[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S575-S576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, since 2010, I have sponsored a 
State of the Union essay contest for Vermont high school students. This 
contest gives students in my State the opportunity to articulate what 
issues they would prioritize if they were President of the United 
States.
  I would like to congratulate the almost 600 students who participated 
this year. It is truly heartening to see so many young people engaged 
in finding solutions for the problems that face our country. To my 
mind, this is what democracy is all about.
  A volunteer panel of Vermont teachers reviewed the essays and chose 
Marjorie ``Maggie'' Parker as this year's winner. Maggie, a sophomore 
at Woodstock Union High School, focused on the need to prevent hate 
crimes, particularly against members of the LGBT community.
  Alaura Rich, a senior at St. Johnsbury Academy, was the second place 
winner. Alaura wrote about the prohibitive cost of a college education 
at a time when the United States needs to have the best educated 
workforce in the world.
  Oliver Minshall, a junior at Hanover High School, was the third place 
winner, having written about addressing income inequality and creating 
a more equitable and sustainable economy.
  I am very proud to ask to have printed in the Record the essays 
submitted by Maggie, Alaura, and Oliver. The material follows:


        MARJORIE PARKER, WOODSTOCK HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE, WINNER

       In our current day and age, I believe that one major 
     challenge that faces our country is the prevention of hate 
     crimes against minorities. One group I believe needs specific 
     protection, especially with the new administration, are 
     members of the LGBT community. With the recent military ban 
     on transgender Americans, the LGBT community is feeling 
     singled out and at risk. One way to bring a greater feeling 
     of peace to these fellow Americans is by increasing 
     protections instead of taking them away. I believe two major 
     steps forward to help these people would be a law against 
     employment discrimination for LGBT people, and also a repeal 
     of ``bathroom bills'' which put transgender people at a 
     greater risk of being harassed for their identity.
       Firstly, on the topic of employment discrimination, many 
     LGBT Americans face discrimination in the workplace simply 
     for being open about their identities. In 2011, the

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     Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public 
     Policy conducted a series of surveys and found that 43 
     percent of LGBT Americans said they had faced discrimination 
     in the workplace, and also found that straight coworkers say 
     they had witnessed discrimination based on sexual 
     orientation. One way to solve these struggles would be to put 
     in place a law that prohibits employers discriminating 
     against current and prospective employees on the basis of 
     gender identity or sexual orientation. A law such as this 
     could help reduce workplace discrimination and make it easier 
     for LGBT people to find a hold a job.
       Second, on the topic of so-called ``bathroom bills'', all 
     people should have a safe place to use the restroom, 
     regardless of gender identity. During the Obama presidency, 
     an order was put into place that allowed students in all 
     public schools to use the bathroom that best matched their 
     gender identity. While there was much push-back, this was 
     generally a step forward for young transgender people. 
     However, early in 2017, President Trump reversed this order, 
     effectively taking away much protection for transgender 
     youth. It is important for this order not only to go back 
     into place for schools but also in all places. It is unfair 
     and uncomfortable for transgender Americans, who are living 
     their lives as their true identity, to be forced to use a 
     restroom that does not correspond to that identity. This is 
     not only an embarrassment for them, but can also put them at 
     greater risk of violence in said bathroom.
       All in all, I believe that protection for LGBT Americans is 
     one major challenge facing our country. If we truly want to 
     be an example of an accepting country, with protections for 
     minorities, we have to be able to step up and protect our 
     fellow citizens. Through the changes I have outlined above, 
     as well as others, I truly believe that our country can start 
     to be a leader in the civil rights movement across the world.


        ALAURA RICH, ST. JOHNSBURY ACADEMY SENIOR, SECOND PLACE

       As the country that leads the global economy, the United 
     States needs the best-educated workforce in the world. Our 
     Nation cannot afford to be left behind due to a lack of fair 
     and just educational opportunities. Yet, the educational 
     system in America is failing to provide some of the brightest 
     and most capable young people across the Nation with equal 
     educational opportunities: ones that are affordable for 
     minorities who are of low socioeconomic status or are the 
     first in their family to attend college.
       As a member of Upward Bound, one of the federally-funded 
     TRIO programs that supports first-generation, low-income 
     students, I have known for years that the cost of college was 
     going to be a considerable barrier for me. However, it was my 
     understanding that if I worked hard enough, I would find the 
     means to pay for my college education without going deeply 
     into debt. This assurance diminished after receiving my first 
     award letter from a public, in-state university with notice 
     that I would need to borrow $40,000 over a four year period--
     $10,000 above the national borrowing average--just to attend 
     a public school within my own State. Many students like 
     myself across the Nation face these same financial barriers.
       Although there are many major issues that our country is 
     struggling to solve, our fractured, inequitable educational 
     system does not fall short of making this list. The appeal of 
     a college education has shifted dramatically from what it 
     began as: rather than a means of developing equal 
     opportunities for young people in pursuit of work-related 
     skills and knowledge, it has become a societal expectation 
     with a large price tag that can only be easily achieved by 
     those of upper-middle-class status. First-generation, low-
     income students are left at a significant disadvantage. These 
     students often lack parental support, knowledge of the 
     process, and critical resources. Furthermore, their country 
     is failing to provide them with the financial aid system that 
     they desperately need in order to afford a college education.
       It's time to enact change within the American higher 
     education system. We must make public colleges and 
     universities tuition-free, end the Federal Government's 
     ability to make a profit off student loans, substantially cut 
     student loan interest rates, and allow low-income students to 
     use need-based financial aid and work-study programs to make 
     their college debt-free by covering room and board, books, 
     and living expenses. By taking these steps, the opportunity 
     gap in America would see a significant decrease. Minority 
     students would see the same basic right to higher education 
     as their more advantaged peers, and the future economic state 
     of our Nation would be in the hands of the promising young 
     individuals who are currently being underrepresented in 
     colleges nationwide due to a lack of support. The Declaration 
     of Independence birthed the underlying fundamental foundation 
     of our Nation's belief in both opportunity and upward 
     mobility, and it is the responsibility of the United States 
     government to ensure equal educational opportunities for all.


        OLIVER MINSHALL, HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR, THIRD PLACE

       Income inequality is our greatest challenge, our most 
     present danger and an existential threat to America. Our 
     society is among the most unequal societies in the world, 
     consistently ranking behind other industrialized nations, 
     like France and Denmark according to the CIA. Leaders are 
     taking notice of this issue, in 2013 President Obama declared 
     that making the economy work for everyone was ``the defining 
     challenge of our time.'' To improve the state of this great 
     country, we must find a solution to the pernicious scourge of 
     income inequality and create a more just, equitable and 
     sustainable path for our economy.
       An analysis by economist Edward Wolf confirmed that the top 
     one percent of income earners own 40 percent of the country's 
     wealth, the highest share in 50 years. At a time when we are 
     among the most prosperous nations in the world, the bottom 
     ninety percent has less wealth than the top one percent. 
     Robert Reich has observed closely as the very building blocks 
     of capitalism have been strategically manipulated by the 
     wealthiest one percent and large corporations for their own 
     benefit. Thomas Piketty discovered that modern markets tend 
     to produce increasing inequality in the long run due to the 
     tendency of capital investments to increase in value at a 
     faster rate than the economy at large. Median income rose to 
     its highest level ever in 2017 according to Business Insider 
     but when adjusted for inflation the real purchasing power for 
     many poor and middle class people is stagnant. While the 
     sources of this inequality are far from certain, the 
     deleterious effect on society is indubitable.
       This is not just a moral problem but a threat to the future 
     of American democracy. The political scientist Martin Gilens 
     contends that while America enjoys many of the features of 
     political democracy, citizens have so little economic power, 
     and therefore influence, their views do not have any 
     practical effect on policymaking. That is an attack on 
     popular sovereignty, a core principle of our democratic 
     system. Piketty too points out this trend, asserting that 
     while some inequality is necessary for the function of 
     efficient markets, excess inequality is detrimental to the 
     long term function of our democratic institutions. 
     Furthermore unequal societies undermine the very markets they 
     are based upon. Inequality causes political and economic 
     turmoil that harms society.
       The solution to this issue is a comprehensive strategy to 
     deal with inequality. We need to raise taxes on the top one 
     percent, implement the Harkin-Defazio financial transactions 
     tax, remove the arbitrary and regressive cap on taxable 
     income for Social Security payroll taxes, tax capital gains 
     as earned income and use the revenue to fund new programs 
     like free tuition, a public option in healthcare, and new 
     infrastructure. If we embrace these policies and the shared 
     ideals of economic justice, and political democracy we can 
     transform America into a vibrant and equitable society worthy 
     of the American dream and those who strive every day to 
     realize it.

                          ____________________