Policy Advisory

Dear Mr. Gatewood,

Over the years people have been trying to get rid of guns. Although guns are for safety, some people like Joe Biden think that we should ban all guns, but some disagree, and they think everyone should have guns, because we will be able to defend ourselves from mentally unstable people, keep ourselves safe from threats, and we can use them for hunting and getting food. The legislative branch wants to get rid of guns, which would have a bad effect on society.

Everyone should have guns if they have the proper background check. If we don’t have guns, it will be so much harder to defend ourselves from threats. 1.5 million people's lives a year are saved by guns. So therefore if the legislative branch takes away guns, they will basically be killing about 1.5 million people A YEAR! Guns are for defending and protecting, not for harming.

Recently New York made it almost impossible for people to carry concealed weapons, but the judicial branch of the government took them down. New York was able to pass a new law that you need to have specific requirements to have concealed carry, including special training. But what if people can’t meet those requirements? Are they just left with no way to defend themselves or their families? People who own guns are twice as likely to feel safe while in their homes, compared to people who don’t own any guns. How will the people who don’t meet the requirements feel safe in their homes?

Studies show that some gun control laws have NO effect. These laws don’t stop people from owning guns. The legislative branch is pushing gun laws way too hard. If we got rid of all the guns in the world, it would not stop people from killing themselves. If someone is determined to die, getting rid of guns would not stop them. There is still plenty of other ways to commit suicide. Guns are simply a quicker way to do it. If the legislative branch allowed everyone to have guns, then there might be more deaths from guns, but without guns there would be more deaths from other ways of suicides.

The legislative branch should allow everyone to have guns if they are mentally stable. People will not only be safer but feel safer as well. All people should be able to defend themselves from threats and by removing guns the legislative branch is making that harder. This is why everyone should have guns.

Your Vice President,

Cole McCoy

Dear Mr. Gatewood,

When the federal minimum wage was instituted in 1938 through the Fair Labor Standards Act, the minimum wage was set at $0.25($4.81 in 2021). The goal of the minimum wage is to account for inflation but as of 20 years ago the minimum wage stopped increasing with inflation. Although some may say that the minimum wage is correct, the federal minimum wage should be increased to 21 dollars through the Raise the Wage Act of 2022 because the wage is too low to accommodate for inflation, unemployment is exceedingly high, and even though the cost of living is high the starting salaries are too low in some sectors of the economy that many graduates are unable to afford a decent apartment or are struggling to in many states. This act will be introduced into legislation where it should be passed.

The federal minimum wage sets the smallest amount of money that employers can pay their employees per hour. It is currently set at $7.25 and was steadily rising until 2 decades ago when legislation decided to stop increasing it. By default, the federal minimum wage is above any law created by the states, but states can choose to increase their minimum wage above this level. To give context, CPI (Consumer Price Index) inflation is at 7.04% annually in the US while Greece’s annual inflation is 5.11%. A country notorious for procrastinating on its debt, a staggering 330 billion dollars, and its high spending has lower inflation than the U.S currently. This is for obvious reasons such as stimulus checks and the booming economy that came shortly after Covid-19.

It should not fall on the states to decide whether minimum wage is high enough. The graph of average monthly apartment rent was steady until 2021 where we see a steep increase in rent in the US. Although citizens are seeing an increase in wages for the middle- class because of the labor shortage, it is not the case for the lower-class and hospitality industry. The legislative branch overseas changes in the minimum wage and has since the beginning although the executive branch oversees inflation and interest rates. The legislative branch needs to pass the act which will then be brought to the President in the executive branch for signing. If someone were to work at the minimum wage of $7.25, their annual salary before taxes is $15,080. The average rent of a one-bedroom apartment in the US is currently at 1,129 dollars in Feb 2022. That is $13,548 per year. It is not possible to live off such a low salary when the cost of living is so high, and you have not added taxes and food etc. When unemployment is at a prominent level and the wages are low, people working in such industries as the hospitality industry are not incentivized to work for such little money.

Passing this act would be beneficial because it is raising the wage to account for inflation and productivity since the wage was supposed to increase but Congress hasn’t increased the minimum wage in almost 2 decades. If it were continuously rising as it should, the wage would be $21.50(CEPR).

The Raise the Wage Act of 2022 solves inflation, high unemployment, and the cost of living since starting salaries are too low in some sectors of the economy. The goal of the act is to raise the federal minimum wage in the US to $21 per hour.

Sincerely,

Tyrone Mwebi

Dear Mr. Gatewood,

This may be shocking, but not many people are aware that the United States literacy rates are lower than ever! This is why a reform in education is totally necessary. The United States needs to identify the problems in their school system and then find an innovative solution that will improve education. In 2009, Quest to Learn took a totally different approach to schooling that was oddly successful. They chose to focus their learning efforts toward games. Keep in mind these students were grades 6-12! Lots of people have created other successful learning environments. Although some may disagree with it, the United States’ School System needs to shift their focus on standardized testing and memorization skills, and focus more on gaining skills that will help people work on a team, know how to persevere, complete a project, and unlock their creativity, because data in Finland has proven that it is very useful and makes kids smarter, it would give kids a better chance to do what they want to do without focusing on a certain, and it would give more flexibility with time and homework for families across the United States.

Firstly, it is necessary to change the years of required education. In Finland, one of the most prosperous educational countries in the world (even above the US), school is not started until age 7, and only required until the age of 16. For working parents, not having their kids in school until age 7 may be a struggle. This is why the US should offer schooling for under 7, but it should be more of a play-learning environment with minimal sitting-at-desk time, and lots and lots of outdoor playing and activities. Also in Finland, schools generally run from 900-1400, and they try to limit homework as much as possible, but to a maximum of 30 minutes in total per day. These are things that America must certainly adapt to for reasons like mental energy recharge. This will help productivity within the actual five hour school day.

The next thing the US needs to change is the curriculum. Textbooks were made for the industrial revolution. No longer is the US industrialized, so it is necessary to update our school systems with that. That means that we need to have much more interactive learning and basic skills, like critical thinking, team work, and such. This will be greatly beneficial for kids that don’t plan on doing an office job. Really, this would help everyone, because everyone is different, and not everyone needs to know the same things.

This policy needs to be dealt with at a state, or even local level. The big thing is that, since everyone is different, this policy will need to look very different in a big city like New York, NY, versus small town Alabama. Education is not a one size fits all kind of thing, and that is where it is all wrong right now. Local governments will need to decide what the best course of action, more specifically than this policy states, for each school.

So this education system needs to be fixed immediately because it will affect the future of the United States of America. The curriculum and learning environment needs to be updated so that it isn’t as industrialized as before. Everybody is different, so exactly what we need to change will vary slightly throughout the US, but there is no doubt about it: something needs to change.

Many Thanks,

Lainey Pau

Dear Daddy,

When the world was first created men and women were meant to mate and fall in love with each other. I would argue that the gay community has not made the argument. They may have made the argument as to why they want it, but they have not made any arguments as to why this is beneficial for society. They have not made any argument – convincing or otherwise, that I’m aware of – as to what the impact would be on gay marriages/gay relationships and what the impact would be on children.

The world needs genders of the opposite sex to procreate with each other for a new generation to join the world. If gay rights are allowed, then a new generation of people couldn’t join the world. The world would end. They have no studies. They have no information whatsoever about what it would do to the moral ecology of the country, what it would do to religious liberty, what it would do to the mental and physical health of children – nothing. They’ve made no case.

Basically, the case they’ve made is, “We want what you want, and therefore you should give it to us.” With gay rights also comes same sex marriage and after marriage comes procreation and since same sex marriages can’t procreate they shouldn’t be allowed to marry each other.

Many religions don’t allow same sex relationships because many religious books go against it stating that its wrong and immoral. It is in the child’s best interests that he be raised under the influence of his natural father and mother. This rule is confirmed by the evident difficulties faced by the many children who are orphans or are raised by a single parent, a relative, or a foster parent. The unfortunate situation of these children will be the norm for all children of a same-sex “marriage.” A child of a same-sex “marriage” will always be deprived of either his natural mother or father. He will necessarily be raised by one party who has no blood relationship with him. He will always be deprived of either a mother or a father role model.

Love,

Your Son