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Constitutional Challenge

With each year’s annual Constitutional Challenge, the Governor’s administration main motive is to continually work towards integrating the branches of the Youth and Government program. Integration is essential to empower the stream of networking through a framework to give important information to benefit the capacity of the program. To further motivate unification, the cabinet will be conducting yet another challenge, but this time, on a bigger platform. Overall, the aim of the Constitutional Challenge is to show the several sides of the YAG program through friendly, yet serious debate.

The Blue Senate bill #932 entitled “My Shot”, written by Senator Sam Condrick and Representative Connor McDonald, will be the bill participating in the administration’s challenge this year. The bill aims to strengthen general public health within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The challenge will question the constitutionality of it’s concept, as it proposes to eliminate the religious exemption when it comes to vaccinating children within schools.

The Constitutional Challenge debate will take place on Sunday during closing ceremonies, and will feature this year’s Chief Justice, Abby Han, the bill authors, and representing the Governor’s administration, Jerusha George, the Judicial Asset, and Ethan Sniderman, the Attorney General.

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Content or Controversy?

Within Youth and Government, each bill has its own levels of debatability and quality, but there are bills that end up sacrificing one for the sake of the other. This has different implications for each delegate, but the question still stands: which bills, controversial or well-written, are the fittest for the Senate and House floors? Generally, delegates report that a well-rounded bill is a combination of these two components, but even still, each trait has a different tier of significance to each legislator.

Any bill that sparks debate will undoubtedly spark interest and excitement within the debaters. Luke Reinhard, a member of the Blue House and of the East Shore delegation explained, “Bills can never be too controversial. Controversial bills make for good debate, and good debates end up being more fun for delegates.” For Reinhard, a bill being debatable “has a higher priority over being well-written, because if a bill is not debatable and people cannot talk about it, then it is pointless.” Many delegates agree with Reinhard’s statements, including John Wesesky, another member of the Blue House from the Obama delegation. “A well-rounded bill for me is debatable.” Bills being debatable give delegates the chance to talk about and explain both sides to something, allowing them to use critical thinking skills to elaborate on their arguments.

On the other hand, bills that are written with quality are also prioritized by members of the legislature, including Youth Governor Rishin Sharma. In his remarks during the April 12th press conference, Sharma said that well-written bills with real-world significance should be every delegate’s priority. “It is an absolute necessity, a bare minimum requirement to make sure that every single bill is well-written,” he said on the emphasis of quality over debatability. Elijah Burtner, Gold Committee Chair from the Somerset delegation, also believes that the quality content in these bills deserves a chance in the spotlight, saying that “it’s important for the people who write the practical bills to have a fair shot.”

At Model, each bill in the calendar ends up in a committee, and then, perhaps, on the floor of the beautiful chambers of the Capitol. In the end, it’s up to the delegates of Pennsylvania YAG to decide which aspects of a bill make it worth their vote.

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Dave John: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Those who are veteran delegates of Youth and Government will be familiar with the sparkly-eyed, white-haired ball of friendliness that is the vessel for the spirit of Dave John. However, if one peels back his outer layer, one can see the holes that pepper his story. Here are the conspiracy theories and rumors about one of YAG’s most beloved advisors.

Every aspect of Dave John’s life is littered with speculation, though this may be able to be attributed to the powers gifted to him by various deities and alien royalty. However, one thing is certain: Dave John was born on April 1st, 1878, or perhaps hatched is the more appropriate terminology. From a clam shell found in the Susquehanna River by a local fisherman, he started his life with a splash, which drew the attention of a seemingly innocuous man dressed in a plain black suit.

The man collected him for a secret government operation called the Dragon Project, which is where the tattoo of a fire-breathing dragon on his left bicep came from. Due to a budget oversight, however, the project was shut down and the children placed in cryogenic freezers until the project could be restarted. When the Communist threat began to appear in the 1950s, the project was revitalized and made a subsection under the CIA. For years, he was fed super-serum, making him the equivalent of Captain America, but the government wanted more than a bodybuilder- they needed a hero. Various chemicals and treatments left Dave John with electric blue hair that refuses to be dyed and fear of silver, probably from the metal instruments that were used by the faceless scientists.

When the heads of the program decided the men, if they could even be called that anymore, were ready for battle, they were sent to survey the Russian threat in the Arctic Sea. But as fate would have it, weather interfered, plunging the rest of the unit into the icy waters leaving Dave John as the only advisor. Deciding to take his fate into his own hands, Dave John let the world believe he died and lived out his dream as a world-class death metal xylophonist.

Feeling lost in the world, Dave John attempted to find purpose. This is where the stories diverge dear readers, as there were many sightings of his elusive person, but none can be confirmed. Some put him climbing the Berlin Wall, others recollect stories of a strange man with a pet trout named Sir Elton John that would wander the Susquehanna River. Others say he was in the Olympics, where he was set to beat Usain Bolt until jaundice struck him the night before he was set to race. Some people swear he had a reality TV show titled Digging Deep with Dave, a philosophical landscaping show. Others swear he impersonated the Queen of England and acted as her stunt double.

The paths converge when Dave John began working as an advisor in YAG, though for what purpose, there is no clear answer. Perhaps he found a love of government and engaging the youth, or perhaps he is looking to recruit for his own secret project.

One thing is true: Dave John is a figure shrouded in mystery and intrigue. So when you see him quirk a small smile, or click his heels before vanishing into thin air, know that he is a permanent fixture in the YAG community and will always be there to help any delegate.

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Day in the Life of an Administrator and Page at Model

Throughout the chaos of Model weekend, it is easy to forget that everyone’s experience of the convention is so different. A day in the life of delegates from different branches vary in many ways, making the weekend a memorable experience for everyone involved. Although the branches of Judicial, Legislative, and Press are the most well-known, the position of an Administrator also exists throughout the program. Admin plays a critical role in the success of the Model Convention. Not only do they have a lot of flexibility throughout the day, but they get to advocate bills that reflect their beliefs. Upon arriving at the capitol, Admin meets with each other and plan out which delegates are speaking on behalf of which bills. Following this meeting, Admin spends their day running between committee rooms speaking on behalf of bills. Another unique job at Model is that of Pages. Natalie Maneval is one of two Pages at this year’s convention. Her job is to make sure that all the bill debates run smoothly. She runs to committee rooms and takes the bills that have been passed to the next stage of the process. Each Page has a specific number of rooms they have to get to each day. When committees are finished, Maneval is able to help out in the chambers.  Each job at Model is unique and different. However, every job is important and vital to the success of the weekend.

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Lost and Confused

A delegate finding their way through the Capitol can be a stressful experience, especially for first-year members. Elevated nerves mixed with being lost can result in a stressful Model experience that no one wants. In order to ensure a smoothly flowing Model convention, interviewers have conducted a short catalog of information and suggestions to benefit newer members of Youth and Government.

Many people refer to the information desk at the front of the building when they are confused. According to Belinda Bowers, who works at the information desk, many people ask her for directions throughout the Capitol, especially tour groups. She mentions that “it’s a very confusing building.” A tip that she gave to anyone who is in the Capitol is to always have a map. Physical maps are always good to have, but there is also a map available on the Capitol website www.pacapitol.com. Bowers added that one should never be afraid to ask someone for directions, as it saves them the time and the struggle.

Liz Guenther, a third-year delegate, recalls her first time at Model. At the time, she was in Press and was assigned to take pictures at the Rotunda for an event at 4:00. Being unfamiliar with the Capitol, she accidentally took the elevator to the basement and could not find her way upstairs. When she eventually did, she missed her chance to take the photo. It is important for delegates to be able to navigate the Capitol to avoid situations like these.

Getting lost is never a fun thing, especially at an intense event like Model. The best way to maximize one’s Model experience is to stay organized and stay aware. Having these will allow delegates to be less stressed than they already are, even if it is by just a little.

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New Delegations

Youth and Government is constantly growing with more members joining each year. There are currently over 700 students involved in this year’s Model convention.  While this rise in numbers can be due to recruitment from individual clubs, the growth is also attributed to the addition of new delegations.  This year, the program welcomes four new delegations; Erie YMCA, Garnet Valley High School, Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, and the YMCA of Indiana County.  One of the new delegations, Erie, was reintroduced by Chris Gotsch, an advisor of the delegation. He explained, “I am an alumni of the program, and when I moved back to the area I wanted to get the program started again.” The club was pitched to students already involved in leadership skill classes so they would have an idea of what to expect and how to deal with it. This year, they are focusing on getting used to the program, but hope to have more student leaders in the future. The encouraging growth of YAG in recent years is very promising for the club. New members are discovering what sparks their interest and old members are reigniting the flame that drives them. All in all, the integration of new delegations into YAG has proven to be successful.

Youth and Government is constantly growing with more members joining each year. There are currently over 700 students involved in this year’s model convention.  While this rise in numbers can be due to recruitment from individual clubs, the growth is also attributed to the addition of new delegations.  This year, the program welcomes four new delegations; Erie YMCA, Garnet Valley High School, Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, and the YMCA of Indiana County.  

One of the new delegations, Erie, was reintroduced by Chris Gotsch, an advisor of the delegation. He explained, “I am an alumni of the program, and when I moved back to the area I wanted to get the program started again.” The club was pitched to students already involved in leadership skill classes so they would have an idea of what to expect and how to deal with it. This year, they are focusing on getting used to the program, but hope to have more student leaders in the future.

Coming to model for the first time can be an intimidating experience, especially when the delegation as a whole is new. Erie delegates found that they were experiencing many of same problems younger members face. It can be hard to find the confidence to speak up in a room full of people or not let the constant work overwhelm them. It can also be difficult to learn skills such as bill and brief writing, even more so without the assistance of experienced students. But as the convention progresses, it becomes easier to build up the confidence and skills and handle the responsibility. Looking forward to the growth of the delegation, Gotsch stated, “hopefully we continue to grow. I know we have a lot of strong students and we just want to keep them motivated and getting out and recruiting more people.” By the end, Erie and younger delegates alike will be seasoned YAG members with a model convention under their belt.

The encouraging growth of YAG in recent years is very promising for the club. New members are discovering what sparks their interest and old members are reigniting the flame that drives them. All in all, the integration of new delegations into YAG has proven to be successful.

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SGATE

Recent reports alleging that Gold Speaker of the House Terrance Jefferson is accepting bribes are raising concerns among several delegates at Model this year. This sort of unacceptable behavior has only recently been brought to light, causing many to call for Jefferson to be exposed and suffer the consequences needed for such nefarious deeds. The reported bribes, becoming more and more common every day, have shown to consistently be made up of fruit smoothies, a drink that Jefferson has announced a taste for among his political cohorts. These sweet bribes have raised many questions as to the legitimacy of Jefferson’s position of authority within the Gold House. Many alarmed delegates claim it to be difficult to trust a man so easily persuaded by a simple fruit smoothie to hold a position with so much responsibility, such as Gold House Speaker.

Few programs led by high school students have as clean a record in history as Youth and Government has earned. Delegates of history have worked tirelessly to keep corruption out of YAG politics, a difficult feat when dealing with several hundred kids, but still historically managed. Now, with the widespread accessibility of smoothies of all kinds, political honesty is once again being threatened, now through a cheap meal item. When asked about the allegations of bribery, Jefferson had this to say, “Well, smoothies are delicious… I'm going to make the calendar anyway, if they are going to incentivise me to make the calendar with smoothies, I’m not going to deny it.”  Of course, a politician accepting bribes is always an issue at face value, but this specific case raises some very unique red flags. Jefferson did not agree with the term “bribery”, calling the smoothies “encouragement, persuasion, maybe,” and continuing that “never” would he accept what he considers a bribe. If Jefferson is in fact receiving these smoothies as political payment, we must know where he is using the energy gained by the contents of the mugs. Is he using this free energy as a way to further any legitimate agenda he may have, or is he continuing this dark calorie scam? This angle of “Smoothiegate” is one of the largest issues that delegates have with these allegations.

Simply put, Smoothiegate is a scandal, more delicately put, it is a cautionary tale of political honesty. We must ensure the straightforwardness of our Presiding Officers, and pressure them whenever they are alleged to have engaged in activities that would be very harmful to the amazing YAG program. I do hope you would take this conspiracy of sugary concoctions seriously, as it will be a guiding light to a prosperous future in YAG.

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The Decriminalization of Marijuana

For years, Pennsylvania has slowly been moving towards the decriminalization of marijuana. Cities such as Philadelphia, State College, and Pittsburgh have made the first steps, and the rest of the state is quickly catching up. But some say just decriminalization is not enough. In fact, there are several proposed bills urging the full decriminalization of recreational marijuana, and Governor Rishin Sharma is on board. At the Governor’s Press Conference, Sharma stated his main goals for the Commonwealth, including overwhelming prison reform. He said decriminalization is vital to Pennsylvania’s health because “individuals who are petty criminals are becoming hardened criminals due to repeated, nonviolent offenses and time in prison. We need to integrate these individuals back into our society and bring them back to be productive members of our society”. Not only will decriminalization alleviate the overcrowding of prisons, but it will also better the lives of thousands of people, some as young as 18 years old. From Hanover to Erie, decriminalization could soon be a reality for all Pennsylvania residents. For years in the future, a single act can shape our society and change the way prison reform is viewed.

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Wrong Side

 In recent years, the Judicial branch has been growing at a rapid pace. With this fast pace growth, the chance for mistakes has also grown. This year, a judicial team from the Hershey delegation was unfortunate enough to endure the results of one such mistake. The team is made up of two first years, Vince Andrews-Newhouse and Luke Goldstein, who prepared their argument in defense of the Mother and Hospital but were actually supposed to defend the CYS and Singer. This debacle started back in January. Andrews-Newhouse and Goldstein were told by their advisor that they were assigned to defend the Hospital and Mother’s side of the case and based their whole arguments on this. When asked, Andrews-Newhouse claimed that he was absent at a later meeting when one of their advisors told Goldstein the correct the argument to the other side who promptly forgot it. Therefore the mistake was never corrected and Andrews-Newhouse and Goldstein were doomed to this terrible fate. It wasn’t until Thursday night, an hour or so before preliminary arguments at the hotel when the two received their lanyards and name tags and saw the positions given underneath their names reading “CYS and Singer”. The team immediately went to talk with their advisors who apologized profusely and were very helpful. There was nothing anyone could do, they had to completely scratch everything they had already done. Andrews-Newhouse’s reaction was absolute shock followed by panic at what they were going to have to do. The two spent the remainder of Thursday completely rewriting their arguments. Goldstein thought it was easier because he was now arguing for the side that he thought was right. Andrews-Newhouse, on the other hand, found it more difficult because the two now had to comb through new case law and look at the case a whole different way in order to make a good argument. Goldstein and Andrews-Newhouse explained to the justices that their advisors had mixed up the two cases and it still didn't do the two delegates any justice. Goldstein ended up doing the brief right which gave the two a little bump in their score, but overall it wasn't a good outcome. Hopefully Goldstein and Andrews-Newhouse will have had enough time to prepare better.

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A Look Inside the Lobby

The unsung heroes of Youth and Government are the Lobbyists. The delegates who don’t choose Legislative, Judicial, or Press, decided to rather help their fellow Legislative delegates. Lobbyists work in pairs and must choose a topic to lobby for. After their topic is approved, they can search for relating bills. Lobbyist’s main job is to find pieces of proposed legislation they agree with and try to help them be passed. The big event for these delegates comes on the first night of the Model Convention, the Lobbyist fair. Where they are given the opportunity to meet with other delegates and advocate for their chosen bills.  

Jocilyn Koser and her partner Isha Shah, from the Middletown delegation, chose Women’s Rights as their topics. Mainly championing for bills dealing with things like abortion and access to feminine hygiene products. Koser said that along with supporting other bills, Lobbyists have the chance to write their own bills. Although they can’t debate them, other Legislative delegates are allowed to sponsor them.  

Brooke Lassinger along with her partner Lauren Schriner, from the Knoch delegation, are focusing on representing doctors. Lassinger said that she felt that bills against doctors are usually very black and white. Hoping that she and her partner could try and change that, they decided to represent doctors was a good fit for them.  Listing some of their sponsored bills as numbers 107, 301, 384, 453, 726, and so many more. These bills may deal with any issues concerning doctors or medicines.  

Lobbyists have a job not always seen by others. However, it is an important and hard job to do. Lobbyists are a very important part in making a piece of legislation pass and continue to be a thriving part of YAG.

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Sound the Alarm: Editorial

In the hefty tome almost all delegates received on Thursday, there are a few bills that are worthy of attention, albeit for the wrong reasons. Topics include blatant transphobia, child endangerment, and sexism. Regardless of bill calendars, it is essential to understand the questions these bills pose not only in the present but also the future of the Commonwealth.

In light of the recent measles outbreaks and parade of anti-vax propaganda, it is a bold gesture to introduce a bill, BS-386.  It has the potential to increase not only the number of outbreaks but also the number of children affected. This bill, though it will undoubtedly be brought down with the chains of reason, is only contributing to the emotional fervor perpetrated by hippie mom blogs and pharmaceutical overlords looking to make a profit. Overcrowded schools will face an onslaught of half-baked petitions founded not on the ideas of safety, but of paranoia. This bill is vague at best, leaving many questions and very few answers. The purpose, though initially intended to protect students against the potential harm of a vaccine, opens the door to a flood of alarming problems. In the words of lobbyist Kaelyn Nornhold, "If a dog has to be vaccinated to be sent to a boarder, why don't students have to vaccinated before going to a school?”

In Blue Senate Bill 933, tucked away in the Public and Welfare section, lies a bill that lacks compassion for desperate women. Though exceptions are given in the most extreme circumstances, this bill attempts to emotionally manipulate women who are already facing one of the most difficult decisions of their lives. The underlying sexism of the bill leaves a sticky, icky feeling in the back of any person with an ounce of common sense. By shoving grainy black and white photographs into someone’s face and then forcing them to wait forty-eight hours, this bill is metaphorically dragging these poor women into the harsh light of the patriarchy, essentially degrading their status to guilty, uncompassionate broodmares.

The Transgender Athletes Act claims that its policy simply creates “a more fair environment for all athletes,” but it does nothing more than exclude some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. With a glance at the definitions, a glaring issue emerges with the addition of “transsexualism” as a near synonym to transgender. Not only is the term outdated, but it is also frequently used in a derogatory manner towards people who experience gender dysphoria. Digging into the content of the bill, the flat-out transphobia is evident. The regulations prohibit trans women from participating in women’s sports, but allow trans men to participate in men’s sports. This shows blatant sexism in the implication that people who are born with male bodies are inherently stronger than people born with female bodies, as well as a complete disregard for the social and mental connotations related to prohibiting people who identify as female from playing sports with people of the same gender as them. This sexist, transphobic policy adds insult to the injuries of an already marginalized and restricted community.

All in all, every bill has its drawbacks and its benefits, but the motives behind these bills should definitely be called into question.

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Gun Reform in Pennsylvania: Opinion

Across the entire United States, mass shootings have occurred with more frequency than in any other country. Although shootings are rarer in Pennsylvania, eleven mass shootings have taken place in the last ten years, including the tragedy of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh last year. 2019 has already seen a dramatic increase in gun reform laws, and Youth and Government is no different. The jury is out and now is the time for gun reform.

In countries like Japan, which has some of the harshest gun control laws in place, applicants must pass several tests, including a written test and mental health evaluation, as well as a waiting period. These strict laws have limited gun deaths to just dozens a year. The Waiting Periods Save Lives Act would model Pennsylvania after Japan, requiring a waiting period of 30 days in order to buy a gun. This bill would also prevent what is called the “Charleston Loophole”, which allows dealers to give guns to the purchaser after three business days even if a mental health screening has not been given. This loophole allowed the Charleston Emanuel AME Church shooter to obtain the gun he used to murder nine people. Waiting periods also allow for a so-called “cooling off period”, where the purchaser cannot buy and use a gun for an impulsive reason. If Pennsylvania can make stricter gun control laws, shootings will become even rarer and save hundreds of lives a year.

Another massive reason for the sheer amount of shootings is the lack of background checks for people wanting to get guns. The Background Check Reformation Act would transfer all Pennsylvania records into the National Instant Check System (NICS), the system used nationwide to determine if a person is eligible for a gun. If all Pennsylvanian records are in the national register, a person going to another state to purchase a gun would be ineligible, denying an unfit person from carrying a dangerous weapon.

After the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, over 60 school shootings have been committed. The Detect and Protect Act seeks to protect schoolchildren, enforcing all schools in the United States to have metal detectors everyone entering the school must go through. Refusing to go through the detector will deny all access to the school. Shooters are able to succeed at their mission because most schools, especially in rural areas, have no way to detect guns before it is too late. Metal detectors will immediately alert security of any firearms, preventing the shooting from happening at all. For schools in areas with high crime and weapon usage, metal detectors are commonly used and are shown to decrease levels of violent crime.

The role of government is to protect and serve its people. In a world overrun with terror, the only way to ensure the protection of every citizen in the passing of sweeping legislation changing the way to obtain dangerous firearms.

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Judicial

Standing with quivering legs, attorneys are placed before people who are there to judge every action or syllable that escapes their mouths. Anxiety and the feeling of unease is well known to many new or even returning delegates. Through multiple interviews, the Justices of Youth and Government have been consistent with many ideas on how an attorney can compose themselves and calm their nerves. Here are some of the ways that the justices this year have recommended to YAG attorneys make their arguments even better:

Justice Laura Kelly uses the characteristic that relates the other members of YAG to herself, through the grade level and age she shares with the attorneys. She makes sure to remind herself that other delegates are very close to her own age. There is no reason to be intimidated because  “everyone here is just as terrified as you are,” says Kelly.

Avi Lukacher, another Justice, is well aware of how intimidating it can be to walk into a courtroom to present an argument to the Justices. He hopes to make attorneys aware that the Justices are all there to help. Lukacher stated that “preparation is key,” He maintains the view that practice will be one of the most beneficial methods to ease your presentation.

The Justices aim to ensure that attorneys are well prepared, confident, and comfortable when presenting their cases. They know that everyone can make every minute that they spent on their arguments count during their time in front of the Justices.

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Locked Up

The eighth amendment protects the people from cruel or unusual punishments, but extended periods of solitary confinement are still a common form of prison punishment. While it’s supposed to protect prisoners from themselves or other inmates, it has been proven to harm them in the long run.

Solitary confinement can come in a few different ways: limited phone calls or contact to the outside world, sensory deprivation, restricted reading material, or personal property, and the most problematic, isolation behind a steel door with no windows for twenty-four hours a day. Prisoners are kept in these conditions for days or weeks at a time. Delegates Sophie Ritzenthaler, Kristian Williamson, and Mathew Behary have different plans for solitary confinement reform.

Mathew Behary proposed the Solitary Confinement Act which states that prisoners couldn’t be held for more than forty-eight hours every seven days. Prisons that fail to follow procedure will have their funding cut by five percent until they are evaluated in six weeks. Sophie Ritzenthaler and Kristian Williamson take a more extreme approach. Their bill states that prisoners cannot be put into solitary for more than twenty-four hours over a period of forty-five days. To enforce this, the Department of Corrections will randomly send one staff member to review the prison’s actions. The DOC will also implement staff members to manage the prison, should it fail its review.

After looking at the proven effects solitary confinement has, it’s clear that a change is needed. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that solitary confinement and self-harm were directly correlated. They found that fifty-three percent of self-harm acts were performed in solitary confinement and forty-five percent of these acts were potentially fatal with the most common forms being laceration, ligature, overdose, and swallowing a foreign body.

Despite the effects solitary confinement can have on physical health, the effects on mental health are what make the punishment so controversial. The same study found that as a result of confinement, prisoners developed paranoia, depression, anxiety, and obsessive thoughts. The effects were even worse for prisoners who already had some form of mental illness, to begin with.

Faith Condrick’s “Let’s Get Crazy Act” offers a way to dampen the effects of these mental issues. Inmates recovering from solitary confinement will be offered mandated counseling. The counseling sessions will take place free of guards, staff, and other prisoners. The health professional’s personal safety will be taken into account as well.

While on paper solitary confinement makes sense, in practice it seems more like beating a dead horse. Prisoners are being dragged further toward their own personal demons and inflicting more pain than if they were left alone. Solitary confinement may be a necessary form of punishment, but the practice, regulations, and aftermath still need revisions. Passing these three bills are the key to reform.

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Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Fund: Editorial

Many members of Congress, old and new, are taking criticism for utilizing the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Fund as a way to fund their legislation. While many put careful thought into their funding and taxing, other bill writers are taking the “easy way out” in unprecedentedly high numbers.

What is the racehorse fund? The $250 million funds are exactly what it sounds like: finance for horse racing.  The young lawmakers’ erratic decisions are harming themselves; congressmen and women that harness the fund are skipping an important step in learning how to write an effective bill - searching for smart funding for their ideas.

This concerns many legislators, including Blue Senator Dominic Victoria. “The Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Fund is drastically overused”, he says, expressing his concern for the growing issue. Most lawmakers put deep thought and consideration when determining how to fund their plans, however, people are now using this niche reserve to find the necessary funding for their bills.

The abuse of the reserve is also logically incoherent. If an overwhelming amount of bills extract from the fund, it is bound to be dismantled. Thus, too many bills will be left with wide open holes barricading them from passing. “If everyone keeps taking and taking from the fund, eventually it’ll disappear”, says Michael Eddy Harvey of the Blue House.

The Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Fund is real and finite, and thus should not be taxed arbitrarily. The countless legislators now taking to this finance is not only harmful to their own bills but a dangerous precedent for future trends in Congress.  

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Reinstating the Electoral College

The Youth and Government program is constantly evolving, with new delegates and new ideas being introduced each year. Last year, the program adopted a popular vote system for Elections Convention. This system allows each delegate attending the convention to cast votes towards whomever they wish. Returning delegates may remember the electoral college system, a system that is criticized for taking power away from the delegates. Yet, with similar flaws existing in the popular vote system, the electoral college may give delegates more power after all. The program’s voting system started off as a straight popular vote. However, the issue quickly became that the larger delegations began dominating and winning the elections, as they had much more individual votes. David John, an East Shore advisor, claimed: “there were a few smaller clubs that finally figured out how to work together to build coalitions and that was able to work, but there were still people that felt that larger clubs still had the advantage.” They consulted the Student Advisory Committee, which consisted of two groups of three students and three advisors, one being from the east and the other from the west. “They came together between the early-mid ’90s and created a system that helped to allocate the electoral votes based on the number of people brought to the election convention,” John stated. People argued that the Delegation Leaders took control of the elections because many deals were made to ensure votes. The program then decided to combine both popular and electoral votes. Due to the complicated procedure, it took ages to count all of the votes, which resulted in dropping the electoral college system as a whole and returning to the popular vote. The electoral college voting method is comprised of various different parts meant to give smaller delegations a bigger role in elections without entirely taking away the advantage of having a larger delegation. Each delegation is given a number of votes based upon the number of students present at EC. “There were tier systems,” Max Myers, alumni of the Somerset Delegation explains, “for the amount of votes you could delegate as a club, and the DL was more or less in charge of these votes.” In this tier system, larger delegations had fewer votes per person but still more votes as a whole. The DL was in charge of allocating votes to the candidates and would often time make deals with other delegations to gain support for their candidates. This tactic was especially useful to smaller delegations, as they typically do not have candidates running for each position. They could make a deal asking for support for one candidate in return for support towards another.  This allowed each delegation to have more votes on their side and could combat the power of the larger delegations.  

By reviving the electoral college system, candidates from smaller delegations have a greater chance of being elected. Forming coalitions with other delegations give these delegations altogether a larger say in the election. The system itself also adds an interesting aspect to the program. Each election brings a new problem to solve and a window for creative solutions between delegations. When delegations work together to get their candidates elected, they can form bonds that surpass the boundaries between different schools. The current popular vote system has the right intentions. YAG is about giving power to individuals, and that is exactly what popular vote system is meant to do. However, its intentions have not succeeded because the larger delegations still dominate EC. Delegates will still vote for candidates from their delegation because they are familiar. It is impossible to break this habit, so the current voting system cannot fix our problem. By reinstating the electoral college, it is possible for smaller delegations to have a larger role in the program.  

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The Glow Up Act

Fahad Jahangir, a Senior from the East Shore YMCA delegation, proposed his bill on lowering the state minimum wage to $0.01. Jahangir explained that even though this may seem like the opposite of what is currently needed, the effects of higher minimum wages are not beneficial. When the minimum wage is lowered, it allows private businesses to pay employees fairly.  Having a higher minimum wage causes young and lower-class people who are searching for jobs to be unable to progress in their career. “Minimum wage actually causes poverty,” Jahangir stated. He said that the best way to combat this issue is by lowering the minimum wage. Even if changing the wage to one cent seems radical, he believes it is the best way to help the Commonwealth tackle many financial and economic issues.  One thing that Jahangir brought up is that a lot of people do not understand the economic side of his bill. He hopes to do his best to explain it when it is questioned. Jahangir said that a bill like his is one that can keep him on his toes. He continued by saying that one must always consider the research and debate involved with a bill like his. A bill like Jahangir’s may seem like one without reasoning, but upon further investigation, it can be seen as one with the intent to spark debate among delegates, which ultimately enhances the purpose of Youth and Government.