Duties & Responsibilities

There is a great difference between a duty and a responsibility. A duty is something that you have to do. If you do not fulfill your duty there will be consequences. These consequences could vary from paying a small fine to spending time in jail. A responsibility is something you chose to do rather than are forced to do.

Some duties I have are to attend school, obey the law, and appear in court when I'm told to. America wants its people to have an education. You cannot achieve an education without attending school. You should at least complete up until your 12th grade year. After high school, you have the right to choose to attend college or not. When I walk out of my house every morning, I have a duty to obey the law. There are a lot of laws that you must follow in your everyday schedule. For example you must go the speed limit. If you are not aware of the law you have broken, 9 times out of 10, you still get fined. When I receive a letter with my court date on it, I must follow what instructions given. For instance if the letter tells me to be at Ohio County Court House at 11:30am on January 24th, I must be there unless physically impossible. If I chose to not show, I would most likely have a different outcome when leaving the court room.

Everyone has a good share of responsibilities. Some responsibilities I have are to respect the rights of others and to stay informed about current events and the government. I pay attention to people’s rights, especially my own, because they may be being violated. People get very angry when their rights are violated. Therefore, I try my very best to respect them. I also try to stay informed about what all is going on in my area. I like to know if things are going to change or even if someone I know has died. Most important I don't feel safe if I don't know who is running the state and city. So, especially during elections I stay very updated on what’s going on around me.