Note to readers: Every year, the seventh-grade EC children at Bernotas Middle School try to have work published outside the classroom. This year’s class wrote editorials, inspired by The New York Times’ third annual editorial contest. The instructions were simple: Choose a topic you care about, gather evidence and write a concise editorial to convince readers of your point of view. One article has been selected for publication in the Northwest Herald. Five additional editorials chosen by the class will appear online at NWHerald.com.
Electoral College an unfair, outdated voting system
By Quinn Welder, 12, of Crystal Lake
Elections are coming up, and you may have the perfect president in mind. You are excited to vote, hoping it can support your candidate in some way. But then you find out it doesn’t because of a part of our voting process called the Electoral College. This unfair and outdated system has been used for most of American history and is in need of change. We need to abolish this undemocratic system and make the popular vote, the people’s vote, count.
Under the current system, voters cast their vote to a group of electors, who "will try" to vote for the state's majority. "Faithless" electors sometimes vote for their candidate rather than the state's majority choice. Did you know that? Probably not. A survey by www.nbclosangeles.com showed 43 percent of people were uneducated on the Electoral College. This statistic needs to change, if not go away.
A perfect example of this flawed system is the 2000 election. Al Gore won the election by the popular vote, but George W. Bush ended up winning with an electoral vote of 271 vs. 266. And we all know who became president – Bush. This has happened seven other times before and has screwed up multiple elections.
The Electoral College can give some states an unfair advantage and voice in the elections. Usually, smaller states have more votes per person because of their lower population. According to www.fairvote.org, people in Wyoming have almost four times as many electoral votes than residents in Texas. They try to balance out the small with the big, but it doesn't always work, determining the number of votes by the number of U.S. senators and representatives. Wyoming ended up with one "elector" for 177,556 people. Texas had one for 715,499, making the difference an astounding 537,943 people. That is a huge difference and makes it very unbalanced between just two states.
Some argue that this can prevent run-off (tied) elections, but what are the chances? This is a very illogical argument considering the size and diversity of the U.S. When picking our president, no voice should be unheard. If we really cared about who our president should be, it wouldn’t matter if it came to a tie because we would defend our own opinion and not some electors’.
Even though this system has been used for a long time, New York Times Magazine has said that the Electoral College was based on southern states and slavery. That was destroyed years ago, and so should the Electoral College. We should stand up and destroy this antiquated and discriminatory system to allow all of our voices to be heard, equally.
Do kids need recess?
By Will Stewart, 13, of Lake in the Hills
The 21st century has become a truly technological era. As kids get less time outdoors, it’s time for schools to give recess back to their students.
Recess is a necessity in all kids’ lives. Studies show 40 percent of all middle schools around the country have cut out recess completely, according to eduguide.org, but recess is a big part of every student’s day. It’s not just that kids need fresh air; it recess reduces stress. Georgia State University studies show recess stabilizes the brain and enables a student to focus in class. If kids don’t focus in class, they can’t learn.
Recent research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows 66 percent of principals agree that, “students listen better after recess and are more focused in class.” Kids need recess for a break from tests and the homework that keeps stacking up, class after class. After surveying 36 middle schools, educationworld.com found the average GPA goes up nearly half a point after adding recess. Students need to be able to work hard in class, and recess is the way to make that happen.
Obesity is another concern. According to ahealthieramerica.org, nearly 32 percent of children in the U.S. are obese. Recess is a source of exercise for those kids. Most kids nowadays go home and go right to the TV or video games. Not only will kids burn calories at recess, but the natural light outdoors will improve wellness, as it provides vitamin D. Parents are always trying to motivate their kids to go outside, and kids will be plenty motivated to get a break from school.
Recess time also is key for kids who do not have siblings to talk with at home or who have parents who work most of the day. Schools need to provide kids with time to express themselves with their friends. Some people believe school shouldn’t be about building relationships, that it purely should be about education. But the truth is, kids would not want to come to school every day without their friends. Students wouldn’t want to learn or give effort. And isn’t that what school is about?
As students prepare for high school and college, teachers put more and more pressure on their kids to push further. But how are they going to keep their students in the game if they can’t focus? Schools need to give students what they deserve: recess.
Sexism and racism in the media
By Bella Carlino, 13, of Crystal Lake
Every year, I look forward to watching the Oscars. I am enthralled by the entire event, and I enjoy seeing the actors rewarded for their dedication and hard work. But this year, when The Academy Awards’ nomination list was released, I was stunned to discover none of the major acting categories had people of color nominated. As someone who looks up to many black actors, it was shocking to me that none of them were being recognized. I think women and people of color all deserve an equal opportunity in the eyes of the media.
A recent study conducted by the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication found women and girls made up less than 34 percent of speaking characters in movies and scripted series. In films, only about 29 percent of roles went to female actors, according to Variety. This is quite interesting considering that women make up about 51 percent of the population, which means they should be getting about the same amount of (if not more) roles than men.
In the history of the Oscars, only 10 black women ever have been nominated for best actress. Of these 10, nine played characters who are homeless or are in danger of becoming so. All 10 played characters who were poor or low income. Meanwhile, black men have been nominated for best actor 20 times, and 13 of those actors played arrested or incarcerated characters, according to The New York Times. Some people say that is because more black people live in poverty than white people, with blacks at 27 percent below the poverty level compared with 10 percent of whites living in poverty. This shouldn’t detract from the other 73 percent of the black population that does not live in poverty, though. That is still the majority of African Americans. Shouldn’t black actors deserve just as much respect in the media as white actors?
In conclusion, I believe statistics show women and people of color deserve more respect in the media than they are receiving. Many black actors aren’t getting recognized for their hard work, and to get rewarded at events such as The Academy Awards, they need to play degrading characters. Women also are not respected enough in the movie industry because they get fewer speaking roles than men, even though they make up more of the human population. So get involved. You can petition to help black actors and women become recognized for their hard work, or you could write a letter to a favorite actor explaining why they should stand up for their rights. All of this will help make the world a more fair and just environment for others.
Adult movies sweeping the nation
By Max Kanellopoulos, 13, of Crystal Lake
I, like almost everyone, love to watch movies. I remember when I’d watch movies like “Monsters, Inc.” or “Toy Story” when I was about 8 years old. Nowadays, everything has gotten so … mature. Filmmakers need to stop this trend and make more movies that are appropriate for kids.
In 2015, 199 R-rated films were released in theaters. That’s more than the combined amount of G-rated (3), PG-rated (48), and PG-13 rated (125) films released that year. While this may seem surprising, the disparity between adult and kids movies released in theaters has been growing for some time. In 2010, although there were only 175 R-rated movies released in theaters, that exceeded the combined amount of G-rated (6), PG-rated (54), and PG-13 rated (96) movies that were made in the same year.
Because movies targeted at younger audiences make a lot of money, I don’t understand why more of those movies aren’t made. The top 10 PG-13 rated movies of 2015 all made much more individually than the top R-rated movie, “The Revenant.” For example, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the top grossing PG-13 rated movie of 2015, made $926,044,884, while “The Revenant” made only $170,506,469.
I understand filmmakers might just like to make R-rated movies more than they like to make kid’s movies, but honestly, why wouldn’t you want to make a movie for kids? Everyone likes kids movies, even my mom, who’s like, 45.
I’m glad I grew up when I did. If I was born four years ago, there would be very few movies I could see in the theaters. That said, I have noticed the movies targeted for kids my age, 13, are increasingly becoming inappropriate for me to watch. PG-13 rated movies are becoming more and more like R-rated movies. I remember when the worst thing you could hear in a PG-13 rated movie would be a character asking, “What the hell?” Now, in some of the PG-13 rated movies I watch, there are words and phrases that I’ve never heard before, but I can tell from context they’re too derogatory to repeat.
I honestly don’t know why it is so hard for filmmakers to unlock their inner child and make a movie that families can watch together. They must have fond memories of sitting with their families and viewing a good film. It scares me to think that, in the future, my kids might be exposed to films that could tarnish their childhoods, or they might miss out on watching movies with family simply because there won’t be any other films for them to see.
No more death penalty in the United States
By Lily Sternberg, 13, of Crystal Lake
You are on death row. There are five methods of execution. From 1976 to 2015, three people were killed by firing squad, three more were hanged, 11 were put in a gas chamber, 158 were electrocuted and 1,260 people were given a lethal injection, according to deathpenaltyinfo.org. What would you choose?
You would be blind as the firing squad shoots at you, choke and struggle as you dangle from a rope, sit in an empty room as lethal gas seeps in from hidden cracks, be strapped to a chair as pulses of electricity shoot through your body or be restrained as a deadly needle pierces through your skin.
The death penalty is the ultimate punishment people receive for murder and other heinous felonies. The threat of the penalty is meant to deter other criminals from committing deadly crimes, but it doesn’t work. In 2012, 15,000 people were victims of homicides. According to listverse.com, that number has risen to 15,000 to 17,000 people murdered each year. Even with the death penalty, there was no difference in the number of murders. People don’t stop killing, even with the looming threat of the death penalty hanging over them. In a recent survey taken by the National Research Council, only 5 percent of people said the penalty detered crime, 7 percent had no opinion and 88 percent said the death penalty didn’t stop homicides.
The death penalty also is a lethal lottery. Out of those 17,000 homicides, only 120 of the murderers are sentenced to death – less than 1 percent. Would you want to try your chances? Maybe you’ll be one of that unlucky 1 percent.
The death penalty costs money, and a lot of it. According to Amnesty International, the U.S. wastes $232.7 million on unethical executions yearly. In Florida, keeping inmates on death row costs taxpayers $57 million more than keeping them in life without parole. All this money could be spent on police officers, prison cells, legal service agencies, public defenders and so much more to prevent crime. Instead, it’s being spent uselessly on immoral executions. Meanwhile, citizens wonder where all of our money goes.
People argue the victim’s family suffers from their loss, but everyone forgets about the accused’s family. They must watch as their loved one is put to death by the government. How would you feel if you were forced to watch as someone close to you was killed by the nation you call home? Since 1976, more than 1,414 have been executed, but 156 were found not guilty right before they would’ve been killed. That makes you wonder, how many people were killed for something they never did? According to lawstreetmedia.com, a study in 2013 stated the U.S. ranked fifth for the most executions in the world, falling only behind China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Why would you murder murderers? People kill; we call it cruel, and then we do the exact same thing to them. Ironic, isn’t it? Instead of executing them, we could just sentence the condemned to life without parole. It’s a worse punishment than just killing people. The death penalty is wrong, immoral, cruel and very expensive.
So, what execution method would you choose?
The American Dream
By Tommy Landt, 13, of Lakewood
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize America is changing. Actually, that is a euphemism; the U.S. is getting contaminated. If America ever was the greatest country in the world, that is now a memory. Problems such as poverty and health care expenses are beginning to debilitate our nation. It angers me to know the U.S. has not been this inferior for very long, and I believe perhaps the cause of this sudden inefficiency is our elected leader.
On Nov. 4, 2008, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the U.S. Now, eight years later, after two terms of Obama being in office, many things have changed. The New York Times article, “State of the Union Speech is One Half of Nation’s Political Split Screen,” states the poverty rate is 14.8 percent, and the debt has risen from 11 trillion to 18 trillion, both much greater than when he came into office. What happened to the American dream? Presidents since the Revolutionary War have been striving to improve the U.S. for the full length of their presidency. The leader of our nation needs to follow this trend, and instead of inflaming these problems, he should be fixing them.
Still, some people argue President Obama signed Obamacare, making health care affordable for Americans in need, saving millions. “In 2014, some 6.7 million people were enrolled in plans,” CNN reported. Although to these people Obamacare may have seemed flawless, a price is being paid by the rest of us. Insurance premiums are raising through the roofs. So although Obama may be helping those who cannot afford health care, he is hurting the rest of the country, which ultimately will lead to more and more people not being able to afford health care. We need a leader who will take the whole country into consideration, like the great John Adams choosing to avoid war with France. Although it made the federalists angry, it kept the great country of the United States of America out of harm’s way.
In the current election, we may not have the best candidates to run our country, but they all have new ideas. Bernie Sanders wants to make college free. Donald Trump wants to build a wall at the southern border of the country. Hillary Clinton wants to strengthen our alliances. Ted Cruz wants to get rid of the IRS. With all of these different standpoints on the issues, it will be an interesting term of presidency. All we need is some fresh ideas to patch up the damage Obama created, and America once again will be the greatest country in the world.