"Along with disease and pregnancy problems caused by promiscuity, mental anguish becomes a third problem. I have observed some of my friends trying to deal with the emotions of guilt and rejection after a sexually active relationship. One of my friends in particular had sex with a guy because she thought he would like her better. After she had sex with him, he ignored her and treated her really badly. She...was really depressed for quite a while after that. She quickly learned to get to know somebody and care a lot about them before she had sex with them." Jodi Bentley, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho
"Often, high school administrators are reluctant to mix teenage mothers with the rest of the student population. [They] can be unsympathetic toward a student who can't make it to school on time because she was up until 5:00 a.m. with a crying baby. Other students can be judgmental,too, as though only sluts or dumb girls have babies." Jaime Morris, Meadow Bridge High School, Meadow Bridge, West Virginia
*And finally we come to the one cause of America's woes that has been a favorite subject of books and business consultants for the past ten years:
*Short-Sighted Americans
*Steve, the student we have chosen as spokesman on this subject, claims that teens are as short-sighted as the rest of us:
"Responsible decisions. They're not what most kids today are trying to make. Most teenagers today focus on things other than making responsible decisions. They'd rather party, take drugs, smoke, drink alcohol and fool around in class. They're not looking for a meaningful education, they're only focusing on what will make them happy at the moment. They forget to look into the future and what they're going to do with their lives and careers. And they fail to realize that that's all that's going to matter as an adult. Most teenagers want to make a lot of money, but don't want to work for it. They want to be instant millionaires without working hard at all. And without a college education, most kids are going to have a hard time making much money. This is where teenagers in general must analyze their lives and find out what they really want to do with them. It's the most important decision they'll ever make!" Steve Vera, Richmond High School, Richmond, Illinois
*But perhaps short-sightedness is a blessing for this generation. Paula looked into her future and was devastated:
"When I look in the mirror, I see a person full of hopes and dreams--dreams of a family, a career, and most of all, happiness. As I prepare to fulfill these dreams, I look around in the nation where I live and see a nation that has lost all hope and ultimately has no dreams for itself. I wonder how a nation built on the idea of freedom and the pursuit of happiness can be full of such inner turmoil. What great force has come in and robbed us of our promise of happiness?" Paula Rogers Demopolis High School, Demopolis, AlabamaLast But Not LeastLack Of Government Resources "College education needs more funding to help less fortunate families send their children to college. People can't find a decent job with a high school diploma. If more teenagers went to colleges to further their education violence would decrease. Once someone is educated and has a career he may stay off the violent streets." Carly Brant, Big Spring High School, Newville, PennsylvaniaMoney is scarce; and not just for college. Educational Leadership magazine showed in a 1993 survey that an average of $454 of personal money is spent each year by caring elementary and secondary school teachers. In May, 1994 the Wall Street Journal featured an elementary teacher in Dallas who reportedly used about $1,000 of her own money every year to purchase classroom supplies. The study's co-author said the survey suggested that teachers will be spending more and more of their own dollars as school budgets continue to tighten. And it's not only federal funds that are scarce in the 1990's. State and local resources have dried up in some measure due to federal mandates. This fact accounts for the discrepancy in spending on education from state to state. Even where states are spending roughly the same amount per pupil the discrepancy can persist because of local government contributions to education. For instance, California is spending $5,000 per pupil while New York is spending $9,000. The problem is not with state funding, but with local spending which is restricted in California under that state's Proposition 13. Even that analysis is too simplistic. Further research reveals that the $9,000 per pupil in New York is an average figure which obscures some rather interesting facts. Scrutiny reveals that New York is actually spending between $3,500 and $5,000 per regular public school student and $18,700 per special education student. The New York Times reported (8/94) that twenty-five percent of a one billion education budget was allocated to special education. Many students realize their generation is getting only a tiny slice of Uncle Sam's pie. Some even have their own priorities which don't always relate to schools, scholarships and jobs:"We need to urge the government to stop spending billions of dollars to track down drug shipments, and start spending it on establishing drug courts to put low-level offenders into treatment rather than jail." Victoria Hintz, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, IowaSome students are fanatical "waste-watchers.":"In an attempt to bolster public support, the Postal Service is going to spend 7 million dollars to change the logo. Instead of the old eagle with wings spread, the new eagle will be flying into wind. This cost taxpayers 7 million dollars." Willis Smith, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas It's time that adults recognized that members of the younger generation are aware of the national debt and the annual deficit and what it means for their future and they're angry:"Many people are aware of the irresponsible behavior in our government. Ð The government is permitted to overspend as much as they please because no one has held them accountable. Our country now has a national debt in the trillions. Is this responsible behavior?" Jeremy Adams, Big Spring High School, Newville, PennsylvaniaJeremy claims government has exhibited irresponsible behavior. I wonder what he would think about the $5,000 that was spent by a school district recently as a fee to diagnose "black specks" which were showing up on the scalps of students. The specks were found to be flakes from the school's old and worn roof. The better use for those scarce education dollars is obvious!In the instance above it is likely administrators had no real choice in allocating the funds. However our representatives in Washington, D.C. consciously make choices that are little more than window-dressing. Money is being spent on low priorities that sound goodÒprograms such as Vaccine for Children. What politician could safely oppose such a fine sounding program? Even though many officials were aware that immunization rates are already at record levels and that free vaccine is readily available in most local health departments, the program was approved. An existent federal program, which costs taxpayers $200 million annually, already allows children to obtain free immunizations at local health clinics across the nation. A 1993 survey showed approximately 90 percent of pre-schoolers had received vaccinations, the highest rate among preschool-children ever. Nevertheless, beginning in August, 1994, Vaccine for Children, which will cost an additional $430 million over five years, plans to start its own operations. The administration plans to store up to 40 percent of the nation's childhood vaccine supply in a GSA warehouse now used for storing paint solvent. According to a research fellow at the Gordon Center at Brandeis University, the federal government's proposed manner of distributing the vaccine is bound to entail a great deal of waste and employ storage and shipping methods that "would shut down a private company". What local officials really need are funds for more nurses to administer the shots and more clerical staff to operate the already existent vaccine programs. Amazingly officials in Arkansas, a state that should have some pull with the present administration, claims that Vaccine for Children will take time and staff from their own programs. Many people see this as pure politics at the expense of children. Scarce resources are being wasted in an effort to fulfill a high sounding campaign pledge uttered in ignorance of the facts. Could this be one more case where image takes precedence over substance?In the excerpt below, Carrie uncovered another source of concern:"Over 250,000 drug addicts and alcoholics collected $1.4 billion in disability benefits from Social Security last year. Only 15,700 of those recipients were receiving treatment for their problems." Keli Crane, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, TexasIf the excerpt from Kelli's paper seems innocuous to you, perhaps you should consult Forbes magazine; the January 17, 1994 issue. In it we are told that federal disability payments have doubled in five years. In 1994, 2.9 million additional people are expected to apply for federal disability payments; up from 1.6 million in 1989 or an 80 percent increase. They and their dependents, together with those already on the rolls, will collect $63 billion or about double the 1989 payments. The money comes from SSIÒSupplemental Security Income, a poverty program, or through the Social Security disability trust fund. No doubt the majority of recipients are genuinely in need of assistance, nevertheless the temptation to fake disability exists. A 62-year old who can qualify for disability can collect 25 percent more from SDI than from regular social security benefits for early retirement. Congress has made it harder and harder to be denied benefits and easier and easier to collect. "Federal law prohibits convicted felons from collecting Social Security while imprisoned, however, people found not guilty because of insanity may still receive disability benefits." Jennifer Hodges, Blue Ridge High Blue Ridge, TexasDuring the Bush administration children became eligible for benefits if they could show an "attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder"Òsomething that didn't even have a name a few years earlier. Look at the incentive the federal government offers to states and to families willing to declare their child disabled:A Michigan mother with two children on welfare receives $717 a month ($459 in cash and $258 in food stamps) with $200 of the cash coming from the state. But if one child is declared disabled, the family benefits rise to $968; the state's cost drops to about $162 a month. (Forbes)
The temptation to remain on the program is so great that only one-half of one percent leave voluntarily. Of the millions involved in the program, only 70,000 claims were reviewed in 1993 because staff was too busy processing new claims. Officials know that the disability trust fund will be out of money by next year, but they are not troubled. They will simply divert money from the more plentiful retirement fund and ask for higher payroll taxes down the pike.
We urge young people to study all sides of social policy issues because their economic future is at stake. There are reasons behind statistics that translate to fewer jobs and less take-home pay. Young people shouldn't wonder that employers, who foot the bill for half of the employee's payroll tax, become more and more reluctant to hire new workers. When they do manage to get a job, they should understand why more is withheld from their paychecks than has been the case with previous generations. I don't believe that you, the reader, whatever your generation, are willing to leave students like Paula Rogers (page 65) and Wade Harris (below) in despair. Solutions are proposed in the next section."The responsibility of the deficit is ours so we must act together to bring it to where it should be. I am asking as an 18-year-old concerned with my future and the future of others here in the United States. I would like to get married and have a family, but what kind of a world would I bring them into if we can't even pay our bills as a nation?" Wade Harris, Wallace High School, Wallace,