Mr. President,

    As I do believe that America is a great, powerful country, I believe we are entering a new gilded age of violence, financial problems, and other serious issues plastered on the surface with the American Dream of the past. I am concerned with the future well being of our country.  I look at my school and see gangs, bullies, and future criminals of America lurking around the halls. That thought terrifies me. The thought that years from now, I will read an article in the paper that tells me that one of my classmates is a serial killer, a rapist, or a terrorist is unsettling.It is time for many changes in America, and I believe these changes are mandatory. I am also concerned with the fact that one day I will wake up and there will be no more oil. We need to realize that this day is coming faster than we ever thought that it would, and we must prepare for that day. Education and Energy are two of my key concerns as I take a look at what the future of our great country will become.

    I am concerned greatly with the fate of our educational programs. It's time for change when children in eighth grade can skate by in school without ever learning how to read or spell. It's time for a change when children with learning disabilities cripple behind their illness and refuse to challenge themselves, because no one is encouraging them to do so. The drop out rates at my high school are at astronomical highs, and that statistic is the most alarming of them all. The importance of a high school education is being undermined, and a change is mandatory and crucial. America needs to encourage students to graduate by offering a tax relief to anyone who graduates from high school, and an additional tax relief to anyone who is going to attend college. This will encourage people to stay in school and also will also increase the standard of living due to its direct correlation with education levels. I also believe it is time for a serious reform in how children in public schools are tested on their reading and writing abilities, because an illiterate society does not sound to me like a prosperous one. Students should be thoroughly tested on reading and writing, both oral testing and written testing, by their teachers to make sure that no child is being left behind. Teachers need to realize that the lives of their students is in their hands, and they must be able to handle that. Another issue rising within the schools is the salary of teachers. Although they chose to have their job, I believe it is imperative that in order to attract more positive inspirational people to the field, we increase teacher salaries after every school year, because the future of America depends on the young adults of previous generations to teach them and inspire them to strive for greatness. In my opinion, teachers have the most important job in the world. An inspiring teacher makes their students strive to impress them not just for the grades, but because they want to show their teachers that they can do amazing things no matter what obstacle is placed in front of them. Without inspiring teachers, people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Ronald Reagan would have never had the success they had. Democracy depends on education to educate its future leaders. Education is a very important issue, but energy is becoming one of the most important issues of them all.

    I am concerned with the issue of energy. As a driver, I feel the impact of gas prices greatly, and something must be done. Rather than adding ethanol, an impractical, non-efficient idea that is hurting the gas mileage of cars rather than helping solve the energy crisis, we need to tap in to the emergency supply of oil America has in order to bring down prices. America must support additional funding by supporting programs for non-fuel powered cars, or better, more convenient systems of public transportation. Public transportation such as Amtrak and trains, such as the ones in the tri-state area, have been proven to be preferred and convenient to those who live in the area. Although not every town can afford such expensive methods, shuttle buses have also proven to be useful and extremely efficient. Promoting carpooling and public transportation needs to be a key focus until we can ease off of our dependence on oil. If we place taxes on "Gas Guzzlers" and other non-environmentally friendly cars, we can encourage people to buy cars that are more gas efficient. Another solution I propose is a meeting between all nations, incuding China, Japan, Germany, and other well-developed nations in order to brainstorm ideas to solve the gas prices. It is proven that we are stonger in numbers, and a meeting like this could really help us to find more solutions to the problem. You, Mr. President, have a responsibility to find these solutions, and I can only hope and pray that you are able to do so.

    America has a reputation for providing the best life available in the world, but today, we are falling short of our expectations. Our children deserve the best education we can afford to give them from the best teachers in the nation, and nothing less. During this economic spiral, it is important that we discuss major issues and find permanent solutions to these issues. It could lead to the failure of our country as a whole, and an end to the prosperous nation that is America as we know it.