Nathan Allen Mrs. Cooper 10th Grade Literature/Composition 3 November 2022 Free Healthcare for All Citizens Healthcare should be free and accessible for all citizens. Healthcare is the availability of medical care for a person. All countries offer some level of healthcare but can be expensive in most countries, especially in the United States. People argue that free healthcare can increase wait times for patients and raise taxes. Healthcare should be free of charge for citizens in a country. Hospitals charge an absurd cost. In 2020, four trillion dollars was spent on medical services and an average hospital stay could cost $2,607 for each day. The prices can vary depending on the state, such as California hospitals charging $4,000 per day, (Hospitals and Surgery Cost). Furthermore, a father was charged an additional $39.95 for skin-to-skin contact with his newborn child, (Ben Hooper). High expenses can cause risky decision-making. A viral online video highlighted a man who needed medical assistance running from the strappers of an ambulance and the reason for this is unknown. Many assumed he did not want to pay the medical bill for riding in the ambulance to the hospital, which is $450 (Aakansha Tandon). Life Skills Should be Taught in Schools School teaches you science, history, math, and reading, but they do not teach any life skills such as cooking or taxes. Math in high school is not necessary for real-world situations. The education system does not have to teach you necessary life skills because the objective of education is to get the full potential of a learner. Students should be taught life skills during their high school year. Math does not teach personal finances. Algebra and geometry are necessary to graduate, but it does not teach them any kind of money management or taxes. They are crucial skills for the life of an independent adult, (Why High Schools Should Be Teaching Life Skills). Parents are too busy. Being a grown adult plus a parent is a big responsibility. A survey of two-thousand parents was taken and 54% of those parents say they are busy with things such as work, cleaning, cooking, and sleep and that they allow unlimited screen time for their child so they can have free time to themselves, (Average parent enjoys just 32 minutes of free time each day, survey finds). We Should Require All Genders to register for the Draft A draft is a military enrollment that all American men must sign when turning 18. In case of a national emergency, men legally must sign the draft. Women are not affected by this rule. The reason being is that women are seen as ineligible for military combat. Everyone should sign the draft. Young men do not get the chance to live their whole life. Young men must sign within 30 days of being 18 when they are already learning the responsibility of being a fresh new adult and still have a life to experience. During the Vietnam war, mandatory drafts were created. The average number of men that died was the age of 23 and 20% that died were under 20, (Raising the age of military enlistment). Requiring only men to sign the draft is an act of sex discrimination. Men must sign the draft because they are seen as qualified meaning that women are not. It does not show a good example of all human being created equal, (Requiring Men but not Women to Register for the Draft is Sex Discrimination). Voting Should Not be Optional Citizens have the right to freely vote in most countries. Voting is the decision-making by a group of people. It can influence elections such as Presidents, secretaries, Congress members, and many more political positions, but most people decide not to vote because it is optional in America. People argue that it should not be mandatory because people are homeless, unemployed, or just ignorant. Voting should be obligatory. The creation of this rule can get more citizens to vote. 47% of the Australian population voted in the early 1900s and this created the law of mandatory voting; after the law was made, 90% of the population voted, (The Pros and Cons of Requiring Citizens to Vote). Democracy cannot function with only half the population voting. Necessary voting can elect good representatives that will listen to the citizens, but only 60% of the population voted during the 2016 election. It is not a true democracy if the people do not vote, (Should Voting Be Mandatory?). Solar Energy is a Better Alternative Solar energy is a renewable way of generating electricity by using sunlight. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable and generate electricity by burning them. Nonrenewable energy means they are consumed more than they are produced. People have not switched to solar energy because the sun does not come out during the night. Solar energy is a better option than fossil fuels. It can reduce greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide, produced by burning fossil fuels or exhaling. It is trapped in the atmosphere, and it helps keep the planet warm. However, too much carbon dioxide can cause a rise in global temperature. Solar energy eliminates the use of fossil fuels, and it can help decrease global warming, (Solar Energy, Wildlife, and the Environment). The cost can save you money on electricity bills. Switching to solar energy can save you over $1,000 such as saving $100,000 in savings while the cost of solar energy has decreased by 70% since it was first introduced in 1954, (Solar energy pros and cons in 2022). References “Average Parent Enjoys Just 32 Minutes of Free Time Each Day, Survey Finds.” Study Finds, 13 Apr. 2022, https://studyfinds.org/average-parent-enjoys-32-minutes-free-time-survey/#:~:text=The%2 0survey%20of%202%2C000%20American,time%20to%20themselves%20each%20day. Hooper, Ben. “Utah Dad Crowdfunds $39.95 to Pay Hospital's Extra 'Skin to Skin' Charge after Birth.” UPI, UPI, 6 Oct. 2016, https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2016/10/06/Utah-dad-crowdfunds-3995-to-pay-hospitalsextra-skin-to-skin-charge-after-birth/4031475771147/#:~:text=6%20(UPI)%20%2D%2D% 20A%20Utah,Utah%20Valley%20Hospital%20in%20Provo. Jaffe-geffner, Nina. “The Pros and Cons of Requiring Citizens to Vote.” FairVote, 23 Oct. 2015, https://fairvote.org/the_pros_and_cons_of_requiring_citizens_to_vote/. Mar, Ria Tabacco. “Requiring Men but Not Women to Register for the Draft Is Sex Discrimination: News & Commentary.” American Civil Liberties Union, 8 Jan. 2021, https://www.aclu.org/news/womens-rights/requiring-men-but-not-women-to-register-for-th e-draft-is-sex-discrimination. McCain, Peter Polack and Jack. “Raising the Age of Military Enlistment.” Military Times, Military Times, 19 Aug. 2022, https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/commentary/2020/07/08/raising-the-age-of-militar y-enlistment/. Ross, Brooke. “Debate: Should Voting Be Mandatory?” Scholastic Classroom & News Magazines, Aug. 2020, https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/election/civics-in-action/voting--should-votingbe-mandatory.html. Sendy, Andrew. “Solar Energy Pros and Cons in 2022.” Solar Reviews, Solar Reviews, 21 Jan. 2019, https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-solar-energy. “Solar Energy, Wildlife, and the Environment.” Energy.gov, https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-energy-wildlife-and-environment#:~:text=As%20a %20renewable%20source%20of,water%20use%20from%20energy%20production. Tandon, Aakansha. “Video of Man Escaping Stretcher, Running Away from Ambulance Goes Crazy Viral; Watch.” Republic World, Republic World, 28 July 2021, https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/whats-viral/video-of-man-escaping-str etcher-running-away-from-ambulance-goes-crazy-viral-watch.html. “Why High Schools Should Be Teaching Life Skills.” Education Lifeskills, 22 Mar. 2020, https://educationlifeskills.com/why-high-schools-should-be-teaching-life-skills/.
