A Sheffield teenager flew stateside to get a rare insight into the US Presidential elections. Sara Hawkins, aged 17, a journalist with the city's Children's Express project, attended the Republican Convention in Philadelphia during her visit.
Here she gives her opinions of the US political scene, and in an extract from her diary, a revealing and disturbing picture of politics and poverty on a 'reality' tour through a Philadelphia suburb.
| Why had $6 million been spent on this convention, while all the homeless people been shipped out like herds of cattle? |
I knew very little about what to expect, only that we would be visiting an area that housed lots of 'homeless' people. Kensington is an area with high rates of violence and crime, and low incomes, less than ten minutes from Philadelphia's city centre. The city shone with its clean streets, tall skyscrapers and a town hall that looked like a castle of luxury.
But through the endless stops at Kensington's run-down houses, abandoned factories and converted houses that were now shops, I became confused and started to question why an area that looked as though it could have so much to offer had become so run down.
The whole reason for the convention became a lot more questionable than when I first arrived. Why had $6 million been spent on this convention alone, and why had all the homeless people been shipped out like herds of cattle, rounded up and placed in bed and breakfasts away from the inner city?
The city had built new hotel rooms, which would only be of use for one week. Would the Mayor of Philadelphia use these extra rooms to house the city's homeless?
During the 'reality' tour one man stood up and talked about his job as a drug dealer in the deprived area of Kensington.
By this time my thoughts were elsewhere. I no longer wanted to hear what any of these people had to say. Instead, I was gazing out of the window at the lifeless families sitting on their doorsteps. I felt sorry for all the families that try hard to improve their way of life.
I was disgusted with the man who stood at the front of the bus speaking as if he had achieved great things with life when he had really only ruined the lives of those around him.
I now understand that you are isolated from others no matter what financial category you place yourself in. I understand, too, that the American Government is like our own. Both have a habit of making empty promises that neither the politician always believes in, nor the person voting actually trust. The poor get poorer and the rich get richer.
The Republican Convention
For my first taste of American political life, I had expected the Republican Convention to have important people giving presentations about what should be changed to make the USA a better place to live.
The convention was full of over-excited Texans, and by the end, I had the distinct feeling it had been full of too many party balloons, not enough platforms (political issues), and too many choruses of ' I'm proud to be an American'.
What were the platforms? Tax issues, where it seemed the rich would get richer, the support for 'traditional' life, including hunting and the right to own a gun, the move to halt abortion in the name of 'the right to life', and the expansion of the US oil industry.
The speeches seemed strangely empty of substance when it came to individual and social welfare. What about people struggling on benefit? Would hospital bills be lowered so that every child has the equal opportunity of treatment? Such matters were not addressed.
There were plenty of protests outside the convention building. For every issue that would improve the American Dream, there was a protest - housing situations, benefits, support for young mothers, support for single mothers. But watching these demonstrations slowly and quietly moving along the streets outside, supervised by the police, it seemed that these people were not shouting loud enough.
The Democrat Convention
I watched the Democrat Convention on national TV, and the whole focus seemed different.
The Democrats centred on issues that would represent an entire nation and make a difference to social reform in America. A decrease in hospital bills, and an increase in safety precautions of children going to school are two positive examples of the way Gore's campaign is more people-centred. His move to tighten gun control in America was equally welcome.
Two other initiatives really impressed me. The Democrats are not anti-abortion, which to me supports the very principle that individuals have the right to freedom of choice. They also support the drive to develop a school voucher system which would allow young people from deprived inner-city areas to attend fee-paying schools.
Al Gore seems more concerned with the rights of the American citizen, and the need to develop practical answers to social problems. Last Monday, as the presidential race reached the last laps, Gore led his campaign into the heart of Philadelphia's inner-city suburbs to target the working class black vote.
About the article
This article was written by Sara Hawkins. A shorter version of it was published in the Sheffield Star.
