Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 127, Number 46, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 11 November 2004 — Page 4

Advance News • Thursday, November 11, 2004

Page 4

If I Were President of the United States

The eight-grade Alpha Team in Mr. Hess’ United States history class at North Wood Middle School were recently given an assignment to write an essay explaining what they would they do to solve the problems in the States. The essay question was, "What would you do if you were elected president of the United States?" Listed below is a selection of essays submitted by the class on the topic. The essays are left in the students' own words. ***************************************** 9 If I were president, I would have changed the "No Child Left Behind” program. They need to invest more into educational programs, rather than so many other things. They also need to send in more troops to catch Osama Bin Laden. I believe this, because then once they catch him, they will be able to send most of the troops back. Our country needs to become allies with other countries, such as China and the European countries. They need to produce allies, so they can fight against the problem countries, including North Korea and Iran. We need to reduce national debt. We need to make it so when we go to war and other places, we can fund them better with not as much money debt. This nation needs to work on being bipartisan, when both main parties, Democrat and Republican, work together to make our country better. They won’t blame the other party for what they did wrong. Instead, they work together on an issue and if it doesn't work out they don’t have anyone else to pin it on. Kristen Minnich If I were president of the United States, a few of my main concerns would be the elderly, the younger generation and for the veterans. I would try and work on the social security benefits for all Americans to assure that all hard working Americans are guaranteed to be able to draw social security, when retirement age, without the fear of it not being available especially for the younger generation. Another hot topic I would do my best to work on would be prescription drugs and health benefits, especially for all these veterans who served our country. They would have no problem with getting the help they need. They should not be deprived or rejected by getting medical treatment like they should. There should be no hesitation or question to where they are concerned. They were willing to risk their lives for their country and should not be denied any medical treatment. These are some things that I would do if I were president. Brandon Yoder If I was President of the United States, something I would change is health benefits. Health benefits for poor people, and even some middleclass people, are very hard to afford and people need help with the payments. Everybody has their own opinion on health benefits, and mine is I would try to get together important leaders from all over the United States to get their opinions on health benefits. We could all come to a reasonable solution for this huge and expensive problem, if possible. Another huge issue in the United States, is the war in Iraq. There is no easy solution to this, either, but I believe that we need to get our soldiers lout of Iraq as soon as possible. The death rate of American soldiers is {increasing dramatically and is not showing any signs of letting up. It’s time to get our boys out of there and create different solutions for peace in Iraq. People all over the United States have great ideas and possible solutions for the war, if we would only listen to them. I believe that we could take our soldiers out of Iraq and still create peace. An issue that 1 believe is important, but is often overlooked, is the abortion issue. Everyone deserves a chance to live and make life great. By aborting babies, we are just shutting out this great opportunity for life and great things to happen! Many young mothers are scared and don’t want to deal with a child. This is totally understandable, but we have many orphanages and adoption opportunities to give the child a home and chance for a great life. As president. I would also stand firm on my Christian views. It would be very difficult, but with God as our leader, the United States could do even greater things in the world. The United States is the best place to live because of all the opportunities we have and I would strive to keep them as president. . Amy Yoder If I was the president, I would help raise money for more community homes for the homeless. Also, to help raise money for more soup kitchens, where homeless people get a hot meal and a blanket in the winter and a sandwich, chips and a cookie in the summer. I would have more information about first aid, CPR and what to do in a drowning situation in public schools, and in the community. Classes would be available for a cost of less than $lO. These funds would go towards equipment for the class and the rest goes to building soup kitchens and such. I would lower gas prices. There is no reason for the gas prices to raise up more than $ 1.85 per gallon. To help lower prices on gas, I would try to make peace on the opposite side of the world. I would monitor Iraq and its neighbors for any unusual and inappropriate behavior. I would double security on the airports, ensuring that all the people coming to the airports, that they will be safe. I would improve public schoollunches. To do so, I would issue a survey for all the people in the grades 6 and up to pick what they think needs Church Briefs [COOKIE WALK & FOOD BAR The Presbyterian Women of Nappanee will be hosting a “Simple Holiday” Satprday, Nov. 20 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the First Presbyterian Church ‘Family Life Center. 1155 N. Main St., Nappanee. Cookies will be sold by the pound. Also, festive cookie mixes, patchwork soup mixes, party mixes, cheese balls, breads, fudge, apple butter, Jezebel plus more will be available in the food bazaar. Guests may also enjoy refreshment and visitation while they shop. Complimentary hot drinks and cookies will be offered. TRIO TO PERFORM Nappanee Missionary Church will host a free concert featuring World Help’s dynamic music ministry, envision, on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. This talented trio travels around the globe to present the Gospel. envision’s program includes exciting and inspirational music, personal testimonies, a motivating multi-media presentation and a challenging message designed to motivate Christians to help reach the world for Christ. Nappanee Missionary Church has partnered with World Help in several areas of the world including Bible distribution in China, pastor training in Iraq and church planting in India. As well, the partnership has resulted in the building of several churches in Nepal and an orphanage in northeast India. World Help was bom out of a sincere desire to help those in need, not only spiritually, but also physically. Involved in ministry in more than 50 countries around the world, the vision of World Help is to plant one million churches where no churches exist through its national partners in Asia, Africa and the Americas. Whether through church planting, leadership training, providing church buildings. Bible distribution, child sponsorships or children’s homes, World Help is dedicated to bringing help for today and hope for tomorrow to the least-reached, persecuted and poorest people on earth. Through the ministry of World Help, over seven million Bibles, New Testaments and books have been printed and distributed, over 10,000 sponsorships have been provided to children in need and over 6,700 churches have been planted. Senior Pastor. Dave Engbrecht, invites the public to experience this inspiring concert.

Community

to be improved. Every three weeks on Wednesday, the schools will supply pizza to all of their students in middle school or high school. Ice cream bars would be handed out on Fridays. Teachers would be forbidden to give homework on Wednesdays and Fridays. , Amber Davidhizar If I were president, I would only go after the terrorists that attacked the U.S. and make sure the innocent people are okay. I would make Iraq a safer and better community for the citizens who live there. I would make sure I would protect the oil reserves so gas prices aren’t so high. I would make the schools a safe environment for kids and teachers. I would not allow drugs, gang symbols or guns in the schools. I.would make sure there was a good physical education program. I would move the ISTEP testing to the spring instead of the fall, so the kids could get their minds ready for school again. I would lower the taxes from stores and shops so that hard working people can keep more of the money they make. However, I would raise taxes on cigarettes and tobacco and alcohol because it costs the government anyway, because people get sick from them. I would make it against the law for politicians to talk bad about who they are running against. They would be charged stiff fines and be thrown out of the running for their office. It only gives the person that is saying it a bad name. I would NOT allow homosexual men and women to get married or have a family. It is against God’s teaching from the Bible. Kids and teachers would be allowed to express their beliefs in schools and in public places. These are the issues and the changes I would make it I were to become president. Andrea Holdeman If I were elected, one big problem would be dealing with war. There is no easy way to stop or prevent war so I’d have to be prepared for anything. Another problem would be the people in poverty. We try and help other countries, but there are people right in the U.S. that don’t have homes, money, food or no other family. I would recognize those people and give each one SIOO,OOO and somewhere to live. I would try to change the government, if someone is guilty of murder or something serious,.and we have the evidence they will be spending the rest of their lonely life in jail. Guns are a big issue if they’re legal or not. I would say if you want a gun, you would have to come to Congress to decide whether you would get one. Another thing, I would make a law common sense. I’ll make the food companies start making natural foods. I’d make another law to help those that are overweight. It would be to exercise at 11 a.m. and at 1 p.m. to walk, run, work-out, something or be fined $2,000. Doing this, I think will increase the health of America. Harlan Eagan If I were elected for president of the United States, I would try and make sure that our country stays clean, healthy and without violence. I would do my very best to keep the air clean and non-toxic for those kids who have breathing troubles. \ I would do my best to lower gas prices, lower taxes and lower the cost of living; because it’s getting ridiculous how much it costs. I would try my hardest to make it so that there are no wars and make sure that nothing happens to make a war occur. I want world peace and for everyone to get along! Another thing I would like to do is to get rid of all drugs and alcohol, unless a doctor says you need to take the drug so you can get better; then that would be OK. I feel that it is important to get rid of all drugs and alcohol so there are less drunk driving accidents and less people dying from drug overdoses. I would definitely make sure that no one is living out on the streets and that no one goes hungry. I would do everything I could to help the unfortunate, and make sure that everyone is treated equally. In my eyes there is nobody better than anybody else. I feel that these things would be the correct things to do because in my eyes it would make the world a much happier and better place for kids, adults, animals and everything else that is in our country. That is what I would do if I became president. Christy Ellis If I was president of the United States, changes would be made. I would have to lower taxes. This would be important because people all the time are saying taxes are too high. If I lowered taxes a bunch of people would be very happy with me. I would also make sure that in any professional sport, if a player committed any bad crime, they would be fined, suspended or even put in jail. I think that because if an athlete does something wrong, they usually don’t get in too much trouble, but if any other person did what they did, they would be in jail, no question. That would be the right thing to do because athletes are the same as most other people, so they should be treated exactly the same. I would also make every single school have a three day weekend at least once a month. That would give the kids a break to just have fun for a day. It would be the right decision because I was a kid and I remembered how I always wanted an additional day off just so I could sleep in and do nothing.

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I wpuld also make a law saying that if you don’t Vote you will be fined. I would do that because I think it is pretty sad that only about half of eligible people vote. People who don't vote wouldn’t be too happy about that, but then again I am president. Skyler Titus If I were president of the United States of America, one of the first things I would change would be the amount of education kids in school are receiving. I feel that the kids in school now need to have a much better education than what they do. They will some day be the governors and the congressmen and congresswomen, so they need to be smart on these issues: I also think that the voting age should be lowered to sixteen instead of eighteen. If kids are more educated then they will be smarter, so they will know what they are voting for. This could make a big change in the amount of people who vote, as well. It also would probably increase the voting percentage because at this age, kids want to be a part of the government, so they would most likely vote if they got the chance. If a kid gets into the voting habit when they are younger, they will keep voting when they are older. Another topic I feel strongly on is the drivers permit topic. I think they should make a law that says you have to have your permit for at least one year before you get your drivers license. By making that a law when a person would get their drivers license, they would already be experienced drivers and it would prevent more accidents. Alii Heeter If I were the president of the United States, I would first make a law that made recycling required. This would lessen the amount of wasted paper that could be recycled. I think we would save a lot more trees and keep the environment cleaner. This means we would also lessen the chance for oxygen shortage in the future. That way, everyone would benefit. Also, I would ban gay marriages. This is because our society is based upon the fact that marriage is designed to be between one man and one woman. This is the basis for a healthy family life, which leads to healthy communities. This can only make our nation stronger. Gay marriages weaken our nation, not only the family. Next, I would eliminate abortion. This is because every child has a right to be bom. The children shouldn’t have to pay the price for the adult being irresponsible. It’s unfair to the child who has done nothing wrong. This would also make our nation stronger. I would also try to get citizens to use bio-fuels so we wouldn’t be so dependent on foreign fuels. To do this, I would increase the check-off fee from 10 cents a bushel to 15 cents a bushel. The extra money would go toward research and development. Researchers could find a way to make fuels, like soy diesel, ethanol, and plastics from corn stalks, from crops; so we would be less dependent on foreign fuels. These ideas could be implemented with good planning and with good old American ingenuity. Brock BeMiller

Letter To The Editor FAMILY CELEBRATES DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY; GIVES THANKS TO COMMUNITY FOR LOVE, SUPPORT As we celebrate her birthday this week, the family of Kelsey Mikel would like to express our extreme thanks and gratitude to the communities of Wakarusa and Nappanee for the outpouring of love, support, and generosity over the past few months. Those who knew Kelsey knew her to be a caring and giving person. The response of care and giving following her death in August is a living testimony to the impact she had on the lives she touched. While the depth of the pain and loss we have felt is at times overwhelming, the depth of the love and support has been just as overwhelming. Never in our imaginations could we conceive that we had so many friends or that our family has meant so much to our community. Special thanks to all who have contributed to the Kelsey Mikel Trust Fund for the scholarship to a North Wood student in Kelsey’s memory. Thanks also to everyone who bought chicken, brought over meals, sent flowers and cards, and prayed for us during this dark time. You have been sunshine and light in our world. May God continue to bless and be comfort to all who have felt the loss of the life of our daughter and sister, Kelsey Camille Mikel. Mark, Kathy, Emily, Madeline, and McKenna Mikel Continuous Publication Since 1879 t Advance News jj§ Serving Nappanee & Wakarusa HOW TO REACH US: (USPS 370-960) If you do not receive your paper by 5 p.m. Thursday, please call the circulation department at 936-5101 up to 6 p.m. and we will deliver your newspaper that day. Publisher Grover Ford General Manager Jerry L. Bingle Managing Editor Jim Hekel Advance News Editor .•■••• Stephanie Middaugh Sports Editor Ron Haramia Production/IT Manager Greg Hildebrand Marketing & Circulation Manager Cindy Stockton www.thepilotnews.com 158 W. Market Si, P.O. Box 230, Nappanee, IN 46550 (574)773-3127 Published weekly. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 214 N. Michigan St, Plymouth, IN 46563 Periodical postage paid Nappanee, IN 46550 Mail Rates: Indiana. $20.00 for 52 issues; out-of-state $25.00 for 52 issues. Display Ad Deadlines: Pilot News - 2 Days Prior at 5:00 p.m. Bremen Enquirer, Nappanee Advance News, Culver Citizen, Bourbon News-Mirror, The Leader - Thursday at 5:00 p.m. The Review - Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. TV Week - Friday (Week Prior) at 5:00 p.m. Classified Ad Deadlines: Pilot News - Day Prior at 11:30 a.m. Bremen Enquirer, Nappanee Advance News, Culver Citizen, Bourbon News-Mirror/The Leader - Monday at 11:30 am The Review - Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. Legal Deadlines: Pilot News - Three Days Prior at 4:00 p.m. Bremen Enquirer, Nappanee Advance News, Culver Citizen, Bourbon News-Mirror, The Leader - Wednesday (A Week Prior) at 4:00 pan. Ail ads larger than 1/4 page need to be e-mailed, sent in a word document or dropped off on a floppy disk. To Place A Classified Ad call 1-800-935-0356 or 5744363101. To Order Your Subscription call 1-800-9334350 or 574-930-3101.