[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 108 (Tuesday, August 4, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1529-E1530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   ISSUES OF CONCERN TO TODAY'S YOUTH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 4, 1998

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have printed in the Record 
statements by high school students from my home state of Vermont, who 
were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people 
today. I am asking that you please insert these statements in the 
Congressional Record as I believe that the views of these young people 
will benefit my colleagues.

    Statement by Erica Lewis and Dan Johnson Regarding Drunk Driving

       Erica Lewis: We would like to express a concern that is 
     becoming a big issue with teen Vermonters today. Our concern 
     is probably the same as many others: Teen driving under the 
     influence of alcohol.
       Young adults are usually both inexperienced drivers as well 
     as inexperienced drinkers. These two combined is a fatality 
     waiting to happen. Alcohol, when consumed, decreases 
     alertness, causes depression, nausea, unconsciousness, 
     hangovers, and possible overdose, which could lead to death. 
     We, as teenagers, should be aware of the serious risks that 
     are involved when wrong choices are made and lives are at 
     stake. Driving should be considered a privilege, not a right, 
     for we all have the right to be safe while driving, and when 
     alcohol is involved, no one can predict the outcome. Anyone 
     of us here today could be driving down the road next week 
     and, because of a drunk driver, never make it to where we 
     were headed. Because of this increasing problem, there needs 
     to be more awareness of alcohol and its effects. It is up to 
     us, the younger generation, to make an impression on our 
     peers and those that follow, and most of all to prove to our 
     elders that we have what it takes to make the right decisions 
     and follow through.
       There is no overall solution to this problem, but we, as 
     mature young adults, should make a strong effort to plan 
     ahead before it gets to a point where it might be too late, 
     whether that be make arrangements for a designated driver or 
     staying until you are capable of driving.
       Dan Johnson: A suggestion that we have and strongly agree 
     with is a paper called a contract for life. It is an 
     agreement between teenagers and their parents stating, if at 
     any given time that either they feel incapable of driving, 
     there will be transportation provided, and safe 
     transportation, for them. This contract was given to us from 
     our drivers ed teachers at the Essex Technical Center. Other 
     suggestions that we agree with is larger penalties for adults 
     in furnishing alcohol for minors at stores to sell this. Teen 
     drinking and driving will always be a problem, but, 
     hopefully, with our help, we can reduce it. Thank you for our 
     time.
       Congressman Sanders: A very important contribution to this 
     discussion. Thanks very much.
                                  ____


 Statement by Jesse Field, Renay Thompson and Elaine Griffen Regarding 
                           Capital Punishment

       Jesse Field: Last year, every U.S. citizen committed 45 
     homicides. None of them were ever prosecuted. These crimes 
     were planned out at least ten years in advance, and the 
     victim not only knew about the coming execution, but was kept 
     in prison the entire time. How, you may ask, can this happen. 
     Well, the answer is, these crimes were legal.
       You may realize by now what we are talking about: Capital 
     punishment. You may also be saying, but these people were the 
     scum of the earth, they don't deserve to live after what they 
     did. This statement raises a serious moral question. But 
     there are other reasons, as well, to abolish capital 
     punishing: High costs, increased murder rates, and 
     discrimination.
       Elaine Griffen: Many people often argue it takes a lot of 
     their tax dollars to keep an inmate locked up, and why should 
     they have to pay so he or she can live? The truth is, it does 
     cost them a lot. A study from 1997 found that it costs 
     $20,000 per year to keep a prisoner in jail. That's $800,000 
     to lock them up for forty years. However, the same source 
     found that it costs taxpayers $2 million to execute someone. 
     This is mostly because there are so many more appeals and 
     Court costs attributed to an inmate on death row. So, in 
     fact, taxpayers are not getting a break when they execute a 
     criminal.
       Renay Thompson: Another common argument for the death 
     penalty is capital punishment deters crime. This is not true 
     at all. When a crime is committed, often the last thing on a 
     potential criminal's, mind is what consequences they will 
     suffer as a result of this.
       And as George Bernard Shaw says, ``It is the deed that 
     teaches, not the name we give it.'' Murder and capital 
     punishment are not opposites that cancel one another, but 
     similars that breed their kind. Studies done have shown that, 
     as the number of executions increase, so does the murder 
     rate. Georgia, which reinstated capital punishment in 1983, 
     saw an increase of 20 percent in their murder rate in the 
     following year, also a year in which the national homicide 
     rate fell 5 percent. When Florida started executing prisoners 
     again in 1979, the 1980 murder rate went up 28 percent, and 
     1981 and 1982 were the highest in recent history. These 
     incidents show, as Michael Godfried put it, that the state 
     may be, tragically, leading by example.
       Jesse Field: Discrimination is also a major issue in 
     sentencings and executions. Poor people cannot afford 
     lawyers, and their defense is not as good. They are convicted 
     and given the death penalty more often. There are also issues 
     of racial discrimination involved. While only 12 to 13 
     percent of our nation's population is African-American, 41 
     percent of people on death row are black. A study done by the 
     New Jersey Supreme Court shows there is strong evidence of 
     racial bias in jurors. They are more likely to give the death 
     penalties to minorities than whites. New Jersey is 
     considering abolishing capital punishment on this issue 
     alone, because it leads to a constitutional violation.
       Elaine Griffen: Despite the strong case both points make 
     against capital punishment, the most important issue by far 
     is that of morals. For some people, it takes the

[[Page E1530]]

     form of religion. For example, the brother of the woman who 
     was murdered by Carla Fay Tucker is strongly against the 
     death penalty for reasons of religion. He met with his 
     sister's killer while she was on death row. He forgave her 
     and she responded with tears and apologies. We killed this 
     woman anyway. Bud Welch's daughter, Julie, died in the 
     Oklahoma City bombing, and still he does not support the 
     execution of Timothy McVay. He rejects legal murder for 
     reasons of his religion, and also other moral issues such as 
     the sanctity of life.
       Another moral point that is important to make is the fact 
     that we are trying to teach people that murder is wrong by 
     committing it. By the logic of our government, we then killed 
     and are wrong, and deserve to be killed as well.
       Renay Thompson: It is interesting to note that the United 
     States is the only developed country that still uses the 
     death penalty. Other countries in the same category with the 
     U.S. on this issue are China, Iraq, India, North Korea, and 
     Cuba, among others.
       We would like to see a Federal abolition of capital 
     punishment like the one from 1972 to 1976. As an alternative 
     to the death penalty, we suggest life penalties without 
     parole. These would be less costly, and the millions of 
     dollars per prisoner saved could be reallocated into a fund 
     to build a greater quantity of more secure prisons.
       Congressman Sanders: That is an excellent presentation.
                                  ____


       Statement by Alia Stavrand Woolf Regarding Charter Schools

       Alia Stavrand Woolf: For the record, my name is Alia 
     Stavrand Woolf. I am a ninth grader at the Gailer School.
       All right. I used to go to the Shelburne Community School, 
     and it wasn't working for me. Classes had no depth, and math 
     was going agonizingly slowly. The only school work I enjoyed 
     was my independent study. Students generally weren't allowed 
     to broaden their studies. So students who already ``got it'' 
     were asked to help the other students in the class learn the 
     material.
       Well, this sounds great in principle, and does work up to a 
     point. But after a while, it got to me. Think about what it 
     would be like if all day, every day, you had to watch 
     Jeopardy reruns and you couldn't turn the TV off because, 
     during the commercials, you were expected to explain the 
     answers to your nextdoor neighbor.
       I became a difficult student because I felt like I was 
     wasting my time in school and not learning nearly as much as 
     I could. By the end of fifth grade, my parents and I were 
     pretty tired of trying to work within the system. When we 
     moved to Charlotte that year, we decided it was time to look 
     at what educational options were open. We asked the Charlotte 
     public school if I could skip a grade so I could be more 
     challenged in school. They said no. We considered home 
     schooling, but both my parents work.
       After a lot of looking, we found a private school in 
     Middlebury called the Gailer School. It integrates different 
     disciplines and incorporates independent study and community 
     service. We met with the headmaster, and he actually talked 
     with me, not to me, about what I wanted to learn. But private 
     school tuition was not in the budget. I would have to start 
     doing a lot more chores around the house, like all of the 
     laundry, vacuuming, lawn mowing, taking care of my brother, a 
     lot of work, so my mom could work more hours. I would also 
     have to get on the bus at 7:00 a.m. to ride to Middlebury and 
     wouldn't get home until 5:00 at night. This was no easy 
     decision for my parents or for me.
       Most public school classes are aimed at the average 
     student. When you think about it, only one percent of 
     students will be perfectly average. There are always special 
     education classes, but not nearly so often are there advanced 
     placement offerings.
       All ends of the spectrum need to be addressed. A student 
     should not have to go to private school to have their needs 
     addressed, and it is mainly the elite who can choose an 
     appropriate education for their child. Shouldn't there be the 
     opportunity for all students to be challenged?
       Students now come from as far south as Rutland, as far 
     north as Fairfax, and as far east as Rochester to go the 
     Gailer School in Middlebury. This should send a clear message 
     to lawmakers that many students care so deeply about their 
     education that they are willing to make significant 
     sacrifices.
       There is simply not enough scholarship money out there so 
     that all students who want to can go to private school. 
     Frequently, students start at private schools, but then have 
     to drop out for financial reasons. While I am fortunate that 
     my family has been able to send me to private school, it 
     should not be only the economically elite who have access to 
     alternative education.
       I think a solution to this problem is federal legislation 
     encouraging states to institute charter schools. Options 
     would then open up for disadvantaged students. Because 
     charter schools are still technically public schools, any 
     student could go to the school of their choice. Students, 
     like adults, need options; no school fits all students, just 
     like no company is right for all workers.
       In our free-market society, students need the best grade 
     school education they can get, because they will have to 
     compete for good colleges and jobs. I do not understand why 
     our system of public schools is set up like a protectorate. 
     It seems like more effort goes into maintaining the status 
     quo than offering kids like me an excellent education.
       Students deserve the opportunity to attend charter schools 
     that are innovative and visionary. I see charter schools as 
     an especially exciting opportunity for all students who are 
     not average to have their talents appreciated and their 
     interests encouraged. I love learning, and I learn best when 
     I love my school.
       Congressman Sanders: Thank you very much for an excellent 
     presentation.

     

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