The kids are not all right
Barton Howe
Posted: 05.08.2008 / 9:17 AM EDT
Not to sound too heady – OK, arrogant – but as a blogger for 1/11th of the Patchwork Nation, I see myself as the voice for Service Worker Center employees all over America. As a high school teacher, however, I’m not really part of that center, and I often wonder if I’m representing them fairly.
So I asked my students what they and their families worry about. And I sent them out to get one good question: one question that they would ask the presidential candidates if they had the chance. They came back with dozens of questions.
Yes, the list is long and some of them are redundant, but I’ve listed them all here because it shows just how many of us are thinking about these things, and the various fears we have tied to these issues. You will note, however, not one of them is about Barack’s pastor, Hillary’s time under gunfire or McCain’s wife’s tax returns.
But – and bless my teacher soul here – I don’t want just thoughtful questions, because they want answers. So, listen up candidates: I know you have employees whose job it is to read blogs like this one and I want you to them to tell you to call us, (541-996-2115, ext. 128, 9:20 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. to noon, Pacific Time) or e-mail, (barton.howe@gmail.com) or just drop on by, (3780 Spyglass Ridge Drive, Lincoln City, Oregon). We’re a beautiful little town on the coast. You’d like it a lot. (Great photo-op, too.) If they’re busy, a high-level surrogate would be fine. I hear Rush Limbaugh reads us at times. The offer is open to him, as well.
Finally, as you might have heard, we have a primary out here right now. Being Oregonians, we do it different, with all mail-in ballots due by May 20. Most of them are still sitting on our tables because we haven’t made our choices yet. Give us answers, tell us what you would do to help us in Service Worker Center, USA. The kids are not all right, and they are waiting for answers.
We all are.
THE ECONOMY:
“What are you going to do about the national debt and our increasing debt with other nations?” - Guy, 10th Grade
“What steps are you going to take to deal with national poverty?” - Ed, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do to lower taxes?” - Sara, 11th Grade
“What are you going to do about all the jobs going overseas?” - Nick, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do about the depleting power of the American dollar?” - Alton, 10th Grade
“With the increase in gas prices, the cost of living has increased. How are you going to give immediate and continuous help to lower and lower-middle class homes?” - Mrs. Jeanne Massey
“The timber companies are being hit by the price of diesel, the declining value of the dollar and the downturn in the house-building market. What would you do to help these companies?” - Jerry, 10th Grade
”What are you going to do about the rise in food prices?” - Shaelynn, 10th Grade
“How are you going to help people that can’t afford to pay their taxes?” - Heaven, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do to help retired people who live on a fixed income and are running out of money?” - Heaven, 10th Grade
GAS PRICES AND FUEL:
“What are you going to do about gas prices?” - Mrs. Zielinski
“How are you going to get a handle on the oil companies so no more people lose their jobs from falling car sales?” - Mr. Broderick
“I would like to know what concrete steps are you going to take to initiate a prompt change from a fossil fuel economy to a renewable energy source economy? And what intermediate steps will you take to facilitate the transition?” - Diana & Joseph Whitaker
“Why can’t we lower gas prices, and the price of everything else, especially when all prices go up because of gas prices?” - Mrs. Dorothea Norton
“We know crude oil is going to run out. Me and my dad want to know what is the alternative fuel, and how are we going to distribute it?” - Nathan, 10th Grade
“Who’s going to pay for the increased costs of school buses when gas keeps going up in price?” - Shaelynn, 10th Grade
“Already, many people cannot afford health insurance, and with the rising cost of gas, these people are even less able to afford it. What will you do to help these people? - Shaelynn, 10th Grade
“What’s going to happen to towns like Lincoln City if the price of gasoline keeps going up?” - Tim, 10th Grade
THE WAR:
“What are you going to do about our troops in Iraq?” - Sara, 11th Grade
“What are you going to do about the possibility of a draft?” - Aaron, 11th Grade
“Are we going to start focusing on our problems instead of other countries?” - Jake, 10th Grade
“When are you going to pull our soldiers out of Iraq?” - Bobby, 10th Grade
“When are you going to realize that the war we are in now is just hurting the United States? If we stay there are problems and if we leave there are problems? What are you going to do?” - Shaelynn, 10th Grade
“McCain: If you are elected, how long do you want to stay at war in Iraq?” - Alex, 10th Grade
“I was asked to make one good question to the presidential candidates and it got me thinking. Why do I find myself praying every night before I go to bed? Praying that my big brother and his friends in Iraq don’t wind up disfigured or dead. Praying that there is at least a small chance that they might survive. I remember my dad telling me stories of when he was in Desert Storm. He was driving a munitions truck filled with explosives and how he was just trying to get where he was going with bombs and bullets almost hitting his truck. To this day he has horrible nightmares of people getting shot, blown up and tortured. And it pains me. My real question is how are you going to provide the troops with better supplies and support and conditions?” - Cody, 10th Grade
HEALTH CARE:
“What are you going to do about health care and people that can’t afford it?” - Aaron, 11th Grade
“What are you going to do about people who make enough money that can’t be on the Oregon Health Plan, that need medical treatment, or medical supplies, but can’t afford it? What are you going to do about people who have to make choices of getting food and paying bills or getting medical equipment?” - Amanda, 10th Grade
IMMIGRATION:
“I think immigration is increasing too fast. What are you going to do about it?” - Travis, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do about prevent illegal immigration?” - Heaven, 10th Grade
“Why are illegal immigrants still allowed to get driver’s licenses, housing and access to other government and private services?” - Jerry, 10th Grade
THE ENVIRONMENT:
“What are we going to do about air pollution?” - Travis, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do to try and clean up our oceans?” - Heaven, 10th Grade
“Do you have any ideas on how to fix the trash vortex in the Pacific Ocean?” - Vann, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do about the increase in seal populations and the effect they are having on the salmon population?” - Jerry, 10th Grade
“How do you plan on reducing global warming?” - Bobby, 10th Grade
THE ELECTION:
“Why is everyone ignoring the fact that Obama is half white and not all black?” - Bianca, 10th Grade
“Do you think President George Bush would consider himself a good president?” - Jessica, 10th Grade
“No matter who is elected president, it will be a first: oldest, woman or African-American. If you win, how will you deal with people who can’t accept you for who you are?” - Jake, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do for the next generation?” - Nathan, 10th Grade
“Why is it such a big deal to have a woman and an African-American running for president?” - Gabby, 10th Grade
THE SCHOOLS:
“How are you going to improve the schools?” - Jarrett, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do about bullying and other threats in schools?” - Sara, 11th Grade
“My second question is how are you going to help the schools like us who have to scrounge just to get bare necessities. Some of the kids here come to school cold and hungry just looking for a hot meal and a place to hang out, but because their parents make too much they can’t have a free breakfast or lunch. We have money to pay or fixing leaks, holes in the roof and grafitti yet we can’t afford to pay for all kids to have a free lunch. Why? - Cody, 10th Grade
MISCALLANEOUS:
“What are you going to do about the rights of the gay popululation?” - Nathan, 10th Grade
“How are you going to decrease the crime rate?” - Cody, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do about the overflow of people in prisons?” - Alton, 10th Grade
“Hillary: are you considering a ban on M rated video games?” - Casey, 10th Grade
“McCain: Do you want a ban on the UFC fighting league?” - Patrick, 10th Grade
Thanks for reading. One more time:
541-996-2115, ext. 128, 9:20 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. to noon, Pacific Time
E-mail: barton.howe@gmail.com
Drop in: 3780 Spyglass Ridge Drive, Lincoln City, Oregon
We look forward to hearing from you.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
If they are waiting for the anwsers and solutions from the 3 stooges running for president… they are SOL
May 8th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Some very good questions. Some that bespeak a weakness in their understanding of government and/or economics. Either way, it’s hard to ignore a kid’s anguish. I have a question: what are you doing about bullying in school? Nah, that’s beyond the scope of the blog. Good questions. Excellent idea for a post.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Hey Barton,
Great post. Great questions from the mouths of babes. The world we leave behind is the one these kids will inherit. It’s nice to see that at least some of them are aware of what’s going on around them and are at least trying to participate in their future, er, fate.
Thanks to these youngsters for reminding us that our world does not only consist of you, me, our families and our three closest friends and their families, but that there are gobs of souls out there counting on us to do the right thing.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:42 am
Gmosh, I just started a blog on my local newspaper site and I am embarrassed that these youngsters are so much more articulate and to the Point than I am! I think I’ll take the cues from them and research all of these issues more thoroughly than I have up til now.
Especially, I appreciate the comment from Gabby, in 10th Grade: “Why is it such a big deal to have a woman and an African-American running for president?”. It reminds me of an article I read by an author who visited Cuba a decade or more ago, and gushed to the kids there that it was so great that they all got along so well; they looked at her like she had two heads, as Gaby is probably looking at some of us now. GotMe. We need more Gabbys.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
While these kids are very articulate, I am still disappointed with many of their responses. Luckily, the worst responses are from the teachers.
“How are you going to get a handle on the oil companies so no more people lose their jobs from falling car sales?” - Mr. Broderick
“What are you going to do about gas prices?” - Mrs. Zielinski
“Why can’t we lower gas prices, and the price of everything else, especially when all prices go up because of gas prices?” - Mrs. Dorothea Norton
”What are you going to do about the rise in food prices?” - Shaelynn, 10th Grade
These questions all show a lack of knowledge of simple market principles. The only way to truly bring down gas and food prices is for the demand for gas to go down (or for the supply to increase, but that’s only a long-term prospect in these two markets). People should instead be asking “What can I do to lower the price of gas and food?” Other measures, like subsidies and cutting the gas tax will merely increase the demand for gasoline while bankrupting the country even further. Lastly, Mr. Broderick seems unaware that high gas prices drives up the demand for cars - namely newer and more fuel-efficient models. We should instead be worrying about how to stop the rise in the cost of living, which has far different answers than these people are probably expecting.
Thankfully, the kids are more concerned with reducing the demand for oil by moving towards other sources of energy - a sensible prospect. However, a large number of them are concerned with the effects of these high prices on people, particularly those who cannot afford healthcare.
“What are you going to do to help retired people who live on a fixed income and are running out of money?” - Heaven, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do about health care and people that can’t afford it?” - Aaron, 11th Grade
Once again, using government spending to provide healthcare for those who can’t afford it merely increases the demand for healthcare - driving up the price. That’s at a time when the demand for healthcare is only going to increase due to the increasingly elderly population. We simply can’t afford to do that.
There are two critical questions that have not been asked at all: “How will you get the government to cut spending?” and “How will you get the government to decrease the regulation in areas like healthcare?”
However, a few people do have the right idea to answering all the above questions.
“What are you going to do about the national debt and our increasing debt with other nations?” - Guy, 10th Grade
“What are you going to do about the depleting power of the American dollar?” - Alton, 10th Grade
The answers to these questions are simple - institute long term fiscal and monetary policy that fights inflation by raising interest rates, decreasing spending, and paying back the debt. By doing these actions, we will slow the growth of the money supply - empowering the dollar and bringing prices back down. This is why answering these two questions helps answer all the other questions that I criticized. Unfortunately, none of our candidates seem to be willing to give answer to these two questions.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:18 am
The kids ARE alright. It’s the economy that’s not alright, and the kids are clearly aware of it. If you want greater harmony in families you need a greater sense of financial security in society. That’s not going to happen in any nation where the value of its currency fluctuates daily. Of course, from the perspective of human history it’s impossible to achieve true economic stability in a nation that has progressed in its historical cycle from one that emphasizes family and community (regardless of what the flag-wavers say) to one that is obsessed with personal wealth and vanity and oblivious to the wasting of resources.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:13 am
i think cody 10th grade really knows his stuff we at news times would like to talk to him contact me at dnaiel@yahoo.com
May 13th, 2008 at 11:04 am
i think that gabby 10th grade guy 10th grade and cody 10th grade made some really good points keep up the good work barton
May 13th, 2008 at 11:06 am
i think these kids are all idiots