The idea of corruption is one that comes up often, particularly when talking about the United States Government. With the Mueller report on President Trump released in mid April , the concept of corruption has been tossed around constantly, dominating news networks and social media. However, while it is widely believed that the Trump administration has committed actions that could be considered corrupt, many of these actions are, shockingly, legal. According to the Atlantic, this includes: making changes to foreign policy for personal gain, sabotaging an investigation, and lying in order to gain votes.

This raises the question of what our government values. As teenagers who are soon to be entering adulthood, we will continue to be affected by politics for the rest of our lives. The actions and values prioritized will leave a long-lasting impact on our life. The Mueller report is attempting to expose the twisted acts of the current administration, but because of outdated laws, it may not be entirely successful. These actions that could be considered cause for impeachment may not be taken as seriously as they should be.

The accusations against Trump include but are not limited to, as quoted from page 156 of the Mueller report: “efforts to remove the Special Counsel and to reverse the effect of the Attorney General’s recusal; to the attempted use of official power to limit the scope of the investigation; to direct and indirect contacts with witnesses with the potential to influence their testimony.”

In the previously cited Atlantic article, journalist Franklin Foer claimed that the Mueller report scandal is worse than Watergate. If Foer is correct then it is undeniable that Trump should be a candidate for impeachment. After all, after Watergate, Nixon resigned. Unfortunately, what Nixon did was against the law. Some of the things Trump has done may not have been.

So what do we, as students, do about this? After all, this is the President we’re talking about – it may seem pretty far removed from our everyday lives as students. The answer is simple – do your research, pay attention to what’s going on. Don’t turn a blind eye to the corruption in our government. Right now it may seem like your actions would in no way impact the actions of the United States Government, but we will not always be students. Besides, just because we’re students does not mean that we have to sit back and ignore the decisions being made by our government that will affect us for the rest of our lives. Take a look at the March for Our Lives movement. Thousands of students nationwide, taking a stand for gun control, demanding change. Teenagers have power and when we band together we can do amazing things. When looking into the future, it is vital that we pay attention, starting now. It is only then that our generation will make real change.