[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 22 (Monday, February 5, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S605-S608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY FINALISTS

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, last week I entered into the 
Record the winning essays in my office's eighth annual State of the 
Union Essay Contest. I would like to congratulate the other finalists 
in this year's contest and likewise ask that their essays be printed in 
the Record. The essays follow, in alphabetical order according to the 
finalists' names.
  The material follows:

       BAILEY BLOW, SOUTH BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR, FINALIST

       At the beginning of December, a video of a polar bear was 
     posted on Twitter by ``National Geographic.'' When people 
     think of polar bears, they imagine snow and ice; however, in 
     this video, snow and ice were nowhere to be found. There was 
     only green. Polar bears are also known for their massive 
     size. The polar bear from the video did not look massive or 
     strong. This poor bear was weak and dangerously skinny. It 
     could barely walk. Without snow and ice, there wasn't a food 
     source for the bear to eat. The scientists that captured the 
     video believed that

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     it would be dead within hours if it didn't find food to eat.
       When I came across this video, I was heartbroken. It was 
     hard to watch and I found myself struggling to finish it. 
     Watching this animal suffer and barely able to move in a 
     habitat that should be covered in ice opened my eyes more. It 
     was a hard sight to see, but this video is important for 
     everyone to see. This polar bear is what climate change looks 
     like. Climate change is not just something that effects 
     animals and their habitats, it's something that affects all 
     of us around the world.
       In the recent years, our Nation and the rest of the world 
     have seen an increase in natural disasters, warmer 
     temperatures, a more acidic ocean, and a greater amount of 
     greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Climate change is not 
     something that we can just ignore anymore. If we keep moving 
     in the direction we are going, we will no longer have a 
     healthy planet to live on. Time has not run out yet and there 
     is still hope. If we begin to move towards healing our planet 
     now, we can begin to reverse climate change.
       One of the first steps we should take towards addressing 
     climate change is getting back into the Paris Agreement. It 
     was very concerning to most of the Nation when President 
     Trump decided to pull the United States out of this 
     agreement. This decision was concerning because it gives the 
     impression to the rest of the world that the U.S. doesn't 
     believe that climate change is a big deal. Scientists have 
     proven time and time again that climate change is real and it 
     is happening. By getting back into this agreement, the U.S. 
     can continue to contribute to the fight against climate 
     change.
       Another step that could be taken is more environmental 
     laws. These laws could cover a wide range of things, such as 
     using alternative energy to cut back on greenhouse gases in 
     the atmosphere or preventing landfill from getting into the 
     ocean. Our priority should be protecting the planet that 
     gives us a home.
       Climate change is more apparent now than it has ever been 
     before. It is the most pressing issue facing not only our 
     country, but the entire world. Something needs to be done 
     about it before our only home is destroyed.


          MASON CASTLE, ST. JOHNSBURY ACADEMY JUNIOR, FINALIST

       The United States was founded as a democratic republic in 
     1776. The implication of this system of government is that it 
     is one controlled by the American people through their 
     representatives. The Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments were 
     even added following progressive social movements whose aims 
     were ensuring that democracy was for all Americans and not 
     just for a fraction of our people. However, recent 
     Congressional elections have shed light on the threat of 
     gerrymandering to democracy. While race-based gerrymandering 
     was declared illegal by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 
     partisan gerrymandering is technically legal. However, it 
     deprives millions of Americans of their full representation, 
     and results in a system where politicians choose their 
     voters, rather than voters electing their representatives. 
     Gerrymandering runs counter to the fundamental values of a 
     democratic republic, and therefore to American values, so it 
     must be addressed if we are to ``secure the blessings of 
     liberty for ourselves and our posterity,'' as the preamble to 
     the Constitution says.
       Gerrymandering occurs when a state legislature draws 
     district lines so that they favor a certain party through 
     ``packing and cracking.'' This is when votes are either 
     condensed into a singular district so surplus victory votes 
     are wasted, or broken up into other districts so that they 
     are smothered by opposing votes. What results is that the 
     influence of packed or cracked votes become less significant 
     in determining the results of an election. This becomes 
     especially problematic when the victors of gerrymandered 
     elections gain a majority of seats during Census years 
     because they decide where to draw district lines. This leads 
     to one party holding an overwhelming majority that isn't 
     necessarily representative of the American people. While this 
     is a less overt method of voter suppression, it has proven to 
     be far more effective.
       In response to this issue, I propose that rather than 
     having politicians draw districts, we use a neutral algorithm 
     that draws fair districts that represent real American 
     communities. This algorithm would eliminate the factor of 
     human bias, and draw the most efficient maps possible.
       Wendy K. Tam Cho, a professor of political science at the 
     University of Illinois designed such an algorithm in response 
     to the Supreme Court case Gill v. Whitford, in which 
     Wisconsin lawmakers' proposed map eliminated any possibility 
     of opponent victories. This violated the ``one person, one 
     vote'' principle that came out of Baker v. Carr in 1962. So 
     to create a map that would uphold this principle, Tam Cho 
     used the University's supercomputers to draw billions of 
     potential districts. The maps that were decided to be 
     fairest, were the ones with the lowest efficiency gap or 
     ``packing and cracking.'' Using these third party algorithms, 
     States can effectively make sure that every American has a 
     say in politics, and uphold the democratic values this 
     country was founded on.


      LILLIAN CAZAYOUX, CHAMPLAIN VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL, JUNIOR

       There is no doubt in my mind that the biggest problem in 
     the country, as well as in Vermont, is the opioid epidemic. 
     No matter where you go, it's impossible to find any community 
     that has not been affected by scourge of these drugs. Whether 
     it's an addiction to prescription painkillers, or dangerous 
     street drugs like heroin, we need to dedicate greater 
     resources to fighting them.
       Opioid death tolls have been on the rise over the past two 
     decades and began to accelerate rapidly in 2011. Opioid 
     overdose deaths nearly doubled over the last five years, 
     surpassing 42,200 nationwide in 2016. In Vermont the death 
     toll was 100. Opioids don't care where you come from, nor do 
     they discriminate based on socioeconomic status. Twenty of 
     the deaths in Vermont occurred with people who had no high 
     school diploma, however, an equal number occurred with people 
     who had a college degree. No matter who you are, you are just 
     as susceptible to opioid addiction. It's time as Vermonters, 
     as Americans, as citizens who care for one another, that we 
     take a stand.
       There are two aspects to this problem that must be 
     addressed and fixed; keeping addicts alive, as well as 
     preventing more people from becoming addicted.
       The big dangers with these drugs are how easy it is to 
     overdose on them, and the diseases contracted by injecting 
     with unsterile needles. The first thing we must do is 
     preserve the lives at risk, by preventing fatal overdoses. I 
     believe the best solution to that would be to open supervised 
     injection sites. Popular in Europe, supervised injection 
     sites allow addicts to use drugs with sanitary materials, 
     provide treatment consultation, as well as medical help in 
     the case of an overdose emergency. With newer, more potent 
     drugs on the market such as fentanyl, it's crucial we find a 
     quick way to save these lives before thousands more are lost. 
     These supervised injection sites would provide a chance to 
     preserve lives until users can make the decision to begin the 
     rehabilitation process. The main goal of implementing these 
     sites would be to reduce the immediate health issues that 
     opioid addiction presents, as well as attempting to refer the 
     addicts into treatment.
       The other preemptive part of this plan would be targeting 
     doctors that over-prescribe highly addictive opioids in 
     unnecessary cases. I believe more stringent rules regulating 
     these prescriptions could prevent many people from becoming 
     addicted to these medicines in the first place, before they 
     turn to the cheaper more dangerous cousin, heroin.
       Attacking the epidemic from both sides of the problem could 
     be the solution to saving lives from opioid addictions.


              VIJAYATA DAHAL, WINOOSKI HIGH SCHOOL, JUNIOR

       I was eight years old when I immigrated to the United 
     States with my family from Bhutan and Nepal. With us, we 
     brought hope. Hope for better economic opportunities, better 
     education, and a brighter future. Most importantly, we hoped 
     for a country to call home.
       Immigrants built America and it thrives because of them. 
     The opportunity to migrate to the United States should be 
     open to everyone despite their race, religion, and the color 
     of their skin. Today, the President wants to stop 
     immigration, deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, and 
     eliminate the program that protects the children of illegal 
     immigrants. Like my parents, millions of immigrants have 
     migrated to the United States for centuries. Some come to 
     flee violence. Some want religious freedom. Some come to 
     escape poverty. Some come to have a home.
       According to Michael Shear of the New York Times, the 
     president banned people from seven predominantly Muslim 
     countries to protect the United States from terror attacks. 
     Ironically, non-Muslims commit more terrorist attacks in the 
     United States. According to Ruiz-Grossman's article in the 
     Huffington Post, white supremacists, militias, and sovereign 
     citizens carried out 115 cases of terrorist attacks on the 
     U.S. soil; Islamist extremists executed 63 terrorist attacks. 
     The President should use his power to find a solution to stop 
     the white supremacists rather than banning thousands of 
     innocent human beings who are in search of a home.
       In the United States, there are approximately 11.3 million 
     illegal immigrants, many of whom brought their children 
     along. According to Jennah Moon of The New Yorker, almost 
     800,000 undocumented immigrants came to the U.S. as children. 
     These children are protected by a federal program--known as 
     Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. DACA allows 
     the Dreamers the right to live, study, and work in the United 
     States.
       In September 2017, the Trump administration announced plans 
     to eliminate DACA and gave Congress six months to come up 
     with a legislative solution. The new development has put the 
     Dreamers at risk. Thousands of Dreamers have worked hard to 
     attend schools, serve the government, and establish their 
     careers. If Congress doesn't pass legislation, innocent 
     children and young adults will be deported.
       The U.S. should make background checks more efficient. 
     America should not deport the 11 million undocumented 
     immigrants. Instead, they should get the right to become 
     citizens of the United States so that they receive the same 
     opportunities as legal immigrants. Finally, Congress should 
     create a plan that allows the Dreamers to work, study, and 
     live in the United States and become citizens.

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       Immigration makes America unique. Our Nation was built and 
     run by immigrants. Even the ones who are born here are all 
     descendants of immigrants who came here fleeing poverty and 
     violence, in search of a brighter future. The doors of 
     America were open then, and they should stay open now to 
     welcome the ``tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe 
     free.''


       PAIGE GREENIA, MISSISQUOI VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL, JUNIOR

       How do people attain the goods that they want when the 
     government makes them illegal? They turn to the black market. 
     Now more than ever the United States is seeing a push to take 
     certain goods out of the black market system. Right now, the 
     major topic on the federal level is marijuana. Currently, 
     several States have completely legalized the sale and use of 
     marijuana, and several others are in the middle of making 
     their decision. It would be in the best interest of the whole 
     country to move toward legalizing and decriminalizing 
     marijuana.
       Actions towards decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana 
     would make the marijuana trade, something that people that 
     are going to do no matter if it's legal or not, much safer. 
     The first way is that the government could set regulations on 
     the growing and production of the substance. The government 
     could establish a few trustworthy growers across the country 
     to grow the marijuana to governmental safety standards and 
     make sure that consumers don't have to worry about their 
     products being laced with harmful substances. According to 
     the American Addiction Centers, marijuana can be laced with 
     dangerous substances such as lead, glass, heroin, PCP, 
     laundry detergent and cocaine. In addition, if the Federal 
     and State governments worked towards making marijuana a non-
     black market trade, officials would see countless less drug 
     deal-related deaths and injuries. This is significant because 
     according to Bill Conroy of ``The Narcosphere'', ``the number 
     of people murdered in the drug war inside the United States 
     between 2006 and 2010 exceeds the U.S. troop death toll in 
     the Iraq War.'' If marijuana isn't part of the black market, 
     there cannot be drug dealers who are willing to do anything 
     possible to get their money. If users don't have to be 
     secretive about their use, they will be less likely to be 
     hostile and more likely to get help and the amount of drug 
     incidents will decrease. If the government officials take 
     marijuana off the black market, it will make communities 
     safer.
       In the interest of saving the government money, the 
     decriminalization and legalization of marijuana can 
     contribute majorly. If the government legalizes marijuana, 
     they can alleviate the cost of making arrests related to 
     marijuana use. After all, ``authorities spend more than $3.6 
     billion enforcing laws against marijuana possession'' 
     according to a frequently cited report by the American Civil 
     Liberties Union. Fifty-two percent of all arrests made in 
     2010 were due to marijuana related incidents, and a 
     staggering 700,000 marijuana arrests were made in 2014. As a 
     baseline statistic, the average cost to keep an inmate in a 
     New York state prison is around $60,000 per inmate annually. 
     All the money saved by the State and Federal governments 
     could be more appropriately be dedicated to lessening the 
     country's increasing national debt.
       For these reasons, the decriminalization and legalization 
     of marijuana for recreational use, removing it from the black 
     market, would benefit not only our state, but the entire 
     country.


             KAITLINN LITTLE, WINOOSKI HIGH SCHOOL, SENIOR

       I am afraid to walk down the street. I cannot afford to 
     spend mental energy on how I present myself in order to 
     remain sexually safe. Instead, I focus on leaving a positive 
     and impactful mark on this world. From a young age, my sex 
     wasn't an obstacle in anything I did. I played with pink and 
     blue toys. Stranger danger applied to all children. I played 
     in the mud with a dress on. Then, I wanted to look like 
     Barbie. I wanted to be rescued by a prince instead of saving 
     myself. Children on the playground told me when a boy was 
     mean, it meant he had a crush. Slowly but surely, we fell 
     into the roles we were taught to follow. Today, women are 
     coming forward and insisting that sexism is still an issue 
     and I find that from the shallow strides I take in the 
     presence of a man, this reality is with me, too.
       According to ``Psychology Today'', 56% of women in the 
     United States are dissatisfied with their appearance. I've 
     seen that young and old women will change their looks or even 
     who they are so that a man will accept and notice them. 
     Carolyn Coker Ross, MD says that how media portrays female 
     bodies influences how women see themselves. She writes about 
     the physical alterations women started performing during the 
     1800's. Women have put themselves in danger through plastic 
     surgery to be ``beautiful.'' Such behavior should not be 
     socially acceptable. Biologically, humans look for traits in 
     a mate that they consider attractive. We were not built to 
     harm ourselves to reach that appearance.
       Gender roles in the past assigned women to be meek. 
     Although the roles aren't as black and white today, those 
     mentalities are still common throughout media. People in 
     power make it difficult to move forward. Planned Parenthood 
     explains that gender roles can occur in different forms such 
     as personality traits, domestic behaviors, occupation, and 
     physical appearances. But there are also ways to fight back, 
     such as pointing out stereotyping in media to help people 
     become aware of it. Speaking out about roles that could hurt 
     us will draw attention to the issue. Speaking up for victims 
     of sexism will spread awareness. And finally, not strictly 
     following traditional norms will open people's minds. No 
     drastic measures need to be made in order to prove a point. 
     Simply being yourself, no matter how you act, dress, or look, 
     should be the American norm.
       My existence is not to be blanketed by fear but to thrive 
     as a woman who is beneficial to a world that is hurting. If 
     we are silent, power remains in the hands of those who impose 
     silence on us. Listening to the people who witness hate with 
     their own eyes surely will bring some relief to American 
     women who are afraid to stride with the confidence and 
     strength they are meant to have.


     DUNCAN MCGRADE, CHAMPLAIN VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL, SOPHOMORE

       Today, the United States faces its greatest threat since 
     the Cold War. It does not have a flag, or an ideology. It is 
     unarmed, but deadly. It is the critical issue of our times. 
     The greatest challenge America faces today comes from climate 
     change and the unwillingness to act to stop it. The 2017 
     Atlantic hurricane season broke records with 17 storms, 
     hundreds of direct fatalities, and $292,000,000,000 in 
     damages. It was the first such hurricane season, but it will 
     not be the last. Scientists are still assessing the 
     unprecedented hurricane season of last year, but the Union of 
     Concerned Scientists has made clear that new, unnatural 
     climatic conditions have worsened natural disasters, and will 
     continue to do so. With millions of people living near the 
     Caribbean and the eastern seaboard, including in U.S. states 
     and territories, inaction is unacceptable. Funding must be 
     provided to create, improve, or maintain storm resistant 
     infrastructure and housing, and to treat the cause: climate 
     change.
       New climate threats are not only impacting the East Coast--
     far from it. The West Coast has been plagued with yet another 
     series of un-natural disasters: wildfires. Wildfires are 
     short but destroy lives nonetheless. In the past year alone, 
     thousands have been displaced, and 46 people have been 
     killed. Experts fear this is merely a harbinger of far worse 
     wildfire seasons to come, and the mass damage, casualties, 
     and displacement that they will bring.
       Climate change displacement is not only an American 
     problem, but a global one. Today, 21.5 million people have 
     been forcibly displaced due to directly climate-related 
     events, according to the UNHCR. Many of these refugees have 
     fled to developed states, which have largely failed in their 
     humanitarian obligations. Developed states must do better 
     because millions more climate refugees are expected in the 
     coming years. Directly climate related catastrophes are not 
     the only force behind the greatest refugee crisis since the 
     Second World War. Outright resource conflict has reared its 
     head, with resource scarcity and inequality an amplifier of 
     other conflicts that directly impact U.S. interests, such as 
     the disruption of merchant shipping in vital maritime 
     chokepoints due to piracy, a behavior fundamentally driven by 
     poverty. For pragmatic and moral reasons, the U.S. must 
     address poverty at home and overseas. One way to manage this 
     issue is at the source, by halting climate induced scarcity 
     of resources.
       Today, the United States faces a critical threat: climate 
     change. The death and destruction caused by climate change is 
     no longer a hypothetical. It is a current and critical threat 
     to the security of the people of the United States and the 
     globe, today and tomorrow. Climate change has already caused 
     catastrophic environmental and humanitarian crises. The 
     United States must halt climate change by subsidizing the 
     blossoming green energy movement, aiding worker transition to 
     renewable energy careers, correcting an anti-science culture, 
     and re-entering the Paris Climate Accord immediately. We must 
     act now because America's lethargy of today is humanity's 
     calamity of tomorrow.


                JAKE MCNEIL, MILTON HIGH SCHOOL, SENIOR

       Vermont is a unique State that is comprised of small, 
     tight-knit communities; these communities have a close 
     relationship with local government. Teachers, a vital 
     component to both the community and in promoting students to 
     be forward-thinkers, help shape Vermont into the innovative 
     and creative state that it is. Lately, however, there has 
     been a lack of consideration in regards to the teachers who 
     are at the heart of Vermont's schools and communities. 
     Scattered across our Facebook feeds and blasted from our car 
     radios are stories of local school districts' strife. For 
     decades, teacher strikes have become commonplace, each with a 
     lasting impact on the Vermont education system. The Vermont-
     National Education Association, VT-NEA, has recorded over 26 
     strikes in the state. However, this issue is not just 
     relevant to Vermont, but every State across the country. 
     Teachers are a fundamental part of our school systems and are 
     influential in the development of future generations, which 
     is why I believe it is essential that attention is paid to 
     the underlying issues that spark these strikes. From 
     underfunded schools and issues with employee contracts to 
     unsatisfactory working conditions and hefty workloads, the 
     laundry list of problems is anything but miniscule. We must 
     do two things: open the door to productive communication by 
     letting teachers

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     air their grievances, and have school boards focus more 
     resources on trying to resolve those issues. This will help 
     teachers attain and deliver the curricula they desire by 
     coordinating cost saving measures, all without breaking the 
     town budgets. The students of America, our future generation, 
     deserve an education without interruption.
       We need to have teachers and leadership communicate 
     constantly to get the schools and outcomes we desire. By 
     engaging in productive, civil and persistent dialogue between 
     all parties, teachers serve as models in promoting the 
     behaviors they want to instill in their students, like 
     myself, and the community: standing up against injustice, 
     making difficult decisions, and insisting on being treated 
     with dignity and respect--despite such actions being 
     perceived as very difficult and unpopular. In essence, 
     continual dialogue among all parties is a more productive, 
     and instructive, model for our teachers and leadership to 
     follow. The process of continual dialogue will help all 
     parties involved identify areas in the system that need 
     funding by communicating and pinpointing the specific areas 
     of interest: materials, professional development, and teacher 
     contracts. This allows leadership to make informed choices 
     about budgeting, which is a more effective use of limited 
     funds.
       Education is an essential service, and as such we must 
     strive to make it better. As President John F. Kennedy said, 
     ``The race between education and erosion, between wisdom and 
     waste has not run its course.'' We are still in the race, and 
     by having teachers, state, and national leadership continue 
     to work together, we can place ourselves in the best position 
     to win the race. As Americans, it is critical for citizens to 
     support the educators that shape our communities into the 
     melting pot of growth and creativity that they are today.


         LILY MINER, CHAMPLAIN VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL, SENIOR

       During this first year of the Donald Trump presidency, we 
     have witnessed many questionable decisions being made for our 
     country that not only affect us, but also those around the 
     world in a negative way. One particular decision, however, 
     has set our country on a path to continue the horrific damage 
     being done to Earth. President Trump's adjudication to pull 
     out of the Paris Climate Agreement has left us as the only 
     nation in the world to oppose it since Syria signed to join 
     in November. The main objective for this agreement was to 
     restrict levels of CO2 emissions from each country. The 
     consequences of Trump's withdrawal are grave, as CO2 levels 
     in the atmosphere have risen past 400 parts per million--
     levels that are already superseding what Earth can handle to 
     support the flora and fauna living on it. Continuing this 
     trend will most likely result in a mass extinction event.
       Hearing the White House argue that removing us from the 
     agreement will help boost our economy filled much of the 
     American public as well as climate experts around the globe 
     with a sense of outrage. We have already accumulated a 
     surplus of evidence that manmade climate change is having a 
     drastic negative impact. In the past two decades, sea levels 
     have risen at a rate of .13 inches, which is twice the rate 
     of the past century. From 1992 to 2011, Greenland lost 152 
     billion tons of ice per year, West Antarctica lost 65 billion 
     per year, and the Antarctic Peninsula lost 20 billion per 
     year. Increased intensity in extreme weather including 
     hurricanes, floods, and snowstorms has been recorded since 
     the 1950's. These are just a fraction of the plethora of 
     examples. Given the massive amount of damage that has already 
     been done, how can it be justified to place the economy as a 
     higher priority?
       This choice is especially irresponsible when considering 
     the fact that the United States produces more excess CO2 than 
     any other country. While there are many factors to blame, one 
     of the largest and least necessary of these is the use of 
     fossil fuels. They provide 81% of the energy in the United 
     States, yet they are both incredibly harmful and incredibly 
     easy to replace. A change needs to be made.
       It is imperative that we as a global superpower begin to 
     invest in renewable energy such as wind and solar. Many 
     economists agree that the long term benefits from switching 
     to renewable energy would outweigh the short term costs, 
     improving the economy through more environmentally sound 
     means. Certainly a more competent course of action than 
     removing ourselves from the Paris Agreement. Though the cost 
     of installation for these methods are pricier than more 
     conventional ones, they have no fuel costs once they are 
     functioning and the maintenance costs are cheaper. The United 
     States has not only the resources, but the duty to fight 
     against these issues. We need to combat this now, because we 
     will not be given a second chance later.

                          ____________________