[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 226-227]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        VERMONT STUDENTS' ESSAYS

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, democracy; that is, government of the 
people, by the people and for the people, does not thrive or even 
survive unless we have a well-informed and well-educated public who are 
thinking about, discussing and debating the important issues facing our 
country.
  In order to stimulate that goal, I have, for the last 2 years, 
sponsored an essay-contest asking Vermont's high school students what 
they think the United States should be doing to address the major 
problems we face as a nation. In other words, while tonight we hear the 
President's views about the State of the Union, the essays these 
students wrote reflect Vermont students' views about the State of the 
Union.
  I am delighted that 308 students, from 30 different schools 
throughout Vermont, thought about these challenges as they wrote their 
own State of the Union essay. And I want to thank each and every one of 
them for their participation in the contest and the time and effort 
they put into it. I also want to thank the five teachers who acted as 
judges for these contests. They are Brian Burgess of Hazen Union High 
School; Liz Lebrun of Poultney High School, Lois Little of Canaan 
Memorial High School; Joe Maley of South Burlington High School and 
Terri Vest of Twinfield Union High School.
  The winner, selected by a panel of five Vermont teachers, is Jennifer 
Sikorski, a senior at Winooski High School. In addition to Jennifer, 18 
students were named as finalists. The four runners-up were: Monica 
Allard, Milton High School; Kayleigh Ehler-Vock, South Burlington High 
School; Kate Raszka, Champlain Valley Union High School; Karolina 
Sowulewska, Burr and Burton Academy.
  Because of the excellent quality of the essays, we also honored 14 
other students with an honorable mention.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the winning essay be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           Jennifer Sikorski, Winookski High School (Winner)

                           [January 23, 2012]

       Ever since the Declaration of Independence was signed, the 
     United States has constantly paved the way to peace and 
     prosperity both for itself and the rest of the world. 
     However, as the world economy rapidly disintegrates, new 
     issues have emerged, from unemployment to the environment to 
     gay rights, and in the midst of it all, America stands still, 
     seemingly oblivious to the fact that its future is crumbling 
     in front of it. It is time to pave the way to prosperity once 
     again through these issues in order to ensure that someday we 
     can thrive again.
       Perhaps the biggest problem we face as a nation is 
     unemployment. As of 2011, 8.5 percent of people in the U.S.--
     over 26 million

[[Page 227]]

     Americans--are jobless. While it may seem as if putting such 
     a large amount of people to work cannot happen, there is a 
     chance that it can be done. As unemployment has been rising, 
     the condition of our environment has been deteriorating due 
     to deforestation and the emissions of greenhouse gases and 
     carbon dioxide given off by the use of fossil fuels. 
     Renewable energy such as solar and wind power, on the other 
     hand, has remained a topic of interest, yet it is still 
     somehow largely unavailable to the public. However, the 
     environment can be preserved, if not improved, by phasing out 
     fossil fuels in favor of solar and wind energy, while 
     millions of Americans can return to work to plant trees to 
     restore our forests and to build, distribute, and repair 
     solar panels, wind turbines, and other renewable energy 
     products. We are actually lucky in a way to have to face both 
     of these issues at once, as they can both be improved 
     simultaneously.
       America has also had a long-standing tradition of leading 
     the way in human rights, with such important movements such 
     as women's suffrage and civil rights abolishing 
     discrimination based on gender and race. There is no reason 
     why this tradition should not continue with gay rights as 
     well. Currently, only seven states in the entire country 
     allow same-sex marriage, and I am proud to live in one of the 
     few states that has begun to lead the way. I have many 
     friends and relatives that consider themselves gay or 
     bisexual and are actively involved in the LGBT community, and 
     I have witnessed their struggles as they have realized that 
     many are intolerant of their lifestyles. The entire country 
     should follow Vermont's example and legalize same-sex 
     marriage to continue to encourage not only the rights of 
     certain groups of people, but the rights of everyone.
       In conclusion, the challenges that we face with 
     unemployment, the environment, and gay rights are just some 
     of the challenges that, when dealt with appropriately, will 
     make our country stronger and greater than before. Though our 
     current situation looks bleak, we can always work towards 
     goals such as these that will help make America and the world 
     a better place.

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the 
absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Tester). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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