[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 923-925]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                        VERMONT ESSAY FINALISTS

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask to have printed in the 
Record finalist essays written by Vermont High School students as part 
of the Fifth Annual ``What is the State of the Union'' Essay contest 
conducted by my office. These 20 finalists were selected from over 400 
entries.
  The essays follow.


              Liam Gibbons, Milton High School (Finalist)

       We learn in school and from our parents that America is the 
     land of opportunity. Yet that is not the case. When the 
     wealth gap is steadily increasing, as women earn 70 cents for 
     each dollar a man makes, as the U.S. government spends more 
     on defense than on its disenfranchised, the land of 
     opportunity seems no longer under boot, but instead a distant 
     reality. Equal protection under the laws for every citizen, 
     promoting the general welfare, rights to life, liberty, and 
     the pursuit of happiness. All of these things are printed on 
     our country's most sacred documents, these things which need 
     to be an attainable reality for every American.
       Perhaps one of the most egregiously neglected groups in the 
     U.S. is women. Wage inequality combined with the control of 
     their own bodies in the hands of the government all add to 
     the fact that women are among the most disparaged people 
     within the U.S. Throughout America, women are denied the 
     right to a safe and constitutional abortion. Some of the 
     biggest contenders for the presidency have voiced their 
     belief that women shouldn't have this constitutional right 
     even in the context of rape or incest. Because of Roe v. 
     Wade, because of its constitutionality, a safe abortion 
     should be as accessible to the women in Texas as much as the 
     women in Vermont.
       A law needs to standardize how abortion clinics are made 
     and run, and if there is an issue regarding states' rights 
     and federalism, then an amendment must be made. Because not 
     only are women not currently in control of their own bodies, 
     they also lack the ability to earn equal wages as men. In 
     1977, the Equal rights amendment lost by the votes of three 
     states. Who in their right minds would vote against equal 
     rights in 2015. In order to ensure true equality and civil 
     rights bring back the ERA, and this time ratify it.
       Another group of people who lack this promised opportunity 
     is the poor. Most Americans are employed, but many of them 
     aren't earning livable wages. An American shouldn't have to 
     work three jobs to support their family. An American 
     shouldn't have to ride a bus three hours a day in order to 
     work for privatized welfare. An American should be able to 
     work for 40 hours a week, and be able to live comfortably. 
     And this is possible if we raise the minimum wage so that it 
     equates to a livable wage. However, no American should not 
     have to strive for the minimum, each citizen should have a 
     chance at exceeding, each American should be able to go to 
     college.
       In Germany, in Sweden, in Norway college is free. In Syria, 
     a week of bombing by the U.S. costs the same as the tuition 
     of 40,000 American students. If we were to take a fraction of 
     our defense budget and give it to the impoverished for higher 
     education, if we were to reallocate the budget, we would be 
     seeing a lot more opportunity.


              Eli Hulse, Vermont Commons School (Finalist)

       As the United States moves into 2015, we have achieved many 
     things that have furthered the nation, and improved the 
     security of the people economically, socially, and 
     militarily. Some of these advancements include electing Janet 
     Yellen as the first female Chair of the Federal Reserve, 
     reducing the unemployment rate from 6.7 percent to 5.8 
     percent; the lowest it has been since 2008, and helping 
     foreign forces fight against the militant group ISIS. 
     However, there are many problems that the United States faces 
     and needs to address over the next year.
       The single most important issue that the United States 
     needs to recognize and correct is the disparity of income. 
     Although it is true that the gap in income causes problems 
     with equality between the social classes, there are concerns 
     that the percentage of income that the upper class has is 
     causing instability in the United States economy as a whole. 
     People who have more money do not spend as much of percentage 
     of it as poorer people, which means that that money sits in 
     savings accounts, and is not paid to businesses in return for 
     products. As the income gap widens, less money will be 
     introduced into the economy, and it will leave the economy in 
     a precarious position.
       Another serious issue that the United States needs to 
     address is the spread of Ebola in Africa. Although domestic 
     cases of Ebola have been isolated and treated, an unstable 
     Africa would allow Ebola to potentially spread to the United 
     States and other countries, and could be catastrophic. It is 
     important that the United States government continues its 
     support of Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and other countries 
     that are struggling to create the infrastructure to treat 
     this deadly disease.
       Finally, it is key that the United States continues its 
     resistance to terror threats

[[Page 924]]

     both domestically and internationally. Although currently not 
     a direct threat to the United States or to the general 
     populous, ISIS has the potential to cause great damage to the 
     European Union and eventually to the United States. A 
     military force this size has not been seen in a long time, 
     and the influence that it has in the countries it overtakes 
     is alarming and needs to be kept in check. The United States 
     needs to keep this in mind when making international policy 
     decisions, and needs to continue supporting countries that 
     are actively fighting ISIS.
       The United States continues to be one of the largest 
     influencers on the international playing field. However, 
     policy makers need to keep in mind many domestic problems, 
     and begin working across the aisle in order to keep the 
     government of the United States secure and capable. 2014 has 
     seen a whole array of new policies, and these policies have 
     ensured the security of the American people. In 2015, new 
     policies will be created, that will hopefully fix some of the 
     problems in our society. God bless the United States of 
     America.


      Kathy Joseph, Champlain Valley Union High School (Finalist)

       America has undoubtedly grown in the past year, but the 
     many problems plaguing our nation continue to persist. The 
     United States economy is stronger. We added 300 thousand jobs 
     in November, the best in nearly three years. The unemployment 
     rate is at 5.8%, a post-recession low point. President Obama 
     struck a climate change deal with China--the two countries 
     with the largest energy consumptions agreed to curb their 
     carbon emissions by 2030. The war on terror in Afghanistan 
     officially ended. Relations with Cuba have been reopened, 
     which will make educational travel to Cuba easier and is a 
     new approach to dealing with the oppressive regime that is 
     currently leading Cuba.
       All of these are steps America has taken in the past year 
     in the right direction. However, we still face many 
     challenges. The US has a growing income gap--the rich are 
     getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. This is 
     highlighted in the spending bill passed in December to 
     prevent the government shutdown. In it there were several 
     provisions to cut welfare spending, such as Medicare and 
     spending on the Women and Children support while there was 
     another provision essentially written by the banks to reverse 
     the Dodd Frank act. That act was written after the recession, 
     but now things will go back to the way they were. Lobbyists 
     for banks and for the wealthy have louder voices in 
     Washington. Over 50% of Congress people are millionaires, 
     while millionaires make up only 5% of the US population. This 
     helps explain why income inequality is only getting worse, 
     and is something that the American people must change.
       It is harder for students to afford college. Student loans 
     are not of importance in Washington, which is something that 
     needs to be changed. More people are afraid of the debt they 
     will be in after getting their degree, and would rather start 
     working out of high school. This is not the path we should be 
     going on, and it is time for Congress to start listening to 
     the students and prioritizing education.
       The media have recently brought the nation's attention to 
     police brutality, racial discrimination, and our broken 
     criminal justice system. President Obama allocated $263 
     million for police body cameras and training, which is an 
     acknowledgement of the need for reform but does not solve the 
     root problem. Although there was footage available for the 
     strangling of Eric Garner, the officer had no charges filed 
     against him. These injustices seem to be occurring only more 
     frequently, and Congress should focus its attention on real 
     solutions that will lead to demilitarization of the police 
     and a stop to the criminal justice system disproportionately 
     affecting minority groups.
       We are still moving forward as a nation, but in 2015 we 
     must work to reverse trends such as the growing income gap, 
     increased police brutality, and losing sight of our 
     priorities. There is still hope for a brighter future if we 
     remember what values America really stands for.


   Emily (Emery) Mead, Missisquoi Valley Union High School (Finalist)

       As a young Vermonter, just getting ready to begin my 
     college journey, there are some concerns that trouble me most 
     about the future of our country. Please consider my advice as 
     you prepare your address on the state of our union. My main 
     concern is about how the transgender community is treated in 
     America. Things have gotten better for them, but there's 
     still quite a bit of discrimination against transgender 
     people. Many people don't think trans folk deserve rights, 
     but they're still just humans. I am a part of this community 
     so I know about its difficulties personally. I am physically 
     female but I identify as male.
       One of the difficulties I have is the bathrooms and I'm not 
     the only one, it's one of the biggest problems for us. I am 
     literally terrified to go to the bathroom at school and in 
     other public places because I use the men's bathroom and 
     every time I do I'm afraid I will be ridiculed or kicked out 
     and have been confronted by kids telling me to stay out of 
     the guys bathroom at school. No one should be afraid to pee.
       I don't have it that bad, for some people it's a lot worse. 
     A friend of mine came out as transgender to his family and 
     they kicked him out and disowned him. Luckily he has a very 
     supporting girlfriend who he's currently living with and good 
     friends who helped him with his struggles. Some people don't 
     have that kind of support. Some are kicked out of their 
     houses or run away from abusive families to live on the dirty 
     streets and beg for money to pay for food or to buy a blanket 
     to keep them warm on cold nights. An article about gay and 
     transgender youth homelessness on americanprogress.org gives 
     these stats which I have paraphrased; There is an estimated 
     1.6 million to 2.8 million homeless youth in the United 
     States; 20 to 40 percent of that are gay or transgender kids; 
     an estimated 320,000 to 400,000 gay and transgender youth are 
     facing homelessness each year. Some are lucky enough to find 
     a shelter or housing for transgender people, but not everyone 
     lives near one or knows about one near them. It's not right 
     for these kids to have no place to sleep.
       These problems are very serious and need to be addressed 
     and fixed. A possible solution for the bathroom problem is to 
     fund more unisex bathrooms in more public places; I strongly 
     believe this will help reduce the awkwardness and fear of 
     going to the bathroom; even for those who are just 
     uncomfortable with using public bathrooms. As for the shelter 
     problem, putting more of these shelters around the country 
     and making them more advertised and well known these kids 
     won't be forced to live on the streets anymore.
       Thank you for your consideration.


               Alicia Muir, Milton High School (Finalist)

       As a global powerhouse, the United States is bestowed with 
     a responsibility. This country stands upon its obligation and 
     ability to be innovative, to provide opportunity and to 
     maintain a respectable quality of living for every citizen. I 
     would like to take this moment to address where we stand on 
     these principles and how far we still have to go.
       In our current state, economic problems are most apparent. 
     While the economy rests in a steady stage of recovery, many 
     of our neighbors struggle to obtain and secure an adequate 
     standard of living. We can try to justify yearly improvement 
     by pointing out that unemployment rates and gas prices are 
     down. But despite such progress, the standard of living is 
     always increasing. Paired with this fact is the abundant 
     number of citizens who struggle to survive on a wage that is 
     not livable. The obvious action to take is to raise the 
     federal minimum wage, which has been set at $7.25 since 2009. 
     For a single person working 40 hours a week, the basic costs 
     of food, housing, medical care, utilities, and other 
     necessary expenses should be attainable with the lowest 
     margin of pay. As of now, it is not. Starting in 2015, many 
     states have already decided to raise their minimum wage. If 
     we increase the pay benchmark on the federal level, every 
     state will have to do the same.
       When high school graduates are launched into adulthood, 
     college is the promising route that comes with a discouraging 
     debt sentence. Higher education is needed to be competitive 
     in the job market. Rather than pouring mass amounts of money 
     into defense spending and other well budgeted programs, 
     legislators should create a larger budget for student loans 
     and grants. I urge the United States to make college more 
     accessible. In addition to the budget, the federal government 
     can offer incentives for universities that will encourage 
     them to administer greater financial aid packages and cut 
     tuition costs. Specific criteria can even be established to 
     provide free education to certain financial groups based on 
     their low incomes.
       Transitioning to a problem that is often neglected, I 
     believe that as a country we must address the gender wage 
     gap. To this day, a vast majority of women make on average 
     only 75% of what men make. First, the United States has to 
     establish a paid pregnancy leave at the standard of other 
     industrialized nations. This will allow women to balance 
     earning a sustainable income and raising a family. We can 
     also regulate companies that retaliate against workers who 
     discuss their wages, as well as increase the limitations on 
     gender based pay discrimination. It's time to finally stop 
     employers from paying less for equal work. Let us break down 
     the glass ceiling.
       To affirm that these programs will take place, and that 
     these solutions will triumph, it is vital that the Congress 
     disregards the party polarization that has crippled the 
     government for so long. With collaboration and determination, 
     the United States can prosper and prevail.


            Curtis Richardson, Milton High School (Finalist)

       My country, our country, is something I love and wish that 
     everyone within its borders receives the highest amount of 
     happiness possible and lives a life well fed and secure.
       With that said an issue not talked about as much as it 
     should. Homelessness. People spend their nights in cold dark 
     alleyways covered only by the warmth of the Sunday paper. 
     Shelters are full, stomachs empty. There are children who are 
     homeless. There should never be a child without a warm place

[[Page 925]]

     to sleep. By enacting programs which employ the homeless, and 
     renovating buildings that serve no purpose, transforming them 
     into shelters and low income housing we can find a solution 
     to this problem and make sure that every American does not 
     have to worry where they are going to sleep.
       The poverty level in the United States is at 14.5 percent 
     42,000,000 Americans. A percentage that is entirely too high. 
     A percentage of those Americans may work well over 40 hours a 
     week, put in overtime and are yet still unable to rise above 
     the poverty level. This is because the national minimum wage 
     is at $7.25. The minimum wage is not a livable wage. By 
     raising the national minimum wage to over $10 we can make 
     sure that those hard working Americans are not living below 
     the poverty line.
       There is always a need for jobs in America. Many jobs are 
     being outsourced for big business to make more money. By 
     federally regulating how much a company can outsource jobs 
     from America we can make companies open more factories in 
     America and by doing so will open the way for more jobs 
     spread throughout these United States.
       While there are many domestic issues that are very 
     important there are international ones as well. With the 
     terrorist group Isis still at large we must ensure the 
     security of citizens in the United States and places 
     overseas. That is why we will have troops ready to be 
     deployed. As long as there is a terrorist presence we will 
     protect the people of the United States and its allies.
       Bees are needed in order to pollinate flowers and grow many 
     of the foods we eat. The bees are dying off and without them 
     many of the foods we eat will increase in price and will 
     deplete. Opening bee farms in America and increasing the bee 
     population we can save many crops and flowers that the bees 
     greatly assist with, and the federal government would also be 
     assisting those small bee farmers who may be running low on 
     business and this will be supporting the hard working 
     Americans and not big business.
       This cannot be accomplished alone. It will take the country 
     as a whole cooperating with one another to make everything 
     here into a reality. Working past party lines and finding an 
     answer that's the best solution will ensure that these 
     problems are solved.


      Friedemann Schmidt, Brattleboro Union High School (Finalist)

       Under the presidency of Ronald Reagan the United States 
     turned within four years from the biggest creditor nation in 
     the world in 1981 to the world's largest debtor in 1985. 
     Supported by numerous foreign assignments of the U.S. Armed 
     forces, the public debt increased constantly, reaching a 
     figure of $18 trillion in recent years. This is a very 
     serious issue for the United States not only because it 
     deepens the dependence on creditor nations like China or 
     Saudi Arabia which neglect values like freedom and equality, 
     but also it directly affects everyone.
       In 2013 the interest payments of the U.S. public debt made 
     up 6% of the federal budget excluding an actual debt 
     reduction. With a steadily growing budget deficit, primarily 
     due to outrageous defense spending, that figure will even 
     form a larger part of the annual budget plan. Presumably that 
     will lead to cuts in secondary areas like education, 
     transportation and social as well as scientific endeavors. 
     This symbolizes a threat to the belief of the founding 
     fathers in equality and perhaps makes a myth of the United 
     States offering fair chances for everyone, regardless of 
     status.
       By decreasing the governmental funding of social programs, 
     like the free/reduced meal program offering meals to 20% of 
     food insecure students in Vermont, the living status of 
     numerous hard-working middle and lower class would drop. A 
     declining federal funding of universities and colleges 
     throughout the country would further increase the college 
     tuition for individuals, creating an unaffordable higher 
     education for hundreds of thousands of young, talented 
     Americans--a problem America already faces.
       The social injustice created by enlarging the gap between 
     rich and poor, would weaken the unity of the United States as 
     much as decreasing the funding of America's world- leading 
     role in science and innovation, the key to economic success 
     and human progress itself. Former Secretary of Labor Robert 
     Reich states that due to the fact that ``Inequality has 
     become worse, the danger to the economy and democracy had 
     become worse.''
       The public debt will be one of the major challenges for 
     United States politics in the near future. Facing it will 
     have to lead to changes of American policies and its lead in 
     world policy. Priorities have to be set and compromises have 
     to be made. Martin Luther King Jr. once said: ``A nation that 
     continues year after year to spend more money on military 
     defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching 
     spiritual death.'' It is the responsibility of every U.S. 
     citizen to prevent that in order to maintain the prosperity 
     and values for which America stands.


               Sophia Seman, Essex High School (Finalist)

       As our nation ages and evolves, the problems it faces 
     become more complex. Some of the greatest challenges we face 
     today are those of police brutality, a flawed naturalization 
     process, and the daunting cost of higher education.
       In the past few months, cities in the US have erupted in 
     protests over police brutality. Starting in Ferguson, 
     marching feet have spread to New York and California. One 
     solution to the spreading mistrust in law enforcement is the 
     use of body cameras that would provide an account of each 
     interaction. While many speculate that this would be an 
     invasion of privacy, the departments that have tested these 
     devices decided the benefits outweigh the risks. Rialto, CA 
     has seen a ``60 percent reduction in officer use of force 
     incidents following camera deployment'' and an ``88 percent 
     reduction in number of citizen complaints''. The federal 
     government should issue categorical grants to any department 
     that opts to implement the use of this technology. The cost 
     to supply all the law enforcers with cameras may seem too 
     high, but eventually, the money saved in lawsuits would 
     counter the initial pay out.
       This year, college students returned to school with 
     considerably lighter pockets, as state tuition climbed 
     another 2.9 percent. While many politicians realize the need 
     for a highly educated work force for the future economy, few 
     are willing to throw their weight behind the necessary 
     reforms to make it more affordable. If young adults are 
     expected to pay their way through college, they must have 
     viable options in student loans. Unfortunately, ``private 
     college loans are much cheaper than federal student loans 
     now''. It is the responsibility of our government to help 
     budding adults pay for higher education and mold themselves 
     into conscientious citizens by lowering federal interest 
     rates on loans.
       The US has always been a nation of immigrants. However it 
     is the unfortunate American tradition that the newest wave of 
     immigrants is detested by those who have formed roots. Today 
     it is the Latinos who face a wave of prejudice. As much as it 
     pains some lawmakers to admit, we need the fresh faces and 
     new ideas as much as these prospective citizens need refuge 
     from the turmoil of their home country. It is time for a 
     renovation of the naturalization process. Because the US does 
     not have an official language and many new citizens site 
     English as ``one of the biggest obstacles'', the English 
     portion of the test should be eliminated. Questions 
     pertaining to civil rights should be emphasized on the Civics 
     Test, rather than superfluous ones about history, as citizens 
     should be more aware of their rights and responsibilities 
     than the War of 1812.
       The most pressing issues facing the Union today are those 
     of police brutality, rising college and university costs and 
     the labyrinthine naturalization process. They demand quick, 
     effective solutions, such as police-worn cameras, lowered 
     interest rates on student loans, and a revised naturalization 
     test.

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