[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S194-S195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY 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.
  This is the contest's 13th year, and I would like to congratulate the 
382 students who participated. 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 educators reviewed the essays and chose 
August Howe as this year's winner. August, a junior at Twinfield Union 
School, wrote about the impact of misinformation on our society and our 
democracy. J Lahue, a freshman at Burr and Burton Academy, was the 
second place winner. J wrote about how to address political 
polarization. Keenan Wallace, a junior at Twinfield Union School, was 
the third place winner, with an essay on unions and labor rights.
  I am very proud to enter into the Congressional Record the essays 
submitted by August, J and Keenan:


          WINNER, AUGUST HOWE, TWINFIELD UNION SCHOOL, JUNIOR

       This past Sunday, January 8th, 2023, rioters stormed 
     official capitol buildings in Brazil. The incident parallels 
     in many ways the January 6th attack on the U.S. capitol, the 
     two-year anniversary of which had passed just two days prior 
     to the Brazil riot. Both events were caused, in part, by 
     misinformation campaigns waged primarily on social media 
     platforms. Both instances are extreme examples of what can 
     happen when misinformation forces people into action against 
     problems that don't exist. Both instances are proof as to why 
     the rise of misinformation and fake news on social media is 
     one of the major problems facing our country.
       The past 25 years have seen the rise of the internet and 
     subsequent social media platforms. Starting out as a place to 
     connect with people on a personal level, these platforms have 
     grown to dominate the online landscape and now serve as many 
     people's primary source of information. They have strayed 
     from their original purpose, developing into money generating 
     machines that rely on user's constant engagement. Tapping 
     into people's psychology is the main way social media 
     platforms and those on it obtain such participation, and 
     unfortunately, negative and emotionally-manipulating content 
     is what gains the most attraction. As a result, social media 
     platforms breed negativity, division, and ultimately, 
     distorted opinions that turn into mis- and disinformation and 
     fake news on just about every subject out there.

[[Page S195]]

       The solution to such a problem is complicated and far from 
     perfect, but there are still a few options. Social media 
     platforms are essentially news sources at this point, yet 
     they are not held to the same legal standards. News sources 
     are liable for the content they release, social media 
     platforms, however, are exempt from such liability by Section 
     230, a law passed by the U.S. Congress that protects all 
     providers and users of interactive computer services from 
     liability for the content on these platforms, regardless of 
     whether it is true or false. Originally created to protect 
     internet user's speech, Section 230 now enables people to 
     exercise their freedom of speech and introduce mis- and 
     disinformation into the media stream without consequence. By 
     repealing Section 230 and holding social media companies 
     responsible for the content on their platforms, we will hold 
     them to the same standards as established news outlets, and 
     force them to do more to stop the spread of misinformation on 
     their platforms.
       Equally as important as holding companies accountable is 
     encouraging the education of the general public on media 
     literacy and critical thinking skills to identify 
     misinformation and fake news. An educated population is 
     essential to a well-governed population, and that education 
     must now include media literacy. Programs should be 
     implemented in schools, starting as young as elementary 
     students, to teach how to identify fake news and be media 
     literate.
       Regulating social media platform like standard news 
     outlets, and educating the general population are the best 
     ways we can defend our country's democracy from the threat of 
     misinformation in social media.


        SECOND PLACE, J LAHUE, BURR AND BURTON ACADEMY, FRESHMAN

       Political polarization, or the divergence of political 
     beliefs away from the center towards ideological extremes, is 
     a prominent problem and a threat to democracy. Americans 
     continue to create more divides between people who have 
     opposing views, and the result, an astounding lack of empathy 
     plagues our country. The 2019 government shutdown and the 
     violent January 6th insurrection were both major consequences 
     that stemmed from political polarization. This rise of 
     extreme ideologies can be attributed to various factors, such 
     as media partisanship, hostility between political opponents, 
     and economic inequality. These factors then lead to 
     congressional gridlock, lack of trust, an increase in 
     violence, and, most importantly, a lessened sense of 
     community. But, there are steps that, if taken, could stop 
     polarization at its roots.
       To solve political polarization, I propose a new bill, 
     titled The Unity Act, to address the underlying problems. 
     This bill would create forums to unify people and cultivate 
     common ground by promoting dialogue and understanding and 
     addressing economic inequality. While political polarization 
     is a scary threat to democracy and the Nation we live in, we 
     can bridge the divides with the following measures.
       The first way the bill would eliminate polarization is by 
     targeting economic inequality. By increasing the minimum wage 
     to just 10 dollars and 10 cents, around four million people 
     would be taken out of poverty. Similarly, investing in 
     education, especially Pre-K, would improve economic mobility. 
     Furthermore, The Unity Act would expand the Earned Income Tax 
     Credit to bring children above the poverty line. These 
     reforms would solve economic inequality, a major cause of 
     extreme ideologies because inequality leads to social 
     divisions.
       With the investment in education, the bill would also 
     encourage middle schools to teach media literacy and how to 
     differentiate between fake and factual information. Teaching 
     this important skill at a young age would lessen the negative 
     effects of misinformation. The bill would also recommend 
     schools teach tough topics to create more dialogue and thus 
     reduce the risk of extreme partisan views.
       While these reforms would address the underlying problems, 
     the major initiative would target polarization through 
     Citizen Assemblies. Citizen Assemblies would be held in the 
     counties of each State monthly. They would bring people 
     together to speak about divisive issues that need to be 
     addressed. Assemblies would select participants in the same 
     way as jury duty so they could engage in political 
     deliberation with their ideas directed towards the State and 
     National Government. These assemblies would effectively 
     establish common ground to reduce extreme partisan views.
       In conclusion, political polarization is an increasing 
     problem that undermines democracy through issues like lack of 
     trust and a lost sense of unity. By correcting economic 
     inequalities, bettering the education system, and introducing 
     Citizen Assemblies, polarization can be slowly eliminated. If 
     passed, The Unity Act would create a bridge to improve the 
     welfare of American citizens by cultivating common ground. 
     Especially as newer and more partisan issues emerge, it is 
     imperative that we strive towards a more cohesive Nation by 
     addressing political polarization.


      THIRD PLACE, KEENAN WALLACE, TWINFIELD UNION SCHOOL, JUNIOR

       One of the most pressing issues facing our society today is 
     the issue of labor rights. Recently there has been a slew of 
     confrontations between workers and corporations, from 
     Starbucks and Amazon to the threatened rail strikes earlier 
     this year, 2022 has been tumultuous. The way that each of 
     these confrontations were negotiated either within the 
     corporation or, in the case of the rail strikes, by the 
     United States Government sends an important message, our 
     workers' rights are not the priority.
       In November of this year Starbucks employees organized a 
     walkout at more than 100 Starbucks locations in protest of 
     Starbucks repeated refusal to negotiate contracts with labor 
     unions. Many workers cited being underpaid, understaffed and 
     overworked. But Starbucks has been adamant in their anti-
     union stance, giving pay increases selectively to locations 
     that had not voted to unionize, firing union organizers, 
     refusing to negotiate contracts with union representatives, 
     and taking steps to prohibit union elections at its stores. 
     Unfortunately, this union busting attitude is not exclusive 
     to Starbucks. At Amazon, one of the world's largest 
     corporations, the same issues repeat themselves. Low pay, 
     oppressive and, at times unsafe working conditions, as well 
     as aggressive anti-union policies are also apparent there.
       Earlier this year the 12 largest rail unions threatened to 
     strike in protest of low pay and a lack of paid sick leave. 
     Because of the massive economic impact, a strike like this 
     would have the US government stepped in. In November 
     President Biden brokered a deal between the major rail unions 
     and the rail corporations. This deal promises a 24 percent 
     wage increase over the next five years, but it critically 
     lacks any guaranteed paid sick days. This lack of sick days 
     led four of the 12 major unions to reject the deal. Despite 
     this Biden stepped in and asked Congress to impose the deal 
     onto the Unions, disregarding their decision. This sets a 
     precedent for corporations like Starbucks and Amazon to 
     disregard labor unions.
       The framework for the solution is already in place. The 
     National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an agency that was 
     created to enforce the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). 
     This agency is responsible for helping organize unions and 
     they step in when corporations violate the NLRA. 
     Unfortunately, the NLRB is tremendously underfunded and since 
     2014 it has received no budget increases, resulting in an 
     effective budget cut of more than 20 percent due to 
     inflation. Additionally, under the Trump administration the 
     agency's leadership was gutted, further challenging the fight 
     for unionization. Under Biden the NLRB's performance has 
     increased, but it is not enough. By increasing the NLRB's 
     funding, its ability to organize unions, achieve justice for 
     wronged workers and keep corporations in check would increase 
     dramatically.
       Increasing funding for the NLRB is a simple, low cost 
     solution to a problem that has plagued the American working 
     class for decades. A stronger NLRB would not only be a boon 
     for workers, but also a valuable tool for the government to 
     check the ever-increasing power that corporations hold over 
     our democracy.

                          ____________________