Galaxy News Network

A young, black, transgender woman walks out of her apartment onto a crowded street. Her scarf wrapped tightly around her body, her chunky necklace tangled in her long, curly hair. As she boards the bus to work, a variety of slurs surround her as she makes her way through the bus, looking for a safe seat, one where she will be hidden from the daily verbal trauma that still plagues her, and millions across the United States.

This is not a rare happening. It is a very real occurrence for far too many Americans, and could even be dismissed as simple snide remarks. However, racist, sexist, transphobic, classist fueled beliefs often fuel themselves into something far greater and far more dangerous than comments. The Human Rights Campaign, a proud endorser of this campaign, found that 21 transgender people died in hate crimes in 2015 alone. This statistic is likely one you are not familiar with, due to the the fact that too many Americans are indifferent to the struggles of others, others who seem to exhibit little similarities with ourselves. These similarities are ones that ought to be highlighted and ones that should encourage us to work with those who we deem different than ourselves. To compare myself with the great social activists of the past such as Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela would be both preposterous and frankly insulting to the legacies left by these men. However, as a united front we can channel the passions and spirits of such greats into our own efforts.

We should allow for our differences to unite rather than divide us, and allow us to come together as humans, as Americans. That is why we choose to focus on the issues that affect our country, ones that help us work together, for the future. Hearing this, it is easy to disregard the premises and objectives of this campaign as simple cliche. Will all peoples ever have equal access to life and liberty? Certainly not. Yet these cliched ideals is what will allow us to strive towards being better.

In the bestselling novel, All the King’s Men, Willie Stark, who grew up as a country boy, pursued and eventually achieved the American dream, becoming governor of his county to achieve that dream for others. The dream is the idea which fosters personal ambition, sheer determination, and tangible success.

These qualities are ones I have had to utilize throughout my life but qualities which are not simply enough for many. I am privileged. I was able to attend Stanford University. Many are not even if they are both qualified and able enough to do so. With the building of Willie Stark’s hospital he hopes to inspire a generation of future scientists, teachers, and doctors. These generations cannot come to existence without improvement on the current educational system, one which is not currently designed for the benefit of the students who require their resources.

Every day, students struggle with massive course loads and achieving perfect grades. Every day, teachers find themselves solely teaching to the test. Every day, common core baffles both teachers and students as standardized tests become the norm, creating disconnect between school and county curriculums.

The mentality of perfect grades that has arisen in our school system has detrimental effects on students mental health. As found by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health  50% of American students are currently suffering from emotional and/or behavioral problems as a result (Adelman, Taylor). With the immense amount of homework and perfection that students are subjected to, they are also denied the ability to grow mature as humans.

We aim to decrease this workload while still allowing for teens to develop social skills, time management behaviors, and mental and physical wellness by switching to a more studying based system. Students will tailor their homework to their own needs by studying independently, instead of doing busywork that suits the needs of common core.

This allows for a more individualized and customized approach to learning, and allows students to gain study skills essential for life after high school.We aim to change the mentality of the American education system, allowing for each individual student to prosper and become a vital part of the country’s economic success.

Along with our country’s education comes the environment, one that needs to be taken care of before it disappears. The pure beauty of our country lies in our national parks, in our plains, our valleys, our hills, our canyons. This beauty should not be ripped away from us, not by us. The stark reality is that we are ripping it away ourselves. The more we pollute, the less we have left.

Global warming poses a serious threat to our immediate safety as well as the safety of future generations. Earth’s rich biodiversity and array of natural resources are our planet’s defining characteristics. This indicates that human activity has a direct correlation with the rapid increase of global temperatures worldwide, something neither science nor any political candidate can dispute. The Environmental Protection Agency is America’s greatest chance of protecting the land of the free and the home of brave. In order to truly be the greatest country on Earth, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard.

We will initiate domestic and international change and environmental efforts by strengthening the E.P.A. Strict regulations on the emissions of mega corporations through limiting pollution and fossil fuel usage would encourage our neighbors to follow suit, and lead to a greener future. Increased public funding for natural and clean energy would open up a wide array of America’s natural resources, ones which do not require a dependence on fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources. This would limit the rate of extraction of other fossil fuels and also necessitate an increased tax on their use. America must also allow for greater investment in research into the most economical and clean methods of storing and generating energy, particularly renewable sources such as barrage schemes, solar, wind and wave power.

Ensuring every American has access to basic health care services is the responsibility of the federal government. The continued existence of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act is crucial to making health insurance a viable option for millions of Americans.

The absolute best course of action for American health care would be to continue the Affordable Care Act. More people now, than ever before, have health insurance. Certainly, the doctrines of the act remain weak. We agree that is not as clear or as strong as it can be, but this is because the act remains in its infancy. Millions of Americans remain unable to afford basic health-care plans. Putting more stress on employers to provide free health services to their workers as well as paying higher wages would leave many Americans in a much stronger and stabler financial position.

Women’s health care is also in desperate need of protection and is an issue highly valued by For the Future. Groups like Planned Parenthood are almost entirely dependent on financial backing courtesy of state and federal government. These organizations are devoted solely to bettering the lives of the American people through its sex education and affordable services for young people. The elimination of such groups or defunding would leave many Americans without a health care provider, in gross violation of the provisions of the Declaration of Independence.

We plan to reform Obamacare, making it more accessible to the public and more affordable as well. Recently, issues have arisen about the website and communications aspect of Obamacare, as many citizens struggle to use the online services and find themselves on hold for hours at a time. In order to increase accessibility, we plan to appoint a new team of web designers to drastically change the online system, allowing for a more smooth registration. This team will also be responsible for customer service, helping everyday citizens manage their healthcare options quickly and efficiently.

These issues plague our political system every day, preventing us from reaching our full potential as a nation. The current politicians have been indifferent, solely working for their own future, motivated by their insatiable appetite for power. Indifference tells us not to speak up. Indifference tells us to postpone change, and prevent the progress of our nation. Instead, we must focus on compassion. Compassion tells us to elect a candidate who works to understand the issues within our nation, a candidate who is passionate about reform, a candidate who has removed herself from the hateful mudslinging of politics, a candidate who works for the future. This candidate is me, Zara Memon. Thank you.