School. It's a vital part of our lives as teenagers, and will determine our futures as adults. It is vital to our society and economy in multiple ways. But here in America, do our schools compare with the schools in Japan and China? The answer?

No. As I write this article, at least in my school, many electives are being cut and class sizes are growing ever larger. This is a serious problem that many politicians have yet to address fully. They seem to think more about Afghanistan and criminals than kids and teens like me. We are the future, and to be honest, those big-wigs at the capital don't seem to care too much at all!

Take for example my school. Many important classes like Speech and Debate were just cut, and so were several languages like German. And if my predictions are correct, it's only going to get worse next year.

Yes, I know that budgets have to be cut somewhere, but schools shouldn't be the scapegoat for the country. And you know what? The U.S. as a whole spends more money on prisons than it does on schools. Isn't that sad? Some people at prison right now are just milking the system for drugs and other medical benefits, without having to pay a cent.

There are just so many things completely screwed up with the U.S. right now that I can't even list them all. But schools are one thing that needs to desperately be fixed, otherwise we'll be just digging our own grave.