Tuesday, April 25, 2006
25 April 2006
Ok, it's been quite a while since an update, but I'm back.
Let's start by saying, please write your congress people and let them know about what kinds of things are important to you.
This is the transcript of a letter i just wrote to my congress people. you may or may not agree w/ my concerns, but i'm sure you have concerns of your own.
Dear Senator Dole,
I am a senior at Wake Forest University, and have lived in the great State of North Carolina all my life. I read today in the Wall Street Journal that President Bush is investigating gas prices for price gouging. For months the President has been saying that we need to end our dependency on foreign oil. I for one do not enjoy payind $3 a gallon for gasoline to go to class and work, but I think the real way to end our dependence on foreign oil and reduce prices is to increase the fuel effeciency of all of the vehicles that are being sold today. Simple legislation requiring every car produced to have a 3-5 MPG increase over the current model would GREATLY reduce our consumption of gasoline and dependence on foreign oil Furthermore, the tanks, jeeps, humvees, planes, and aircraft carriers that we are using to fight a losing war in Iraq are using fuel at an alarming rate, do you know what kind of fuel mileage a tank gets? Another issue that greatly concerns me is the state of education in America. I have decided to accept a position with Teach For America next year and will be teaching secondary social studies in Eastern North Carolina, a place very dear to me. However, I think that the government should be doing more to close the achievement gap that exists today among our nation's children. Children have no control over what family or neighborhood they are born into, and that should not dictate the quality of education they recieve. I went to public school in Wake County and got a great education, but why should a child in Vance county get such an inferior education? Lets pay teachers more, and lets spend the same amount of money on every North Carolina child's education, lets close the achievement gap, these children are our nation's future. I am also concerned about the minimum wage in this country. It is my opinion that this wage is not even close to being enough to provide a living wage for working parents to support a family, thus making their lives very difficult, and decreasing the chances of their children getting a decent education. Morgan Spreelock was recently on Oprah and spent a month living on minimum wage along with his girlfirend, 3 jobs between the 2 of them and by the end of the month they had accumulated substantial debt and had lived a very low quality of life. Why should some Americans live such horrible lives while others live such wealthy and exuburant lives? Increase taxes for the rich and more support for the poor.
contact your representatives
Senator Burr
Senator Dole
Find your House Representative
Make your voice heard
Ok, it's been quite a while since an update, but I'm back.
Let's start by saying, please write your congress people and let them know about what kinds of things are important to you.
This is the transcript of a letter i just wrote to my congress people. you may or may not agree w/ my concerns, but i'm sure you have concerns of your own.
Dear Senator Dole,
I am a senior at Wake Forest University, and have lived in the great State of North Carolina all my life. I read today in the Wall Street Journal that President Bush is investigating gas prices for price gouging. For months the President has been saying that we need to end our dependency on foreign oil. I for one do not enjoy payind $3 a gallon for gasoline to go to class and work, but I think the real way to end our dependence on foreign oil and reduce prices is to increase the fuel effeciency of all of the vehicles that are being sold today. Simple legislation requiring every car produced to have a 3-5 MPG increase over the current model would GREATLY reduce our consumption of gasoline and dependence on foreign oil Furthermore, the tanks, jeeps, humvees, planes, and aircraft carriers that we are using to fight a losing war in Iraq are using fuel at an alarming rate, do you know what kind of fuel mileage a tank gets? Another issue that greatly concerns me is the state of education in America. I have decided to accept a position with Teach For America next year and will be teaching secondary social studies in Eastern North Carolina, a place very dear to me. However, I think that the government should be doing more to close the achievement gap that exists today among our nation's children. Children have no control over what family or neighborhood they are born into, and that should not dictate the quality of education they recieve. I went to public school in Wake County and got a great education, but why should a child in Vance county get such an inferior education? Lets pay teachers more, and lets spend the same amount of money on every North Carolina child's education, lets close the achievement gap, these children are our nation's future. I am also concerned about the minimum wage in this country. It is my opinion that this wage is not even close to being enough to provide a living wage for working parents to support a family, thus making their lives very difficult, and decreasing the chances of their children getting a decent education. Morgan Spreelock was recently on Oprah and spent a month living on minimum wage along with his girlfirend, 3 jobs between the 2 of them and by the end of the month they had accumulated substantial debt and had lived a very low quality of life. Why should some Americans live such horrible lives while others live such wealthy and exuburant lives? Increase taxes for the rich and more support for the poor.
contact your representatives
Senator Burr
Senator Dole
Find your House Representative
Make your voice heard
Comments:
Dependency on foreign oil:
As someone else already pointed out, whichever aid to Senator Dole read your letter immediately stopped after you tactlessly attacked the war in Iraq.
Education:
While I agree that our education policies need to be reformed, simply increasing teacher salaries and throwing more money a the problem is not the solution. When was the last time you fixed a leaky bucket by pouring in more water?
Minimum wage:
You do realize that increasing the minimum wage leads to, 1) more unemployment; and 2) higher prices for consumers. Consequently, you actually end up hurting the very demographic you strive to assist.
Post a Comment
As someone else already pointed out, whichever aid to Senator Dole read your letter immediately stopped after you tactlessly attacked the war in Iraq.
Education:
While I agree that our education policies need to be reformed, simply increasing teacher salaries and throwing more money a the problem is not the solution. When was the last time you fixed a leaky bucket by pouring in more water?
Minimum wage:
You do realize that increasing the minimum wage leads to, 1) more unemployment; and 2) higher prices for consumers. Consequently, you actually end up hurting the very demographic you strive to assist.
# posted by 
: 2:38 PM
: 2:38 PM