Theme 3: An issue that needs to be solved

I think one issue in the US that needs to be solved is more access and media coverage of Planned Parenthood locations or areas that specialize in women's reproductive needs. The reason that this is on my mind is that the other day I was talking to one of my friends, and she told me that she picks up her birth control at Planned Parenthood, and I was absolutely shocked. I did not know there was even a planned parenthood near us or that birth control is even prescribed at planned parenthood. This got me thinking a lot. Imagine people who are genuinely in dire need of birth control, or a doctor who specializes in reproduction or breast cancer checkups, and do not know they have access to it. Someone's life or their future child's life could be saved by increasing the number of Planned Parenthood or clinics that specialize in women's reproductive needs in more areas. Unfortunately, I think this issue has not been solved yet for a plethora of reasons. Women only make up 27.9% of the population of Congress. That means that the majority of the people who are making decisions regarding women's reproductive rights and access are people who do not even have a uterus. Of the 115 Supreme Court Justices who have ever been elected, 110 of them have been men. That means the majority of the people who have the final say in the law regarding women's reproductive rights have also been predominantly women who do not have a uterus. There has been so much underrepresentation of women's reproductive rights by policymakers, thus making it so much harder to increase the popularity of more rights for women's reproductive health and access to places where reproductive health is checked, such as Planned Parenthood. I think the best way to solve this issue is to tackle it at its root. There needs to be more minds in Congress who work with the legislation to implement more policies, and advocate more funds to support more clinics that advocate for women's reproductive health. I think one of the funds that should specifically be implemented is funds for more security measures around the clinics as well. Often times, people are scared of going to Planned Parenthood or reproductive health clinics because there are people who rally around the sites, promoting ideologies in their heads regarding how they are "sinking" or doing the "wrong" thing. If someone is already very scared or nervous, this will definitely push them against entering the sites. Thus, there should definitely be higher security measures implemented to make sure whoever enters the site feels safe and heard. I also think there should be more media coverage to let people know that there are clinics in their areas. Perhaps there could be some sort of app or some use of technology to ensure that the information is shared regarding the locations of clinics people can use near them, but also be implemented in a way where the extra media coverage does not hurt the safety and privacy of the clinic. I think solving this issue is definitely doable, but it will need ample support from the government and the policymakers in charge.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created on the 10th of December 1948, claims to provide the basis for each and every human being to have access to a set of ‘universal’ and ‘indivisible’ rights, simply by virtue of being human. This document was signed and ratified by nation-states, who as signatories, became the custodians responsible for the protection of their citizens’ human rights. But what happens to people who are not citizens of any state? What happens to the stateless? If every nation-state only protects their own citizens’ rights, who protects those who have no country to call home? Political author Hannah Arendt rightly termed this condition ‘the plight of the stateless’ in her book, The Origins of Totalitarianism.

If I could solve any one issue in the world, it would be the problem of statelessness. Some of the clearest examples of statelessness around the world are the Rohingya refugees and the Kurds in the Middle-East. The former is an ethnic Muslim minority from Myanmar that has been chased out of their lands and discriminated against by the ethnic Buddhist majority, migrated to neighboring countries like Bangladesh, and then been kicked out again for ‘overstaying their welcome’. The latter is an ethnic minority of Sunni Muslims that lives in highly contested regions along the borders of Iraq, Iran, Armenia, Turkey, and Syria. Although they were promised an independent state in 1920 under the Treaty of Sevres, their hopes for self-determination vanished when Turkey proclaimed ownership over their territories. Both of these groups have faced devastatingly high levels of ethnic cleansing through the 20th and 21st centuries, which doesn’t seem like stopping anytime soon.

I believe statelessness hasn’t been solved yet simply because nobody cares about solving it. States have no formal accountability to citizens that aren’t their own, so they feel no pressure to assist stateless people. This is important because it changes the basis for modern Human Rights discourse globally. As it stands, the UDHR is viewed as a guiding principle (essentially a buzzword) for countries’ United Nations delegations, and not an article that implicitly disenfranchises refugees around the world on an institutional level.

Not to be bleak, but I don’t see any single structural solution that could realistically be implemented to fix the crisis of statelessness. Pragmatically speaking, there is zero incentive for any nation-state to make a consistent effort in helping people that aren’t their own citizens, citizens of their allies, or citizens of a country whose government is totalitarian or at odds with the potential host country. Moreover, trying to rewrite the UDHR has even less of an incentive in today’s geopolitical climate. In my eyes, the only realistic solution is to keep providing stateless individuals with citizenship status, regardless of the country it's from. This can be done through the efforts of Human Rights advocacy groups and organizations like the UNHCR, who although are limited in scope and resources, have the motivation and manpower to actually do the job. Unfortunately, human rights should be called ‘citizen’s rights’ instead, and in a world where geopolitics is dominated by an offensively realistic and competitive approach, it is hard work on the ground within the system, and not wishful thinking and cries for immediate change, that will actually save lives.

If I could solve one issue in the world, my first idea would be to eliminate the greenwashing of products. Greenwashing is when companies choose to paint their products and practices as more environmentally friendly than they really are. In the modern world, convenience is everything to the consumers. New products keep coming out because they increase the convenience of everyday life, even at the cost of destroying the environment they came from. I see greenwashing mainly in grocery and clothing stores where the words “sustainable” and “eco-friendly” are plastered on everything in a pastel green font. The issue with labeling everything “eco-friendly” is that the reality is the exact opposite. For example, H&M currently sells a “Conscious” line of clothing and claims that these pieces are “sustainable.” Unfortunately, there is very little information on why these clothes are sustainable. H&M does not disclose if the materials are ethically sourced, if they are acquired in a specific manner that makes them more environmentally friendly, or even if their carbon footprint is smaller than any other line of clothes. I have personally also seen products that are marketed as sustainable and bought them in the past, only to do further research later on and realize that there is actually no information about why the product I bought was sustainable in any way. Companies and brands will often simply market their products and services as sustainable with no explanation of why or how they are sustainable. This lack of transparency and clear intent to deceive consumers who want to minimize their negative environmental impact is the true issue.
This issue has yet to be resolved because there are no legal guidelines on what can and what cannot be labeled as “environmentally friendly.” There are no requirements that products have to meet in order for companies to market them as such. In addition to this, it would be difficult to classify things as sustainable or otherwise because there are not yet widely agreed-upon standards in the scientific community regarding this matter.
To solve this issue, there would need to be requirements that companies need to meet before labeling their products as sustainable. For example, clothing must have at least 50% of its materials sourced from a location recognized as sustainable by a well-known environmental organization. Another requirement could be that those products were local, not transported from international regions that would require planes and massive amounts of fuel to transport them. Another part of the solution would be to require companies to be transparent about their business and manufacturing processes. Greenwashing is only an issue because it is issued to deceive consumers and convince them that certain products from certain companies are better for the environment when that is not the case. The word “sustainable” is being used as a marketing tactic instead of an accurate description. Companies that meet the mentioned criteria with their products should also be required to disclose their manufacturing processes, such as what materials are used, where the materials came from, how the items were transported, etc. so that consumers can determine for themselves if the “sustainable” label fits and if they should buy the product. In short, imposing criteria for clothing to be labeled “eco-friendly” and legally requiring transparency would play a large part to eliminate the greenwashing of products.

If I could enact anything into law in the U.S., I would set up a transcontinental train system. While there are many issues that our government suffers from, I think the most prevalent one is the climate crisis. One of the main reasons that the U.S. are major contributors to the climate crisis is because of how big our carbon footprint is. Though the way American cities are set up is flawed in itself, having a train system will greatly reduce Americans’ carbon footprint. Most cities in the U.S. are not walkable and require the need for transportation. For instance, Los Angeles is one of the largest cities in the U.S yet it is almost entirely unwalkable. Therefore, a better train system needs to be enacted so that public transportation is more encouraged. European cities are successful in this way. They generally have far less of a footprint than the average American because their cities are more walkable. When transportation is required, it is common to take public transportation there. If a transcontinental train system was put into place it would also be much easier for people to travel. A high speed train way would make it possible so that traveling to New York from California would only take a few hours (possibly two). If there was a system in place in which transportation across the country was much more accessible then the country would be much more connected on a social/ cultural basis as well. Most of the country is disconnected from one another, the structure of the U.S. currently hinders the country from coming together as one. This is why there are so many subcultures within the U.S. Similarly, a high-speed railway system can have numerous economic advantages. Connecting major metro-areas together would create economic opportunities due to the fact that the cities would be much more connected. Once transportation is easier, the economy goes up as witnessed through globalization. The system would allow employers to expand their labor market thus expanding the market overall. This would allow employees to save time by taking public transportation and would allow people to travel more freely for jobs throughout the country. Instead of long unnecessary work trips, people could then travel for just a few hours and come back. Thus, turning long weekend work trips into a day trip. Additionally, public transportation is incredibly cost-efficient for everyday commuters. Instead of paying hundreds in gas, commuters can take public transport at a much cheaper expense. As mentioned above, a high- speed railway system would substantially drop gas intake. Gas is one of the leading contributors to our carbon footprint as the carbon emitted has greatly impacted the health of the planet. Having a good train system would drop the use of gas, thus cutting emissions ten-fold. Alone, this reason already has a multitude of benefits as it would mitigate harm and consequences that have already been generated from the climate crisis. In all, I think a high-speed railway transcontinental system would be a great benefit to the U.S.

If I had the power to alleviate one issue in the United States, I would fix the racial inequalities within the criminal justice system. Implicit bias and policies are probably the two leading reasons BIPOC individuals are treated differently. As a result of a lack of education and ignorance, many individuals hold prejudiced notations of people based on their appearance and BIPOC individuals. These biases can be seen in all parts of the justice system, including the differences in sentence lengths, bail charges, arrest rates, and more.

There is one leading reason that racial inequalities persist in this country: we cannot fix a problem that people don't even recognize is there. Numerous individuals within this country refuse to believe that racism is not systemic and does not exist entirely. Despite the enslavement of Black individuals, Jim Crow, police brutality, and many more, people still deny the existence of racism and racial inequalities - especially towards the Black community. I remember learning of the "New Jim Crow" in a course I took called Black Intellectual Thought. In short, the New Jim Crow explained how our current jailing system and mass incarceration are literally modern-day slavery. Even the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the same one to abolish slavery, has stated that it is legal if used as punishment for a crime.

We as people need to do two major things to solve racial inequality in the justice system. The first would be through destigmatization. As previously stated, individuals can hold a lot of explicit and implicit biases over another individual based on the color of their skin. Destimigitizing racial stereotypes are entirely possible through education. I am a strong advocate for Critical Race Theory to be taught as a core curriculum in the K-12 educational system. Critical Race Theory teaches students how race plays a role in the law and legal institutions of the United States. When students can comprehend how a person's background can affect their socioeconomical experiences, they are less likely to feed into racially biased narratives. If individuals understood better how race plays a part in everyday lives, less racially biased policy and decisions would be made.

The second is through policy reform. Racial inequalities are found within the justice system and can be seen in virtually every system created in the United States. Let's use a black community, for example. From birth, Black individuals already face inequalities in the health care system with issues like infant mortality. As they grow older, Black people are more likely to be raised in under-resourced areas with low funding and higher crime rates. As they enter adulthood, they are more likely to be denied jobs and financial assistance, like housing loans, based on the color of their skin and the area they grew up in. A 2015 study done by the federal reserve showed that while the median net worth for a white family was approximately $250,000 in Boston, Massachusetts, the median net worth of a Black household only came out to be $8. This clearly shows that a lot of BIPOC individuals were never put in the position to be successful from the very beginning because of corrupted policies in housing, education, the justice system, and more. Solving systemic issues outside of the justice system can help lead to reform from within the system.

Education reform is one issue in the U.S. is an issue I wish to solve. Education and knowledge are the opportunity for individuals to prevail in life. Oftentimes schools are not providing the standard of education that is necessary to be successful in higher education. This is due to the deficits in government funding. Many issues like climate change, systemic racism, and more. Education has the potential to boost economic growth through improving innovation, productivity, and human capital. Schools starting from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade are funded by sales and income tax. So if a school is located in a community where the average income is 12,000 the schools in the district will not have the resources to buy resources they would need in a classroom. Resources that are needed for the standard education are classroom computers, smart boards, and teaching assistants. Teaching assistants are a resource because students often need individualized attention because learning habits is not a one size fits all. At times students require more attention than ever before to succeed, overcrowded classrooms make it much more difficult to learn and even more difficult for instructors to be effective.

The best option is to support, develop, and compensate teachers like professionals. Teachers are the foundation to the future generation of students that will go into careers that shape society. It is imperative that teachers receive support from the government that will provide funding for quality education. It is outrageous that communities in higher income brackets receive an education that will teach their children how to succeed in the professional world. For example, teachers that have had experience in teaching students and are performing well should have the opportunity to earn an income of 100,000 annually. This is because medical residents receive training that will help them perform well in procedures. An issue that lower pay results in is teacher burnout fast because they are tasked with many jobs they have to do outside of teaching. A disadvantage that occurs often for teachers of low income communities is they often have to take on the role of mentorship because students in those communities struggle on a daily basis.

As well as providing aid to teachers students should experience and learn how to develop skills outside of the classroom. So providing an opportunity for students to integrate college preparation academics with technical training and job experience.

So the issue I would solve is the education wage gap between students of low income communities and high income students. Receiving an education will allow students to be knowledgeable about how to be successful in life. Many schools are faced with the problem of not having the right tools to teach students. Many teachers have started to take action this past year. Teachers have participated in strikes and also have been elected for legislative seats to try to receive resources that are needed. Overall by providing a standard education it benefits everyone, education improves economic mobility.

If I could solve one issue in the US it would most definitely be the issues we have we have with our justice system/prisons. To put it simply I would want to create some major change in our justice system because it was not created nor does it now treat individuals equally. The way our justice system is set up allows for minorities, especially African Americans to be mistreated and overlooked far too often. As a result, so many African American people are wrongfully convicted for crimes, in fact, statistics show that one out of three black men will be convicted at some point in their life. Now imagine having to live life with these realities. It's absolutely ridiculous. This issue like so many in our country is rooted in racism and can be linked back to slavery. When our constitution was first created and rights for individuals were established black people were still not even considered people. Even after “slavery ended” and the 13th amendment was passed African American individuals still were not technically free. It was around this time that America's prison system began to grow stupendously. Black people were being convicted for what seemed like anything. Even today while racism is not always as blatantly obvious our prison system still works in the same ways that it did back then. In fact, the prisons work exactly how they were designed which was to keep black individuals under. I think fixing these issues will require an immense amount of work. I feel like black issues are always going to be prevalent as long as people remain ignorant of our struggles.