Women should be able to have a career and children, they should not have to choose between the two! To reach true equality in this country, there needs to be laws against discrimination against women who get pregnant or already have children and are seeking a new job. There is also a need for more flexible work hours for families, to piece their daily lives together without having to prioritize work on behalf of their children’s needs.

Parents need to rise up and demand change! If we are to rear healthy children and families, there needs to be a sufficient amount of time for parents and children to get to know each other – to know that they are not abandoned and to grow up in a safe, loving environment. Every child has a right to their parent!

Maria Bengtsson

It could be said that people who are afraid to die are that way because they haven’t lived life right. Our culture of fear is a condition – a condition where we gladly waive our rights for flags and deities that claim to offer protection; meanwhile, Oval offices and churches get to run shit. Quit being so terrified and realize it’s pretty nice to be alive, because Jesus’ last name is Christ, not Corleone.

Oscar Pascual

Race in America is not talked about enough, and if it is, comedians like Dave Chappelle have to bring it up. To change the way race is perceived by eradicating long held stereotypes and phobias about every ethnic background would significantly change America. The only way to address the topic is to have an open discussion about the stigmas and why we continue to believe them – that might help people realize that the idea of race isn’t real, we just think it is. We have the power to change it.

April Jones

The next time some self-absorbed asshole tries to exit a busy freeway only to re-enter the next onramp, cutting off hundreds of drivers patiently waiting in line, there will be war. Who the hell do these people think they are? They blatantly whiz by, usually chatting on a cell phone, re-applying lipstick or munching on a burrito, seemingly oblivious to the fact that their evil behavior is slowing you – patient you – way down.

Believe it or not, I am not an outwardly aggressive person, but I have gotten involved in some serious road rage after I refuse to let these pricks in. So I propose cops at every such place, tire shredders, armed guards – whatever means necessary to stop this.

Shannon Sharp

The world would be a better place if people shifted their energy from trying to be better than everyone else, to trying to work to make life better for future generations. If society came together to work as a whole, we would all be working for a common goal, but our goals would continue to live on after our generations have gone. When a person works solely for the advancement of themselves, their work is lost when they die. But if a person works to make the lives of their children better and teach their children to do the same, their work will continue to flourish.

Jennifer Kregear

Education is something everyone should have, but not everyone is getting. Providing skills for our youth to succeed in life should be a priority in this country, but unfortunately our tax dollars aren’t being spent on education – they’re being spent on warfare. It’s time that taxpayers take the initiative to give to their students, because our government sure isn’t. Take a child’s education into your own hands and give them book, or take them to a museum. If everyone did, then maybe our future would stand a chance.

Kimberly Castillo

The United States’ minimum wage needs to be changed – it’s lower than the cost of living. The U.S. government should consider increasing the minimum wage at least once a year. When politicians get a raise, voters should be looking for a few extra dollars too.

Who can survive on $8 an hour? That means someone making $8.50 an hour would have to work a full eight-hour day to fill the gas tank of an SUV. It’s not fair that people living in places cheaper than the Bay Area make around the same amount. The only thing minimum wage is doing is preventing large companies from getting rich quicker. The solution is to stop buying from companies that can afford to pay their employees with more, but don’t. If people who work in those stores stopped shopping there, the companies would feel their pockets get significantly lighter.

Tierra Luster

One thing that needs to be changed in America is the treatment, given by the government, to mentally disabled citizens. Many of the homeless people in America are on the streets because of mental disabilities, causing them to not be able to work. Because of the lack of funding in many states, including California, there are no more mental hospitals, and there is no forced care for mental patients. In California, to be in a home is strictly voluntary, and they leave that decision up to the same people deemed incompetent by the courts. The American people need to demand support for the mentally disabled, to keep them safe, as well as the people around them.

Jessica Feller

The first woman was named President of Harvard University, a feat that was long in the making. Yet women are still earning less, and are in positions of lesser power than men. Change will happen slowly, but together we can make it happen more quickly. Perseverance and strife become that much more difficult in the face of adversity, but make the result that much more rewarding. To make change, we must believe in the ability to speed up the process, one hard-working woman at a time.

Addy Ross

One thing that needs to be addressed and changed in this country is healthcare and healthcare services, especially in regards to women’s health. As of right now, the president appointed a conservative, pro-life, anti-abortion and anti-birth control male to be the leader of the nation’s family planning program. How can the nation progress forward, when there are leaders who want to take us backwards? Reproductive rights are sacred and should not be left in the hands of a man who will never have to experience or need the services for which he is in control of.

Katie Neimand

There was a time when the very mention of white-collar crime could elicit a flurry of furrowed brows and confused stares. Suffice to say, with the recent exposure of Enron and WorldCom – to name only a few high-profile cases – the definition of corporate crime is no longer a mystery to most people in America. With all the problems in the world today, its continued existence is something we just don’t need. But, you may ask, how do we get rid of it? Well, let’s take a cue from the soon-to-be-global-economic-power China, and turn crimes like those into offenses punishable by death. Last year, a man in Guangzhao was sentenced to death by hanging for embezzling the equivalent of $1 million from his company. Being strung up by a noose would definitely deter a lot of greedy CEOs from stealing their employees’ pensions.

Edward Tan

This country needs to stop killing. And I’m not only speaking about the ongoing war, I am speaking about what’s going on right here, right now as convicted murderers are being put to death while society, moreover the children, are watching. As one kills another, the government seems to think it possesses the right to continue the never-ending cycle of violence. And what is the result of this? Less violence? I don’t think so. Capital punishment is a barbaric act and only causes harm in the long run. So when did we stop evolving?

Erika Downs