Schreyer’s
Honors College Essay
Question 3: You
are a top Presidential advisor and are working with him to draft his remarks
for the State of the Union. What would you advise him to include as his top
three initiatives for the country's blueprint for the next year and why?
My Answer:
To: Barrack Obama, President of the United States
of America
As you prepare
for your State of the Union address, I would like suggest three issues that are
of utmost importance to our country and specific initiatives to address these
issues. The three issues are 1.) Reduction
of the National Debt, 2.) Global Climate Change and 3.) Equality for All
Americans.
#1 Reduction of
the National Debt. The United States
needs to increase revenue as well as enact spending reductions to end the
growing debt. Without a plan to reduce
our national debt, it will be impossible to adequately fund important programs
and services in our future. Based on the
difficulty we have faced in getting bi-partisan support, I would recommend a
combination of tax increases and budget reductions. There is no way to reduce our national debt
without raising taxes on the top earners.
So, we should raise the tax rate on individuals making over $250,000. The budget cuts should be made to the defense
budget and through reforming the tax code.
In the area of defense, we should propose a minimum 25% overall
reduction in spending. And, in the tax
code, we should eliminate mortgage interest deduction and close other
loopholes.
#2 Global
Climate Change. As a nation, we need to
come together to accept that Global Climate Change is a very real thing and we
need to take immediate steps to help prevent any more damage to our world. In the near term, I would recommend
supporting legislation that includes a 20% reduction of fossil fuels across the
board, incentives to use reusable water bottles, and an increase in funding for
the development of affordable cars that are hybrid or completely electric. Americans
simply cannot stay idle much longer because the world is being destroyed with
every new car, every thrown away plastic bottle, and every ounce of fossil fuel
emission that is lifted into the atmosphere. Examples such as Hurricane Sandy
and the tornadoes that ripped across the Midwest again this year will serve as
compelling evidence of the destructive changes in our weather caused by Global
Climate Change. These are not just coincidental events, but things that have
resulted from our stupidity, our denial and our carelessness toward the
environment. Without immediate attention
to Global Climate Change, we are likely to face new problems in the future including
wars over lack of clean water, fertile land, and other specific resources as
well increasing natural disasters and destructive weather.
#3 Equality for
All Americans: In order for all
Americans to succeed, we need to discourage discrimination and remove barriers
to equal access. When people say that
there are no more caste systems in the United States, it is simply not true. There
are still huge inequalities that need to be resolved. This year, I would recommend two initiatives
focused on equal access 1.) Legalizing same-sex marriage in all states and 2.)
Initiating national standards for voter registration including the elimination
of state laws requiring photo identifications for voters. On the issue of same-sex marriage, this past
election the American people showed their readiness to accept same-sex marriage
through initiatives passed in Maryland, Maine, Washington and Minnesota. These
first steps combined with an upcoming Supreme Court decision show that now is
the time for our administration to take a lead on this issue. As for insuring
all people have the right to vote, I believe our administration should advocate
for consistent and fair voter laws including the repeal of state photo ID laws
for these laws are unfair to the average voter, a form of discrimination, and potentially
unconstitutional.
