Confederate flags for the first time in the Capitol, vandalizing multiple offices of the U.S. Senators, and even threatening to hang Vice President Mike Pence. Senators hid under chairs and desks fearing for their lives when protesters forced their way into the Senate Chamber as the vote to certify the 2020 election was about to be taken. It took Trump until about 4:00pm, about three hours after the violent protests started, to tell the rioters to go home. But he still did not concede the election and also appeared to have sympathy for the rioters in the one minute video, so it didn’t do much to quell the violence. The past week has been turbulent with the aftermath of the riots, so it is time to take a look at the whole picture.

Since the riots, President Trump has conceded the election to Joe Biden. But that does not mean he is out of trouble. Multiple elected officials, Democrats and Republicans alike, are calling to invoke the 25th Amendment, an article that will call for Trump to be removed from office because he is unfit or incapable of doing his duties as president, leaving Vice President Pence in charge. However, this action will most likely not go through because Vice President Pence has refused to agree to it and he is in a vital role in the process of invoking this article. But, another plan has been successful: impeachment. On Wednesday, the majority of the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for a second time, the first time in American history this has ever happened. This is a great step forward but the idea still needs to get past the currently Republican Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that he will not allow the proceedings to occur until after the inauguration of Joe Biden next week. It has been argued that while this may seem pointless, it should be done out of principle and he could still lose many of the benefits of being a former president. If President Trump were to be removed from office as a result of his impeachment, he would lose his pension, taxpayer subsidies for office space for him and his staff, and his travel allowance. And, most importantly after he incited domestic terrorism to occur at our Capitol, he will be banned from running for office in the future.

This past week has been troubling for Democratic and Republican Americans alike. Elected President Joe Biden made a statement last Wednesday that this was still a minority of people, a group of people that do not represent the entire country. He has promised to work with Democrats and Republicans alike, and he has continued to uphold that promise even in the last troubling week. This does not mean we shouldn’t recognize who or what people have supported, in this case a president who has incited a riot. It means that we should still discuss the ideals of our nation with the opposing side because we cannot reach peace alone. The only way for our country to uproot horrific events like what occurred at Capitol Hill last week is to have peaceful relations that still uphold the ideals of our nation.

As we see the physical turmoil the coronavirus is taking on the population, the death toll spiking to 307,000 and seventeen million new cases today in the United States, we must also look at what this does to our mental health. Talking with my therapist in March, I remember mentioning the feeling of dread and worry that had seemingly come out of nowhere. To this my therapist responded that this was a common thing she was hearing from her clients. She elaborated that it wasn’t that this feeling had just suddenly appeared, it was a result of a global panic as the world watched the seriousness of this pandemic build in March. For people not involved in the policymaking surrounding the coronavirus, we may feel a bit out of control. This only adds to the fear of infection, making it all the more difficult to quell the nervous thoughts surrounding lockdowns, infections, symptoms, and everything in between. Going to therapy, I found some helpful tools that have allowed me to subside my anxious thoughts and ones that could help you, too.

Going into the lockdown in March, I realized how much of my connection to other people depended on school. I talked to my friends there five days a week, saw my teachers in class, practiced with my teams and musical groups, interacted with fellow club members during resource, and just generally communicated with other people during class discussions and the like. Without in person learning, I felt a bit lost and isolated. Fortunately the solution to this is quite simple to this nowadays: contact your friends through social media, text, or call. My therapist also recommended that I Facetime or Skype so I can get the same in person feel without being in person. Even a five minute conversation held with people outside of my own home helped me to better connect with the world and feel less alone, and I hope you can find that connection as well.

Contacting my friends also helped with my struggle to find motivation for tasks that seemed insignificant in comparison to the fight against the coronavirus. When there are so many worries in our minds that seem to take more priority than simple duties, it’s hard to find any drive to fulfill them. Now if talking with someone doesn’t give you more motivation, don’t fret, there are a few other options you can try. Taking a walk to get sunshine and fresh air can help you clear your mind, allowing you to focus on what you need to do. In addition to this, a very useful tool I found was assigning a descriptive name, like “worried” or “fearful” to the emotion or thought you’re feeling so you can move past it and on to other duties. My therapist described this as keeping the bad feelings away from the dinner table by sticking it in the attic with a bologna sandwich. Another way to feel motivated is putting something in your day to look forward to. In a further step to including activities you can look forward to, you can also create a reward system. I’ve found this exceptionally helpful diving back into the school year, especially on the Fridays in our virtual schedules. To create a reward system, you list all the things you need to get done, such as homework and chores, and list an equal amount of rewards for finishing these activities. Rewarding yourself for finishing even small jobs can persuade you to keep up your hard work.

As I mentioned previously, adding projects to your day that you can enjoy can increase your interest in the day’s pursuits. Designing your day entirely, while challenging with set schedules for classes, can also lead to an efficient timetable. You can use the rewards system aforementioned to create a well-balanced day while working around your class schedule and other activities that may be going on. In addition to adding to your drive, creating a routine can make up for the control you may feel you have lost due to the pandemic. A routine tells you what you should expect and creates a comfortable environment for people with anxiety or generally anxious thoughts. Reframing the way you look at your schedule, without missing important arrangements like Zoom classes, empowers you to make little aspects of your day that you enjoy and can look forward to.

A few more suggestions to consider when dealing with nervousness, stress, or any negativity may be to create art in any form. Art is a fantastic way of expressing emotion, so singing, dancing, painting, etc., can be extremely beneficial in helping you cope with the emotions you’re feeling. I find art forms like drawing exceedingly enjoyable because it’s all about interpretation, and since you’re the one making it you’re bound to appreciate at the very least the hard work you put into saying your piece. And as anyone who’s ever kneaded dough before will tell you, baking is a great stress reliever. These activities can also help anyone who’s missing out on clubs or sports. Replacing the time that would have been spent practicing for swim meets or drawing with friends in the Art Club with something of the same function, like working out at home or drawing with friends over Facetime, can supply you with the same joy and sense of accomplishment these activities would have when they were in session.

Hopefully this helps those of you feeling stressed out over online school or just the pandemic in general. Obviously the activities previously described are all suggestions, you should feel free to make adjustments to them as well as branching out to other methods. Don’t forget to get an adequate amount of rest and that you’re never alone. I hope you have a lovely day.

Crisis Intervention: (717) 243-6005 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255

The Senate is one of two branches in the legislative branch of the government, which always has two senators per state, unlike the other branch, The House of Representatives, where the number of lawmakers is proportional to each state’s population. In addition, the leader of the majority party controls the Senate and is granted extensive power over bills despite having been voted in by only one state. Many people and news sources such as Vox, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and The Atlantic have claimed that the Senate is undemocratic and cite the extreme power of the Senate majority leader as being one of the key reasons for this.

The Senate majority leader decides what legislation is seen by the Senate and can reject bills that are passed by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate. For example, Mitch McConnell recently blocked the $2000 stimulus bill after it had been passed by the House of Representatives. Other bills, such as economic relief and election security have also been held back from the senate floor. Many Senators are unable to have any say in important issues because of this. A representative democracy relies on every senator being able to represent their part of the country through their vote. Although the majority leader is chosen by a vote by the party in current control of the Senate, the majority leader is only directly voted into his or her position by a single state. So, in essence, a government position that has control over decisions that affect the lives of all Americans is only initially voted into the Senate by one state. In the House of Representatives, this is even worse, as the Speaker of the House is voted in by citizens from only one district. There is little point in having so many lawmakers in the legislative branch if so much power is placed in the hands of two individuals.

In addition, Senators hold on to power longer than Representatives. Members of the Senate are given six-year-long terms as opposed to a Representative’s two year terms. Senators also have their elections staggered so the Senate does not see large turnovers. The slow changes in the Senate may help with government stability but there is a significant lag behind the changing political demographics in their home states and in their policies. While the Speaker of the House may have many of the same issues as the Senate majority leader, Representatives can be voted out by citizens in their district more regularly if they are disliked. The fact that two people can have such power over the legislative branch and the fact that they are voted in by only one part of the country undermines a representative democracy.

The Senate has become an increasingly controversial Government institution in the United States. There has been more and more criticism directed towards it that claims it conflicts with some of the ideals of representative democracy. The Senate in its current form is much less democratic than many of the other government institutions in the United States. Despite that fact, removing or reforming it may be impossible within the bounds of the United States Constitution. However, there will be new leadership in the senate this month. We should hold all our representatives accountable for viewing and voting on the matters that are important to their constituents.