[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 15 (Monday, January 27, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S481-S483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                         VERMONT ESSAY WINNERS

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask to have printed in the 
Record winning essays written by Vermont High School students as part 
of the Fourth Annual State of the Union Essay contest conducted by my 
office.
  The essays follow:

       Alexina Federhen, Mount Anthony Union High School, Grade 11 
     (Winner)

                            A House Divided

       2013 was a difficult year for America. Nature brought death 
     and disaster by fire, wind, and water; four prominent banks 
     used unethical methods to deprive Americans of their homes; 
     numerous individuals, businesses, and the city of Detroit hit 
     financial rock bottom; and shootings in our schools

[[Page S482]]

     every other week killed 19 and wounded 24 students and staff. 
     A spy revealed that our government is spying on our private 
     conversations; universal healthcare became a universal 
     headache when the application process required major surgery; 
     and an exciting finish exploded into terror at the Boston 
     Marathon. But Americans are resilient and resolute. Oklahoma 
     is rebuilding and Detroit is reorganizing. Many Americans 
     have healthcare for the first time and dozens of Boston's 
     runners finished their race in the Shires of Vermont 
     Marathon. Americans weathered the tragedies of 2013 with the 
     same determination, innovation, and cooperation that has 
     enabled us to overcome depressions, recessions, wars, and 
     disasters in the past; we pull up our boot straps, plant our 
     feet firmly in the direction of progress, and extend a 
     helping hand to those in need.
       Tragically, there was one disaster that the American people 
     could not overcome in 2013--a Congress so dysfunctional that 
     it could not even manage to operate the government for the 
     entire year. And our expectations were not high to begin 
     with. A Gallup poll conducted in January 2013 found that 
     Americans rank Congress lower in popularity than root canals 
     and cockroaches and rate Congressmen lower in ethics and 
     honesty than used car salesmen. Instead of employing 
     collaboration and compromise, our leaders indulged in 
     backstabbing and finger pointing. Rather than seeking common 
     ground to find solutions to the problems facing our country, 
     our elected representatives nitpicked and cherry picked and 
     attacked each other's intentions and integrity to boost their 
     personal prospects for fundraising and reelection. The 
     spectacle of Tea Party Republicans posturing for the press 
     while the government crashed and burned lacked only a violin 
     accompaniment to rival Nero's folly.
       The 113th Congress was the least productive legislature in 
     our history, passing only fifty-five bills into law. Public 
     approval of Congress sank from a ``high'' of 18% on January 
     1, 2013 to a current low of 8%. In fact, ``69% think no 
     matter how bad things are, Congress can always find a way to 
     make them worse.'' (Rasmussen Reports) We deserve better from 
     our political leaders. We need Congressmen and Senators who 
     will set aside personal gain and divisive ideology in order 
     to build compromise and find consensus on the issues that 
     challenge us: economic opportunity, income parity, gun 
     control, immigration, stagnant academic achievement, climate 
     change, and long-term deficit reduction.
       Abraham Lincoln once observed that ``a house divided cannot 
     stand.'' Our House and Senate have splintered into partisan 
     factions of squabbling inactivity. Americans will continue to 
     soldier on, overcoming whatever obstacles impede our 
     advancement. We can only hope that our Congressional leaders 
     will acquire the maturity and wisdom to help rather than 
     hinder our progress. But for now, we are a union without 
     unity.
                                  ____

       Katharine Mayo, Twinfield Union School, Grade 11 (Second 
     Place)
       In our changing world today we face many challenges, not 
     just in our country and individual regions, but throughout 
     the globe. One of the main problems that could alter our 
     world forever is climate change. Throughout the past century 
     we have spewed hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon 
     dioxide into the atmosphere, which top scientists now 
     unanimously agree is warming our world and causing extreme 
     weather to become frighteningly common. Our planet has warmed 
     1.4 deg. in the past one hundred years, and is projected to 
     keep warming if we do not act soon. This warming is causing 
     changing weather patterns that are drastically affecting our 
     world. Flooding, fires, and tornadoes throughout the country 
     and storms such as Tropical Storm Irene right here in Vermont 
     show how the effects of climate change are hurting people 
     everywhere. Even the small changes in my home town in Vermont 
     are starting to add up, we have less snow, more green 
     Christmases, and extreme summer storms. Floods are also 
     becoming increasingly common. However, neither Vermont nor 
     America are the only places that are being heavily affected 
     by climate change. It is a global problem, and we have to 
     think globally and work together in order to mend what we 
     have done to our planet. Our world is beautiful and fragile, 
     and we must put our energy to solving the problem of climate 
     change before it is too late.
       America has always been known as a place where individuals 
     are both innovative and creative in order to solve problems. 
     I believe that we can each take steps as individuals and as a 
     country to reduce the carbon we released into the atmosphere. 
     These steps include driving less, and carpooling more, 
     replacing light bulbs for more energy efficient ones, being 
     more conscious of where our food comes from, and recycling 
     and composting as much as possible. We have seen over the 
     past one hundred years that each of us have the power with 
     our small, everyday choices do destroy earth's environment 
     and natural balance. I believe that if we have been able to 
     do that, then we each have the power with our small, everyday 
     choices to change the earth's environment for the better. We 
     must all make small changes in order to live a more 
     sustainable lifestyle and lead the world in the right 
     direction by being a country with a minimal carbon footprint.
       We cannot put this issue off any longer. Now is the time to 
     act, now is the time to put our differences aside and work 
     together in the government and around the world to change the 
     world for the better and protect our world for future 
     generations. We must not be selfish about this problem by 
     brushing it under the rug because it is easier that way, or 
     in order to maintain our way of life. We must act now to make 
     changes in the way we live in order to preserve this 
     beautiful world for our future children and for generations 
     to come.
                                  ____

       Robert ``Will'' Aldrich, Mount Abraham Union Middle/High 
     School, Grade 9 (Third Place)
       In the world there are many issues that we need to address. 
     There is poverty and debt, the circling case in which 
     innocent people can't feed themselves or their families 
     because they can't afford to, which in turn causes famine. 
     Another problem is pollution, which destroys our environment 
     by making it dirty and useless for future generations. 
     Another problem is communication, a thing that most countries 
     do not know how to do. All of these problems, every single 
     one, could be solved by promoting sustainable development. 
     Promoting sustainable development will help to make great 
     leaps forward in solving world issues.
       One way that promoting sustainable development will help to 
     solve world problems is that it will help developing 
     countries. Aiding the developing countries will prove 
     extremely useful later on when we need help. This will give 
     us the image that we are helpful and are there when other 
     countries need us. Although this will cost a lot of money, it 
     will become a large help later on if and when we're in 
     trouble. Promoting sustainable development in developing 
     countries will also increase peace throughout the world. If 
     all the countries are helping each other out, meaning that we 
     are sharing our information and products, then there will be 
     little to no conflicts, and we can all be happy and get 
     along. Not to mention that helping out other countries will 
     heavily decrease poverty and famine, which will prevent the 
     need for future U.S. aid and thus save us money, since that 
     is what some people are more interested in. Clearly, 
     promoting sustainable development will help to increase peace 
     and equality and decrease poverty and famine.
       Promoting sustainable development will definitely help to 
     improve our image as a country. We will be looked at as a 
     great role model and a powerful force with good intentions. 
     The U.S. could be viewed as a gentle giant of sorts. This 
     will improve our favor when it comes to disputes and it will 
     also increase our ally count. Although that should not 
     matter, we should be doing these things out of the goodness 
     of our hearts, not expecting reward. We should not need to 
     receive a reward for us to support the dying, the sick, and 
     the poor. In conclusion, promoting sustainable development 
     will improve our image so that we are looked at in a better 
     light.
       Promoting sustainable development will greatly reduce 
     conflict over rare resources. One example of conflict over 
     scarce resources is the U.S. and Iran over oil. Another is 
     against the residents and loggers in South America over the 
     Amazon Rainforest. This could all be avoided if we all shared 
     our resources and promoted the use of sustainable 
     development. Sustainable development would mean that we do 
     not need to constantly deplete the Earth's resources. 
     Sustainable development would mean that we come up with ways 
     to fuel our economies with sources that will never run out! 
     If the countries do work together to achieve that goal, then 
     we will no longer have to fight over the sources that we need 
     because we'll never run out of them.
       Promoting sustainable development will help the world make 
     great leaps forward in solving world issues. It will do this 
     by helping developing countries develop in economically and 
     environmentally sound ways, improving the image of the U.S., 
     and reducing disputes and fighting over rare resources. The 
     solving of these problems will help bring about an era of 
     peace all over the world. Sustainable development will save 
     Mother Earth from mutilation and destruction. The world will 
     be a better place if everyone gets along and we all are 
     working toward the same thing: the protection of our planet. 
     Promoting sustainable development will make for a better 
     world for all the generations to come.
                                  ____

       Brian Townley, Woodstock Union High School, Grade 10 (Third 
     Place)
       Dear Senator Sanders, The American Economy is currently in 
     recovery from the worst recession to hit this nation since 
     the great depression. This recession has left the American 
     economy in disarray, specifically the American middle class. 
     Stuck on median wages, the American middle class has been hit 
     the hardest by the collapse of the infrastructure of the 
     American economy.
       In order to repair this monumental failure of our nation to 
     recognize the middle class as valuable, we must begin to 
     support Main Street America; local businesses. As a nation we 
     tend to ignore the services, and products of local businesses 
     in favor of the cheaper alternatives offered by billion 
     dollar conglomerates. If we, as a nation, can ever hope to 
     change, we must be willing to sacrifice. This phenomenon is 
     responsible for the gradual disappearance of Main Street 
     America, and the lack of attention given to the American 
     Middle Class.
       With the ominous threats of climate change advancing, we 
     are offered a second chance to strengthen the middle class. 
     We

[[Page S483]]

     must create sustainable energy sources, to put an end to 
     global warming. To build our industrial foundation upon a new 
     type of energy will create a surplus of jobs. These jobs must 
     offer respectable wages, health care benefits, and 
     opportunities for growth. If this is done effectively, we may 
     be able to get the American middle class back on track, and 
     simultaneously end the impending threat of global warming.
       In order to allow our economy to recover from the 
     recession, we must recognize the youth of America as our 
     future. In doing so, we must stress upon implementing a 
     better educational system to better engage the students, 
     create more affordable collegiate education for the middle 
     class. The middle class faces many challenges, yet are a 
     cornerstone of the American economy. However, when attempting 
     to send their children to college, the middle class faces yet 
     another challenge. The wealthy are able to pay the college 
     tuition, and the poor are given generous financial aid 
     grants. However, the middle class is expected to pay thirty 
     to fifty thousand dollars a year to send their kids to 
     college, money which they don't have. This is unacceptable, 
     and takes away a great deal of incentive for these kids to 
     even attend college. Those who do attend college leave with a 
     degree, but are then faced with enormous amounts of student 
     loans. Lastly, we must involve the youth in the workforce of 
     America. Not only will this strengthen our workforce, but it 
     will also provide the American youth with savings for 
     college, and teach them the value of work.
       As I previously stated, in order to change, we must be 
     willing to sacrifice. We must be willing to sacrifice the 
     allure of bargain brands to support a local brand. We must 
     sacrifice our tendency towards gasoline to find more 
     sustainable sources of energy. If we are truly willing to 
     sacrifice, we will change.

                          ____________________