[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S648-S650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                   STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY FINALISTS

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I would like to congratulate more 
finalists in this year's State of the Union Essay Contest and, as I did 
with the finalists I recognized yesterday, I ask that their essays be 
printed in the Record.
  The material follows:


          maisie newbury, middlebury union high school, junior

       ``Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember 
     that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages 
     that you've had.'' The Great Gatsby, page 1. This was one of 
     my father's favorite quotes when I was growing up. He always 
     cautioned me to think before I spoke or better yet, ``think 
     before you think.'' While some might call this inauthentic, 
     my father called it sensible.
       I am not blind to the privilege I possess. Though, living 
     in the big house atop the hill with my two healthy, living 
     parents in the sheltered town of Weybridge, Vermont, it would 
     be an easy thing to forget--if it weren't for my brother, 
     Robbie.
       Robbie does not talk much. He cannot read. He cannot write. 
     He has ``Severe, Regressive Autism,'' a developmental 
     disorder that inhibits his literacy and communication skills. 
     When I was younger, my parents explained to me that the world 
     looked different to Robbie. It was louder, brighter and so 
     much bigger. Living with Robbie, I am constantly reminded of 
     my privilege. Every time I speak, run, ski, read, write . . . 
     I'm doing something that he cannot. All the things I do on a 
     daily basis are insurmountable obstacles to him. Yet, even 
     without these luxuries, my brother smiles and laughs--he 
     enjoys his life and his experience because he owns it. No one 
     should be allowed to take that from him.
       Yet, my brother's access to the care he needs has decreased 
     immensely in the last year. His weekly appointments with his 
     occupational therapist, which used to be covered by 
     insurance, are now unaffordable as my parents must continue 
     supporting him in their retirement. Learning this, I was 
     upset. How could something so fundamental be removed from our 
     insurance policy without a second thought?
       In our society, mental health challenges are often 
     dismissed as illegitimate and fixable. Words like psycho, 
     idiot and lunatic, are thrown around as diminutive insults 
     rather than seen as impactful and potentially harmful. 
     Because of this, mental healthcare is considered a luxury 
     rather than a necessity, and therefore not something that 
     should be covered by insurance.
       The union we live in does not value mental healthcare 
     simply because society does not. This issue starts with us. I 
     cannot stay silent and watch my parents sacrifice my 
     brother's future stability and independence in order to be 
     able to support him in the long run; nor can I do this alone. 
     I know that until society begins placing value on the lives 
     of people like Robbie, no one will--especially not large-
     scale insurance providers. However, I believe that there are 
     other people like me who, if we band together, can create a 
     small group of thoughtful, committed citizens ready to take 
     on the world. For, unlike my brother, my privilege has given 
     me a voice, and it is my duty to use it to fight for him. I 
     owe him that much.


                jackson noel, milton high school, senior

       With a nation as large as the United States there is a 
     constant stream of issues and problems that require 
     addressing. This means that the most important issues are 
     those that involve the largest portion of the United States 
     population. In that way, the biggest issue that the United 
     States should currently focus on is making sure that every 
     American can afford and has access to health care.
       Every American should have the right to health care, as 
     wealth should not determine quality of life. Health care is 
     an incredibly important aspect of everyone's lives as it 
     allows them to live without worrying about not having access 
     to critical care and treatment to thrive. In this way, the 
     solution to this problem is the maintaining and constant 
     adjusting of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 
     ``ACA'', to best suit and assist the American people. The 
     benefit of the Affordable Care Act is deceptively simple in 
     that more Americans would be able to afford and hold onto 
     healthcare. This means that they would be able to live a 
     better life and be better functioning members of society. The 
     Affordable Care Act has proven to be a legitimate solution 
     since it has been enacted under the Obama administration. 
     According to the New York Times, the number of Americans 
     without healthcare is ``down by 25 percent.'' This shows that 
     the Affordable Care Act is effective at achieving its goals.
       There are many people who believe that the United States 
     government should play no role in health care; this is a 
     flawed perspective. The goal is insure as many American 
     citizens as possible it makes the most sense to have defined 
     government regulation. One belief is that there should be a 
     free market for health insurance, allowing companies to 
     compete to provide the best system to benefit the people. 
     There are many problems with a free market health care system 
     that stops it from being helpful and most useful for the 
     American people. A free market is not designed to allow for 
     everyone to have insurance, but rather people who can afford 
     it having better access. This is not beneficial on the 
     national scale and leads to a large imbalance of power. There 
     are also numerous flaws in the current American approach to 
     health care. For one, even when someone is insured there are 
     upfront fees and payments before insurance kicks in. This 
     means that someone who is insured might not be able to pay 
     these fees causing them to be financially burdened by bills 
     even with insurance.
       Universal government health care has proven to be a 
     sufficient solution to the problem of health care. For 
     example, Switzerland has universal health care and a per 
     capita health expenditures of $1,879, compared to America's 
     $4,160. Meaning that the United States is spending more money 
     on less.
       Making sure that this is available and maintained under the 
     Trump administration is important in the path towards 
     accessible health insurance. No one should ever die because 
     they cannot afford treatment.


            hope petraro, montpelier high school, sophomore

       Commitment to democracy is the founding principal of the 
     United States of America-embedded in the fabric of our 
     Nation, the crown jewel of our proverbial crown. A 
     constitutional federal republic, with a system of checks and 
     balances, is an assurance to constituents that they each have 
     a seat at the table. Yet in practice, this has proven to be 
     nothing but a promising facade. Gerrymandering, voter 
     suppression, and ``money in politics'' are not a threat to 
     our democracy--they define American democracy. The 
     disproportionate influence of wealthy individuals and 
     corporations in elections and in the legislative process has 
     muddled an honest definition of democracy in our Nation while 
     simultaneously becoming it. However, America's commitment to 
     tried-and-true methods does not necessitate lack of reception 
     to positive change.
       Campaigns will always include campaign financing, as the 
     distribution of information to voters is dependent upon 
     systems that require funding. In addition, campaign 
     contributions, whether by individuals or corporations, can 
     rightfully be considered an exercise of the First Amendment 
     right to free speech. However, refusal to set donation limits 
     violates the grounds of equality upon which such freedom of 
     speech is conducted, and can arguably censor and repress the 
     speech of the less wealthy as it greatly diminishes their 
     relative influence. Unfortunately, Citizens United and the 
     subsequent SpeechNow allow donors to make unlimited donations 
     to super PACS. This includes money donated by foreign 
     entities, possibly anonymously as ``dark money''. Moreover, 
     these expenditures aren't verifiably independent from 
     candidates. Collusion between super PACs, often created by 
     associates of candidates and candidates themselves, is 
     rarely, if ever, regulated. In addition, it is hypocritical 
     to argue, in the name of free speech, that donors can 
     contribute an unlimited amount to expenditures but that those 
     expenditures must remain independent. Citizens United, 
     SpeechNow, and the additional McCutcheon rulings have nearly 
     neutralized the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, adding a 
     somewhat plutocratic influence upon the electoral process and 
     American democracy as a whole.
       This issue is multi-partisan. According to Gallup Poll, the 
     greatest majority of Americans cite dissatisfaction with the 
     government and poor leadership as our Nation's most important 
     issue. A September 2015 Bloomberg poll found that about 80 
     percent of Republicans and Democrats alike oppose Citizens 
     United. This overarching dissatisfaction can be ameliorated 
     by working

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     to keep elections in the hands of the American people. 
     Political groups, such as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth 
     and ALEC, were able to influence elections before Citizens 
     United, SpeechNow, and McCutcheon, and are able to influence 
     the legislative process, respectively. However, it's 
     important for Americans to avoid demoralization, 
     understanding that the first step to achieving a republic 
     free of corruption rests in truly democratic elections. A 
     true democracy can be achieved by restoring the Bipartisan 
     Campaign Reform Act, strengthening campaign-finance 
     regulations, and supporting public campaign-financing 
     initiatives. We, the American people, must decide our 
     destiny, and our elections should remind each American that 
     their voices prevail.


          zoe prue, champlain valley union high school, junior

       The United States is distinguished by the values that are 
     deeply embedded in our culture and economy. Americans place 
     emphasis on individual initiative and self-created success. 
     These ideas are evident in the Constitution, its amendments, 
     and various institutions. Their derivation is best seen in a 
     famous phrase written in the Declaration of Independence, 
     ``life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'' Captured in 
     these seven words are the ubiquitous values of our Nation.
       Our focus on individually created prosperity is manifested 
     by capitalism and the free market. However, these are not 
     conducive to always guaranteeing protections like health care 
     for our most vulnerable citizens. In America, there are 
     families stymied in an unrelenting cycle of poverty, and they 
     are incapable of rising out of the cycle for a myriad of 
     factors. For example, access to education and vocational 
     training, discrimination--especially for marginalized 
     communities--higher incarceration rates, low salaries/wages, 
     and lack of jobs. Impoverished people have difficulties 
     paying for the bare minimums like housing, food, and heat. 
     Consequently, families rarely find any spare money to spend 
     on healthcare.
       This is an issue because, according to the National Center 
     for Children in Poverty, 15 million children in the United 
     States live below the federal poverty line. There are 
     millions of children who do not receive regular physical 
     check-ups, necessary optometry appointments, or dental care. 
     Children and adolescents are suffering from health problems 
     that impact their quality of life. Many treatable ailments 
     require simple fixes such as glasses to see the board, 
     fillings for painful cavities, medicine for illnesses, or 
     inhalers for asthma. It is within our capacity to fix these 
     problems, so why are we not? We should be concerned about the 
     health of our Nation's citizens as it is one of the most 
     important issues facing the U.S. today.
       There is an inescapable need for affordable and accessible 
     health care for the American public. The lasting impacts of 
     affordable healthcare would be monumental. When we invest in 
     the health and livelihoods of the next generation of 
     Americans, we are investing in the next generation of our 
     workforce. Healthier people results in more able workers, who 
     by extension, are able to support their own families. It is 
     one of the best methods to combatting the poverty cycle.
       We characterize our Nation by our belief in individualism 
     and independence. However, when we see a system that is 
     relentlessly unforgiving towards people in poverty, the most 
     productive conclusion to come to is that we have to start 
     taking care of our neighbors. The cycle disempowers them; it 
     strips them of the ability to pay for necessities like 
     healthcare. This is why affordable healthcare needs to be 
     obtainable for all Americans.
       Instead of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, 
     it should be expanded upon. The government should fund 
     programs to offer reasonably priced healthcare to Americans. 
     Doing so would create a lasting solution to poor citizens 
     being unable to access health care. The quality of life for 
     millions of Americans would be improved.


             ethan schmitt, rutland high school, sophomore

       I am the grandson of a card-carrying member of the National 
     Rifle Association. I support the United States Constitution 
     and all of its amendments. Despite this, I believe that the 
     way our country's officials have interpreted the Second 
     Amendment has created the foundation for many mass shootings, 
     which have claimed the lives of countless innocent civilians.
       A price cannot be assigned for the lives lost due to this 
     awfully dangerous policy of our country; every time another 
     person dies due to homicide, another family is torn apart. 
     Many children have been killed, particularly in church and 
     school shootings. And even in cases where there are children 
     who haven't been physically impacted by the mass shootings, 
     they may have lost a loved one which will take a toll on them 
     mentally and emotionally for the rest of their lives.
       The universal definition of the term mass shooting is when 
     four or more people are injured or killed in a single event 
     at the same time and location. According to The Guardian, 
     there have been 1,516 mass shootings in the past 1,735 days 
     before October 1, 2017, the date of the mass shooting that 
     took place at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. A total of 
     1,719 people have died as a result of these mass shootings, 
     while an additional 6,510 were injured. The gun at the 
     forefront of these mass shootings was the semi-automatic 
     rifle, which has the ability to shoot a round, and 
     automatically reload with another round that is fired with an 
     additional pull of the trigger. Despite the National Rifle 
     Association's attempts to defend such a weapon as a gun 
     mostly used for hunting purposes, there is no need for this 
     hazardous assault weapon in order to successfully hunt.
       In addition, devices known as bump stocks are used to 
     simulate the speed of fire similar to that of an automatic 
     weapon for a semi-automatic weapon. An automatic weapon has 
     the ability to fire multiple rounds of ammunition by only 
     pulling the trigger of a gun once, and are more commonly 
     known as machine guns. The American people have been 
     prohibited from the use of these weapons with the passing of 
     the National Firearms Act in 1934. However, bump stocks have 
     not been banned, and the result of this have been conflicts 
     such as the mass shooting in Las Vegas where the gunman 
     successfully attached these devices to 23 of his semi-
     automatic rifles, and used them to kill 58 people, which 
     resulted in the most devastating shooting in U.S. history.
       The solution to this mass shooting epidemic is clear. 
     Congress must use rationality and act as a bipartisan group 
     to pass a bill which regulates the use of semi-automatic 
     weapons and bump stocks which have both been used with 
     frequency in a multitude of mass shootings across the United 
     States. American citizens have the right to bear arms, but 
     not with weapons that have no purpose in hunting, target 
     practice, or even self-defense.


     elizabeth toensing, champlain valley union high school, junior

       On a summer Saturday morning, I was driving into 
     Burlington. At a stop light, I looked over at a church to my 
     right. A man, in his early twenties was sitting on the steps. 
     He was shivering ferociously, yelling at God, and begging for 
     help. His tremors were not from cold. He was shaking from 
     withdrawal. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and 
     soaked his shirt. His body was unable to handle the side 
     effects of withdrawal. He was a heroin addict. This homeless 
     man with torn clothing, could not access a treatment center. 
     His last-ditch effort was to sit on the steps of a church and 
     pray, scream, for a miracle.
       A miracle is ``a highly improbable or extraordinary event, 
     development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome 
     consequences.'' Miracles are meant for things we cannot 
     control, not things we can control like making help available 
     for drug addicts.
       By funding public drug rehabilitation centers, we can help 
     drug addicts to recover from their addictions. No addicts can 
     do it alone and adequate support is the only way to help with 
     these problems.
       An analysis from Blue Cross Blue Shield found that from 
     2010 to 2016, the number of people diagnosed with an 
     addiction to opioids climbed 493 percent. Yet, at the same 
     time, there was only a 65 percent increase in the number of 
     people getting medication-assisted treatment to manage their 
     addiction.
       Why do we allow the drug abuse problem to skyrocket well 
     beyond treatment resources? Perhaps it is because drug 
     treatment centers come at a cost. They can range from 
     $20,000-$60,000 for a 30-90 day inpatient stay. No wonder 
     77.7 percent of addicts cannot afford it. But for society, 
     the costs go well beyond treatment.
       The opioid crisis in America is increasing by the day and 
     with it comes increased deaths and suffering. Some suggest 
     creating injection sites to supervise heroin users to help 
     with the growing death toll. But this is a short term fix. 
     Rehab is a long-term fix and gives opioid abusers a chance to 
     reclaim normal lives.
       Making rehabilitation centers more accessible to 
     financially strapped addicts will help the opioid epidemic. 
     Reducing or eliminating the financial blockades to treatment 
     that exist for nearly 80 percent of addicts will answer the 
     prayers of an increasing number of victims of this plague. 
     Affordable rehabilitation centers will eliminate the need for 
     miracles.


        ella whitman, champlain valley union high school, junior

       When my high school principal told us that there were only 
     three rules we had to follow I was shocked. How can you sum 
     up every expectation that must be demanded of a young adult 
     into three things? He went on to inform us that we must take 
     care of ourselves, take care of each other, and the place. 
     While thinking about these three guidelines it became 
     apparent that achieving them can be challenging at times but 
     the step to do it is simple; you must respect all things. 
     Looking at our Nation today it is clear that lack of respect 
     creates the most conflict in our Nation. Our negligence to 
     respect each other's bodies, opinions, ethnicities, races, 
     backgrounds and beliefs leads us to discrimination, hatred 
     and prejudice. We see endless examples in our lives today.
       The lack of respect for one another's opinion is vividly 
     apparent in politics today. The Pew Research Center recently 
     reported how the partisan divide on our Nation's politics is 
     increasing. A study concluded, ``The shares of Republicans 
     and Democrats who express very unfavorable opinions of the 
     opposing party have increased dramatically since the 1990's, 
     but have changed little in recent years.'' This is alarming 
     because if we as people cannot see others perspective, we 
     will not be able to collaborate or work with one another to 
     collectively strengthen our Nation. By respecting others' 
     opinions we can gain insight and also learn their specific 
     needs.

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       Not only is respect lacking towards each other's opinions, 
     but to others wellbeing as we have recently seen millions of 
     women come forward with stories of sexual abuse. Not only in 
     our Nation's history but in present day, women are treated as 
     objects. Just within the last twenty four hours, additional 
     notable people have come forward with their previous stories 
     of harassment such as Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lawrence 
     and Molly Ringwald, not to mention the 12 million others who 
     have also shared their own stories on Facebook.
       Looking back, maybe our principal had a point. To function 
     not only as a school, but as a community or even a nation we 
     must have respect. To advance our Nation from its biggest 
     struggles and alleviate the consequences that come with it, 
     each person must learn how to see out of another's eyes. Each 
     person must treat one another with dignity. Respect is 
     important to our country because it allows us to adjoin 
     together as one. Our Nation was created upon respect and 
     embracing one another for their differences. Each person's 
     difference allows us to be the unique nation we are today. We 
     must embrace and respect every opinion that each one of us 
     has, every talent each one of us possesses and every person 
     each one of us is.


     name withheld upon request, burlington school district, senior

       The biggest issue we face in America today is that we 
     neglect our incarcerated population. I'm part of the juvenile 
     incarcerated population, and as a resident I don't feel like 
     I'm getting the appropriate treatment I need. I was already 
     here once and the skills I learned were not enough to keep me 
     from coming back.
       Incarcerated people need to be given the opportunity and 
     resources to identify what gets them in trouble and to work 
     on their problems. If a person has a history of violent 
     behaviors and is incarcerated because of his behaviors, he 
     shouldn't be doing groups on drugs and alcohol. Instead he 
     should be focusing his time and attention on working to 
     better his violent behaviors so he can be successful when he 
     gets out.
       Another issue is that there are many young people in the 
     system who do not need to be. There are almost 7,000 youth 
     behind bars for ``technical violations'' of their probation. 
     Also, about 600 youth are behind bars for ``status offense,'' 
     which are behaviors that are not law violations for adults, 
     such as running away, truancy, and incorrigibility.
       There are another 840,000 people on parole and about 3.7 
     million people on probation. I would like to see better 
     support for these people who come out of jail. If previously 
     incarcerated people relapse for certain types of offenses 
     like drug and alcohol offenses, breaking curfew, or violating 
     probation, they should be given opportunities to fix that 
     before it becomes a pattern, rather than being thrown back in 
     jail.
       I also think they should have more adult programs like 
     juveniles have such as short or longterm programs away from 
     their environment. A placement that juveniles go to after 
     being released from a locked facility is called a step down. 
     Laraway is an example of this, where a juvenile can go and be 
     allowed back in the community. They are given the opportunity 
     and supports to help them find a job and enroll back in 
     school.
       I hope that policymakers and the public carefully consider 
     better treatment within locked facilities and alternatives to 
     incarceration for people who are not a threat to public 
     safety. We should ask whether legitimate social goals are 
     served by maintaining the status quo.

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