[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 29, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S594-S596]
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 finalist essays written by Vermont High School students as part 
of the Fourth Annual State of the Union Essay contest conducted by my 
office. These 7 finalists were selected from over 380 entries.
  The essays follow:


    Raihan Kabir, South Burlington High School, Grade 12 (Finalist)

       How a country collects and allocates its resources takes 
     precedence in outlining the foundation of equality and 
     general welfare. We as individuals rely on a revenue of both 
     incomes and loans, which makes for a crude economic model of 
     spending. This holds true for our government. As the nation 
     dives deeper into debt and countries around the world 
     experience protests and riots over austerity measures, it is 
     clear that additional tax dollars are necessary to reduce 
     debt, support society, and give rise to the economy.
       Tax increases will put the definition of taxation back into 
     its actuality. The United States tax rates are theoretically 
     graduated by income level, meaning that lower income ranges 
     pay a lower rate than higher income ranges. However, those in 
     a higher tax bracket often have more deductions to further 
     equalize their effective rate with that of the middle or 
     lower brackets. A decline in tax rates for the most wealthy 
     is a disproportionate advantage for the already financially 
     capable members of our society, which further instigates the 
     income disparities that threaten our democratic ideals. The 
     top percent of Americans possesses more wealth than the 
     entire bottom 90 percent; the 400 wealthiest Americans have a 
     greater combined net worth than the entire bottom 150 
     million; and yet, everyone is paying a similar effective 
     rate. Not everyone is currently contributing their fair share 
     to society, and living in a nation with the largest amount of 
     debt in the world, this matter of fact is unacceptable. Tax 
     increases will make the theory of taxes a reality and restore 
     economic equality.
       Though our current fiscal path is unstable, increasing 
     taxes will reduce national debt and put us on the right track 
     back to recovery. With a 16 trillion dollar debt that is 
     rising at the rate of 6 billion dollars a day (4 million 
     dollars every minute), every family in America would owe 
     about $50,000 to various countries around the world if the 
     burden trickled down to the general public. When the 
     government needs money, it sells treasury bills (similar to 
     savings bonds) to investors, who cash them in after an 
     average of ten years for the original amount plus interest. 
     Though a certain amount of debt is arguably helpful for the 
     economy, consistently high deficits force the government to 
     offer higher, more appealing interest rates; investors 
     eventually realize that the country is unlikely to pay back 
     the money it borrows and they stop lending, which crushes the 
     economy, as most recently witnessed in Greece. Our current 
     national debt is greater than the economies of the United 
     Kingdom, Australia, and China, combined. Stopping this 
     vicious economic cycle requires less foreign-reliance and 
     more self-sustenance, which is feasible if and only if we 
     increase taxes.
       Tax increases will ensure the funding and availability of 
     certain social programs and necessary expenditures on 
     infrastructure without the need to excessively issue bonds. 
     Taxes currently fund public services of insurance, such as 
     Social Security and Medicare, of welfare, such as the Pell 
     Grant and Food Stamp programs, and of infrastructure, such as 
     the scholastic and interstate highway systems. Nobel laureate 
     of economics Paul Krugman affirms a current necessity for 
     increased taxes in his following statement:
       [Regarding] proposals to raise the age of Medicare 
     eligibility to 67 . . . outlays would fall only by $125 
     billion over the next decade . . . and even when fully phased 
     in, this partial dismantling of Medicare would reduce the 
     deficit only about a third as much as could be achieved with 
     higher taxes on the very rich . . . don't believe anyone who 
     claims otherwise.
       Taxes pay for important programs that go unpaid by spending 
     cuts. The Bureau of Economic Statistics reports that the 
     average standard of living, determined by comparing adjusted 
     incomes and poverty rates, has increased in years with a 
     higher annual budget and decreased in years on the contrary. 
     According to the New York Times and the Board of Economic 
     Advisors, there is a direct correlation between the amount of 
     money provided to the government in the national budget and 
     the quality of life in the United States, as determined by 
     the rate of poverty. This makes logical sense; our standard 
     of life escalates as we make fiscal contributions to society. 
     Yet we continue to have the lowest tax rate in the world. 
     Taxes are imposed so that roads get fixed, so we get an 
     education, and so people don't invade our country. Taxes are 
     imposed to protect our rights. The government imposes taxes 
     on us for our own benefit, and by raising them, we will 
     improve the living conditions and quality of life in America.
       Tax increases will lead to economic growth and prosperity. 
     In 1990 and again in 1993, President Clinton enacted deficit-
     reduction legislation that raised taxes for high income 
     taxpayers; as a result, economic growth and job creation were 
     strong. Within this period of a sensational economy, capital 
     gain rates were cut, and there was a 20% increase in job 
     availability for a total of 21 million new jobs. However, 
     after the Bush Tax Cuts of 2001 and the Bush Recession, job 
     growth lagged behind GDP growth, there was 0% net job growth, 
     and with continuous population growth, there were record high 
     unemployment rates. Tax increases have helped society and the 
     economy in the past, and they will help again.
       In any case of regulatory action, the value to be upheld is 
     the quality of life. By reducing debt, supporting society, 
     and giving rise to the economy, the nation will better ensure 
     a standard of well-being for its citizens. The government of 
     these United States is to assure life, liberty, health, and 
     happiness, in our pursuit of the American dream. Lincoln said 
     it best in his Gettysburg Address: ``that government of the 
     people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from 
     the earth.'' The prioritization of tax increases over 
     spending cuts is essential to future policy in the United 
     States of America to sustain the American public.


 Fiona Higgins, Champlain Valley Union High School, Grade 12 (Finalist)

       There are many issues facing the United States. Personally, 
     I believe one of the most critical domestic issues is 
     reproductive rights.
       Every step back to pre-Roe v. Wade is sensationalized in 
     the media, and rightfully so. The issue is much more far 
     reaching than pro-life versus pro-choice; it is both a human 
     rights issue and an economic issue.
       Firstly, it is a human rights issue. It is a matter of 
     women having control over their own decisions, their bodies, 
     and their lives. Western women strive to liberate women who 
     they view as oppressed, but these same western women don't 
     realize that their freedoms are also disappearing. Women and 
     men alike have the right to decide what happens to their 
     bodies. Restricting access to contraception and health 
     services violates this human right for both genders.
       Secondly, it is an economic issue. Children cost money. 
     When parents cannot support their family, they are prone to 
     apply for welfare and other government programs that were put 
     in place to help low-income families. These programs are 
     needed, but the federal government could decrease the need 
     and the cost of these programs if it focused on education and 
     access to contraception. In low-income neighborhoods, people 
     are often not able to access contraception. This takes

[[Page S595]]

     away lower-income women's autonomy as well as perpetuating 
     the cycle of poverty. If there were more accessible systems 
     in place, these systems (rather than chance) would help 
     families plan for the future, and allow them to decide to 
     have children (rather than chance). In addition, a decreased 
     level of government spending would curb the growth of the 
     debt, which would aid the struggling economy.
       A woman rarely thinks to herself, ``I'd like to have an 
     abortion instead of using contraceptives this time.'' That is 
     lunatic. Abortions happen out of necessity. If they were 
     illegal or severely restricted, women would still get them, 
     but the procedures would be unsafe and deadly. If members of 
     Congress truly want to protect the unborn and create a 
     diminished welfare-dependent state, they must focus on 
     education and accessibility; this strategy will also lower 
     government spending in the long run.
       Instead of going backwards, the United States should be 
     moving forwards. Members of Congress must recognize that 
     women have an inalienable right to privacy with regard to 
     their bodies, a right that we should not have to fight for. 
     Education and access to contraceptives needs to be more 
     widespread, thereby improving our dire economic situation and 
     our quality of life.


           Owen Deffner, Thetford Academy, Grade 7 (Finalist)

       2013, America has had quite a year, with many ups and 
     downs. Everything from the government shut down, to what I'd 
     call: an official economic recovery. We have witnessed a 
     terrible civil war in Syria where tremendous bloodshed has 
     occured. America has hosted many natural disasters too, 
     everything from intensely cold temperatures to violent 
     tornadoes. In these tragic times America has stepped up its 
     game and delivered, helping our neighbors when they are 
     struggling. This is the America that our allies look up to; 
     the friendly, hospitable, welcoming America that we all 
     contribute to every single day. Let's keep that good, 
     positive America in our hearts this year.
       11 million people are in America illegally. These people 
     have come to this great nation in search of a better life. 
     These people are trying to achieve the American dream. 
     Immigrants are trying to send money home to their family in 
     another country, some are trying to provide for their family 
     here in the US. All the while they are constantly worried 
     that our government will deport them back to their home 
     country. This is not right, it's not okay that we don't 
     welcome them into our nation. I want the path to citizenship 
     easier for them so that they can get what they wanted to get 
     by coming here. Let's be a bit more hospitable to people who 
     are just trying to help their family.
       Our status on the issue of the environment is not looking 
     up. America has the great opportunity to help lead the fight 
     against climate change. America must set high standards 
     concerning the environment so that other countries will 
     follow to help reduce the risk of the world's surface covered 
     in water. Inside America to confront this issue head on we 
     need to educate Americans on what is okay and not okay to 
     recycle and how to compost or break down food into soil for 
     our farms and gardens. This is a plan that will work and that 
     we must initiate this year.
       Our country is very behind on a major issue. America's 
     education system is well behind many other well developed 
     global powers. We need to fix that issue from the bottom up 
     starting in our pre and elementary schools, with more 
     emphasis on math and science. At higher levels, more 
     affordable college and university opportunities for the lower 
     and middle-class. We need to invest more time and education 
     in our education and we need to now!
       All of these ideas I am proposing are simple and should be 
     easy to carry out with a bit of willingness from both 
     parties. I am not asking to overhaul anything just some easy 
     doable requests that all of us can help to accomplish. 
     America should look to the future, to the next generation 
     growing into adulthood. Let's get back on track for these 
     young men and women who have high hopes for themselves and 
     their country.


     Emily Martin, Vergennes Union High School, Grade 10 (Finalist)

       The United States of America is an amazing country to call 
     home. However, in the modern day we as a nation face problems 
     that challenge our ingenuity and integrity. The world today 
     is one of war, whether that is physical, or political. We 
     struggle to find resources to continue on living the way we 
     have for as long as we can remember, yet forget that the 
     earth which we walk on is a fragile one. The United States is 
     no exception. We often find ourselves between a rock and a 
     hard place; dealing with complex issues such as health care 
     for all, or additional billions of dollars in debt; the 
     Continuation of fighting a war which is not ours, or 
     withdrawing our troops and allowing innocent people to face 
     an uncertain future. Spend billions in foreign oil to keep 
     companies in business, or convert to clean energy and watch 
     the economy crumble. The list of hard choices goes on and on. 
     The reality is, we no longer live in a time when decisions 
     are cut and dry and each decision resonates into our future 
     with force.
       As a nation, we face an increasingly unpredictable future, 
     and without reassurance of our outcome, fear can cause 
     bitterness and ignorance. Education, the economy, politics, 
     and the fate of an ever-changing climate put an enormous 
     amount of stress on us a people. There is no certain cure for 
     the issues we deal with a nation, but the first step towards 
     solution and unification. As a country, it's time that we put 
     aside our grudges, opinions, and preferences and work as a 
     whole to support America's path towards growth, safety, 
     security and stability. The United States of America has been 
     a country that others look to as a role model and to some as 
     a beacon of freedom and safety. We have more than ourselves 
     to work for; there are millions of people around the world 
     who rely on our help and support. We need to shed the selfish 
     shells, and work as a people, not as a political party or 
     organization. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, and 
     Libertarian it doesn't matter, because America is your home, 
     and at the end of the day we all have to learn to coexist and 
     benefit from each other's support. This is how we will help 
     to secure America's future, America's education, industry and 
     healthcare. Unification is the first step towards solution.
       If we need reminding of the impact of dissention and 
     fracturing of our political system, the Civil War looms in 
     the hearts and from the pages of our history, when compromise 
     not only failed, but conversation stopped. The State of the 
     Nation in America is painful obvious even to the young people 
     and the children. If we don't remember how to talk to each 
     other, work together and accomplish the majority rule 
     established as a framework in the US Constitution, we stand 
     to lose more than a budget. We stand to lose our democracy.


     Nick Majeski, Woodstock Union High School, Grade 11 (Finalist)

              Bribes from Fast Food: A State of Corruption

       In the year 2014, the union is majorly corrupt; the country 
     is run by a capitalist nightmare of over-powerful healthcare, 
     tobacco, and food industries. From their very beginnings at 
     the turn of twentieth century, the fast food industry has 
     steadily become more and more powerful and influential. 
     Spawning from this growth in influence, the union has 
     steadily declined into a state of corruption at the hands of 
     the fast industry, with these major food chains bribing 
     government workers in high positions.
       Government agencies controlling food, such as the FDA, 
     USDA, and EPA may have been created with good intentions, but 
     when a higher up does not believe they are being paid enough 
     money for their job, they are known to be tempted to accept 
     bribes and submit to being the puppets of fast food 
     corporations, looking to exploit their power to lower the 
     standards of their products. An article on Naturalnews.com 
     explained how, in a survey given to workers at the FDA and 
     USDA, one fourth of the survey takers admitted to have 
     changed policies for corporate gain. On one hand this is not 
     morally right both in the way that our government officials--
     who were elected by the people--are accepting bribes, and 
     also that they are changing policies allowing even less 
     healthy food that causes diseases--more money to health care; 
     another corrupt industry in the United States.
       Corrupt FDA, USDA, and EPA fat-cats obviously do not want 
     to break their ties with fast food puppeteers; this brings 
     more corruption directly into the government organizations 
     themselves. In the Naturalnews.com article the writer 
     explains that many innocent workers at organizations like the 
     FDA and USDA are demoted or even fired for trying to do their 
     job and not keeping their mouths shut about corruption they 
     have witnessed. The higher-ups in charge of these huge 
     organizations influence immoral decisions that bring dirty 
     money to their own pockets; they change state standards to 
     very low standards and do not require food companies to tell 
     customers when the food was made, processed or cooked.
       Despite all this--mostly widely known information--this 
     corruption is still going on and growing. According to 
     Fastfoodnationhonorsproject.weebly.com ties between congress 
     and fast food are too strong to vote against certain 
     policies. This means that the way to lower corruption in the 
     food industry would have to be to take direct action.
       Despite knowledge of corruption being well known in 
     America- Supersize Me is a mainstream movie- there is not 
     very much motivation to stop bribes from the food industry. 
     This is a problem that should not only be addressed, but 
     worked towards solving as well.


         Holly Thayer, Milton High School, Grade 12 (Finalist)

       My fellow Americans, I stand here before you to evaluate 
     the state of our great nation. Over the past year our economy 
     has risen as the Gross National Product increased 4.1% in the 
     third quarter, and the National Deficit went down $1.8 
     Billion. As of November, the national unemployment rate has 
     dropped to 7% and personal income has risen, proving that our 
     nation is moving out of the recession, and America is once 
     again becoming a nation of economic growth and wealth.
       2013 saw an increase in revolutions around the world, from 
     Syria to Egypt, many countries around the world are 
     experiencing the same revolution the United States and our 
     ancestors endured in order to gain our individual freedoms. 
     Through the government and all of our national forces, we 
     must work together to give aid in the form of resources and 
     money, to assist the new governments that are the result of 
     these revolutions, and ensure that there is smooth turn over 
     of

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     power. The United States must also create a coalition of our 
     allies, along with the United Nations, to create an agreement 
     that delegates the responsibilities and costs of helping 
     these nations form new governments, and ensures that the re-
     created states are not intruding on an individual's human 
     rights.
       The production of Genetically Modified Organisms, GMOs, 
     that are then placed in processed foods or on crops and used 
     as an insecticide, have created a serious health risk for 
     myself, and all my fellow Americans. It has been proven that 
     GMOs can lead to serious health issues and impose high health 
     risks. We must work together with the agricultural farmers 
     and corporations that use GMO's to research the other options 
     that these businesses have in order to ensure plant safety, 
     without endangering the public health at the same time. Then 
     we must create a grant program that would give states and 
     localities money to allocate to farmers and organizations 
     that agree to not use GMOs. For companies that still use 
     GMOs, we must toughen the regulations on the use of them, 
     through only allowing a regulated amount to be present in 
     foods, and make it mandatory that this presence is labeled on 
     every package of a product.
       Educated masses lead to innovations and improvements in 
     every aspect of life. Currently, around 30% of Americans have 
     obtained a college degree. In order to have an educated 
     citizenry, we need to make federal aid for students planning 
     on going to college more available. To do this, we need to 
     restructure the system that is used to disperse federal 
     financial aid. If we create a formula, based on family 
     income, and reduce the importance and use of merit based 
     scholarships, while increasing the use of incentive programs, 
     then allocate the money based on this system, we could 
     effectively make financial aid more available and abundant, 
     and therefore increase the percentage of Americans who have a 
     college degree, creating an educated citizenry.
       Thank you, God Bless America.


    Delaney Spink, South Burlington High School, Grade 12 (Finalist)

       I can't claim to know a lot about politics. In fact, I make 
     a point to stay as uninvolved in it as possible. In a 
     nutshell, all I know is that Obama is our president, and that 
     I should never bring up politics with my grandfather, unless 
     I'm willing to spend the next three or four hours listening 
     to him denounce every decision our government has made since 
     the 1920's. When our class was told we had to write this 
     essay, my first thought was, ``I have no idea what the state 
     of our union is. How am I supposed to write about how to fix 
     it?''
       I'd bet that every single other student in my classroom was 
     having the same thought, save the one or two kids that are 
     really into politics, and, as we all know, are going to win 
     this competition. This got me thinking, and I've come to a 
     conclusion. The problem with our country is that not enough 
     young people know what the problem is. Ironic, isn't it?
       When I think of our government, I think of old white men. 
     Now, I know this is a very stereotypical generalization that 
     I'm making. Women are getting involved, and, hey, our 
     president is black. We seem to be doing better, based on the 
     limited information that I have. But, whether they're diverse 
     or not, the people making decisions for our country are old. 
     This isn't entirely a bad thing; older people have more 
     experience, confidence, and knowledge. All I'm saying is that 
     that wisdom needs to be balanced with the fresh perspectives 
     of our country's younger generations. Younger people need to 
     start getting more excited about politics, myself included. 
     We need to start looking at it as an exciting opportunity to 
     change what we think should be changed, instead of as a 
     boring subject that our uncles argue about over Thanksgiving 
     dinner.
       Now, I know there are probably many kids out there that are 
     interested in politics. That's great, but I also know that 
     the vast majority of kids, like myself, are simply 
     uninterested. The solution lies with us, and we need to 
     motivate ourselves. It can't come from the adults. If this 
     essay somehow makes it to anyone important, please don't take 
     this as a sign that you need to launch a national ``Politics 
     are Cool, Yo!'' campaign. It won't work. It needs to be 
     started by the kids. We need to start clubs, be in our school 
     governments, or even just watch the news.
       I don't have a perfect solution, seeing as I am, for now, 
     one of the aforementioned uninterested students. But, I know 
     this: If politics can become more accessible to young people 
     in any way, shape, or form, we will take notice, and, 
     eventually, get involved. It's our country too. We want to be 
     just as involved as Grandpa Bill and Senator Sanders. One of 
     us just needs to lead the way.

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