Young People Are Speaking Up In Washington.

[greenbuddha]

US PA: Panel Of Young People Prepare To Be Heard By White House

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URL: http://www.mapinc.or...1/n330/a06.html

Newshawk: Herb

Votes: 0

Pubdate: Sat, 21 May 2011

Source: Williamsport Sun-Gazette (PA)

Copyright: 2011 Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Contact: http://www.sungazett...etters_form.asp

Website: http://www.sungazette.com/

Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3630

Author: Kristen Nuss, Williamsport Sun-Gazette

 

 

PANEL OF YOUNG PEOPLE PREPARE TO BE HEARD BY WHITE HOUSE

 

A group of local youth were given a chance to let President Barack Obama hear their opinions on some of the country's most serious and controversial issues Friday afternoon.

 

Williamsport's YouthBuild program was one of 48 programs across the country chosen to hold a roundtable discussion with a representative of the President's administration.

 

Following the discussion, the group will prepare a report summarizing their opinions to be submitted to the White House.

 

Bill Wehry, state executive director for the Farm Service Agency, listened as members of the local program's advisory council voiced their opinions on a number of topics, including jobs, unemployment, health care, legalization of marijuana, same-sex marriage, social security, racial profiling and drug testing.

 

"It's good they are not afraid to wade into controversial subjects and voice their opinions," Wehry said. "( The issues ) affect each of us in some way. We have to talk about them."

 

Among the topics that generated the most discussion were legalization of marijuana, same-sex marriage and jobs.

 

Many of the youth felt legalizing marijuana would help to alleviate some of the country's problems, including increasing income through taxes and production of other products made from the hemp plants.

 

"If we legalize marijuana, I bet it would do wonders for the farm industry," Steve Williams, vice president of the council, said.

 

Williams moderated the discussion among 15 to 20 young men and women, many of whom held a similar position on the issue.

 

A more controversial issue among the group was same-sex marriage. Nearly everyone in the room had a strong opinion on the subject.

 

Some, like Angelia Phillips, treasurer, felt people should be able to marry whomever they wish.

 

"Love is love," Phillips. "It shouldn't matter."

 

Others, like Terrance Quattlebaum, sergeant at arms, spoke out against it because of the potential for increased harassment of homosexual individuals and their children.

 

"Even it was legal," Quattlebaum said. "It's not going to change the way people think."

 

Good-paying jobs were an area of concern for many in the room.

 

"The price of a lot of stuff is going up except wages," Williams said. "Minimum wage is not enough to pay rent and bills."

 

He said there should be more incentive for companies to manufacture their products in the U.S. rather than send the jobs to China.

 

Williams and many of the others also believed high schools should better prepare individuals to enter the workforce if they are not going on for post-secondary education.

 

"They should help us get ready for life," he said. "There should be classes for how to live post-high schools."

 

YouthBuild helps low-income men and women between ages 18 and 24 rebuild their lives through education, job training, community service and other development programs.

 

The local chapter is run through the STEP office on Lincoln Street, and since its inception in 2009, the program has helped 67 of the county's youth build better lives.

MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.

[greenbuddha]

thnx, nice read... kids, our future law makers seeing through the BS!

 

We can only hope.

[shiningheartwoman]

THIS IS A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!!!! Thanks for sharing.. what this does for me is help give me - hope. Sadly most of the teens, young adults and those from my generation - the one they called Generation X - just dont give a dam. Cant say I blame them since we are fed only what they want so essentially we are blind sheep wandering around.. even blind sheep have to adapt to survival from the wolf! A Favorite saying of mine is from Sir Thomas Moores Utopia that fits how things are ran in this society.. which is, "For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them."

Sir Thomas More, Utopia, Book 1

English author, courtier, humanist, & saint (1478 - 1535)

So its only natural to not care because all you can care about is whats directly happening to you..easy.. most ive spoken to dont even VOTE!!! Even tho they can.. Ive lit out on them with lectures as to what the hell are they thinking lol.. crazy thing was and is I was just like that at one point! lmao.. yup nieve, uneducated to how much affect they really do have on each and every one of us and just how bad its gotten.. and continues.. But the snapping point.. becoming a parent! Nothing slapped me harder in the face and reality then anything else ever in my life.. Im still trying to stand back up fully and walk without falling lol.. But such is the challenge.. But that moment of wait.. I see now that nothing can be done without numbers.. I spent my newfound years of opening up to what they do.. hated granholm, bush, the war, the conspiracies then came DB Snyder and his Rep boiz, lauching MI esp into devistating despair! and every other detail in between.. the more i learn the angrier i get.. And when I see the mass majority of people not careing.. from youth on up - it makes me sick.. it makes me sick i was one of them.. sitting back not caring allows them to slip restrictions upon us in the quiet, knowing we wont do a dam thing about it.. thinking we cant do anything about it... Everything Ive ever learned that they DID teach us in school is the truths and casualites yets VICTORIES behind Historys toughest fights against tyranny such as the Revolutionary war, Civil war, Womens suffragests, even alcohol prohibition, and every event inbetween and beyond.. american people standingTOGETHER against the injustices by a select few.. I mean cmon how we thought this wouldnt return again was ignorance on all our parts.. Nothing gets accomplished unless numbers back it.. and for numbers you must have dreams, passions, truth, justice, and most importantly of all EDUCATION! the youth - they are our future.. to see them not care scares me.. when I am old and unable to do much on my own they will be coming into this worlds society head on, now if they havent cared to the point where will we be? Too see the hope of some out there that do and actively are working for the BETTER!! oh how overjoying to see...

Want to seee MOOOORREEE!!!! lol

[greenbuddha]

THIS IS A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!!!! Thanks for sharing.. what this does for me is help give me - hope. Sadly most of the teens, young adults and those from my generation - the one they called Generation X - just dont give a dam. Cant say I blame them since we are fed only what they want so essentially we are blind sheep wandering around.. even blind sheep have to adapt to survival from the wolf! A Favorite saying of mine is from Sir Thomas Moores Utopia that fits how things are ran in this society.. which is, "For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them."

Sir Thomas More, Utopia, Book 1

English author, courtier, humanist, & saint (1478 - 1535)

So its only natural to not care because all you can care about is whats directly happening to you..easy.. most ive spoken to dont even VOTE!!! Even tho they can.. Ive lit out on them with lectures as to what the hell are they thinking lol.. crazy thing was and is I was just like that at one point! lmao.. yup nieve, uneducated to how much affect they really do have on each and every one of us and just how bad its gotten.. and continues.. But the snapping point.. becoming a parent! Nothing slapped me harder in the face and reality then anything else ever in my life.. Im still trying to stand back up fully and walk without falling lol.. But such is the challenge.. But that moment of wait.. I see now that nothing can be done without numbers.. I spent my newfound years of opening up to what they do.. hated granholm, bush, the war, the conspiracies then came DB Snyder and his Rep boiz, lauching MI esp into devistating despair! and every other detail in between.. the more i learn the angrier i get.. And when I see the mass majority of people not careing.. from youth on up - it makes me sick.. it makes me sick i was one of them.. sitting back not caring allows them to slip restrictions upon us in the quiet, knowing we wont do a dam thing about it.. thinking we cant do anything about it... Everything Ive ever learned that they DID teach us in school is the truths and casualites yets VICTORIES behind Historys toughest fights against tyranny such as the Revolutionary war, Civil war, Womens suffragests, even alcohol prohibition, and every event inbetween and beyond.. american people standingTOGETHER against the injustices by a select few.. I mean cmon how we thought this wouldnt return again was ignorance on all our parts.. Nothing gets accomplished unless numbers back it.. and for numbers you must have dreams, passions, truth, justice, and most importantly of all EDUCATION! the youth - they are our future.. to see them not care scares me.. when I am old and unable to do much on my own they will be coming into this worlds society head on, now if they havent cared to the point where will we be? Too see the hope of some out there that do and actively are working for the BETTER!! oh how overjoying to see...

Want to seee MOOOORREEE!!!! lol

 

My pleasure.