Minimum-wage vs. The Economy
As a high school student, I can already see that minimum wage fails to support basic living expenses. I can already feel how it’s shaping the future I am expected to live in. A single adult without children needs at least $17 an hour, roughly $35,000 annually for full-time work, to achieve an adequate standard of living. But as an 18-year-old in Oregon earning $15 an hour at a minimum-wage job, I have experienced firsthand how impossible it is to balance earning and spending, even when considering only necessities such as transportation, bills, insurance, healthcare, food and housing. How are young adults supposed to build a future when they are already starting out in a financial hole? For example, a friend of mine recently had to leave her home at 18. She now works two minimum wage jobs and still cannot support herself. Many of my peers feel similarly discouraged and struggle to see hope for their futures. There’s a common argument that most low-wage workers are just teenagers trying to earn a little spending money, but that’s not true. Bringing minimum-wage up would benefit 53% of workers between the ages of 25 and 54. These are adults trying to survive, not just teens looking for pocket money. If we expect young people to build independent, stable lives, then we must ensure a fair economy that makes that possible. Unless minimum wage or the economy changes, millions of workers will live paycheck to paycheck for the rest of their lives.
Chloe McBee
Eugene
AI is impacting people
All around the world, a major epidemic is spreading: AI. Hundreds of millions of people use AI daily, and it’s starting to impair people’s ability to learn, take jobs from those who need them, and steal people’s property. Alongside AI itself being a detriment, the data centers running the AI are increasing prices, such as water and electric bills.
Something I feel like people don’t talk about enough is how AI is stealing people’s art, voice and appearance. Since there are no laws against AI training itself using copyrighted material, it’s allowed to steal art without any repercussions. Users are also able to easily use people’s faces and voices to make someone do or say whatever you want, which is very dangerous.
But I think the worst part about AI is that it is making us lazier. Before the AI we know today was created we’ve been able to everything with little to no trouble but now since AI is so accessible we have so many people using AI when its unnecessary and im worried that in the future if people keep using AI to do everything for them, jobs like doctors or other fields requiring you to be very knowledgeable will be filled with people who have no idea what there doing since they used AI instead of actually learning. I think the way to fix this problem is the next time you use AI, think, “Do I really need AI to help me?”
Oliver McCluskey, Student at North Eugene High School
Eugene
Its Food or Gas
As a high school student, I don’t have a lot of money but I do have the need to fill my truck with gas. The reason that I’m talking about this is because it affects me and the people around me. If my dad or I can’t get gas or diesel, we aren’t able to go to work or school, and if we can’t go to work we have no food on the table. Like my dad is a general contractor so our trucks are lifelines. As we all know gas and diesel prices have gone up from 3$ to 5$ for gas and 6$ for diesel. In my point of view, it’s a mix of reasons, taxes and the war in Iran. Here in Oregon, we have the 12th highest in the country, so if we lower the tax on gas and the war in Iran stops, we might be able to afford gas and diesel at the pumps again. My family should not have to decide on food or gas and diesel.
Kevin Archambeau, Student at North Eugene High School
Eugene
Homelessness in Eugene
I am a senior at North Eugene High School, writing to inform you of the urgent issue of homelessness in our community. Every day, students have to walk past homeless people sleeping on the street on River Road. This matters to me because it’s hard to focus during school when I know that outside there are people suffering emotionally, physically and financially.
Many people believe that homelessness is something that is caused by the bad choices that people make in their lives, but studies have shown that homelessness is caused mainly by high rent, job loss and mental health issues. These struggles have resulted in Eugene having over 3,000 homeless individuals, and the problem of shelter beds closing due to budget issues, which have been reported by our local news. I believe the city of Eugene should contribute to the need. The city could help by building better affordable housing and by providing better support services. When I mean service support, I’m talking about services that have programs to help with getting a job and treatment, since homeless people are in rough shape medically.
Overall, this is a problem that should be taken into action, and I hope that from me writing this, it compels you to take action, as I’m the youth and future of our community. If we don’t take action now, the problem will increase in the future. We can work together to build Eugene into a safer and reliable city.
Matt Bauer-Lopez
Eugene
The Oregon Phone Ban
Since September, Gov. Tina Kotek has enforced a phone ban in Oregon not allowing students to be on their phones during school. Since January, however, that ban has been increased to the entirety of school, 8 am-4 pm.
I am a part of the 22.5 percent of high schoolers who have jobs; I’m constantly adding new school activities or plans on my family calendar to ensure there is no conflict with my or my family’s work schedule. Every day, students need to make a change to our schedules, and we should not have our phones taken while dealing with our personal lives.
It’s overwhelmingly controlling to refuse students the right to use their phones during breaks. There is no educational benefit to restricting me from my phone while I eat lunch. There is, however, logic in not allowing students to be on their phones in class, but that is where the line should be drawn. The government is overstepping a boundary outside of classrooms to control students. We should not be walking on eggshells to check on our personal lives during breaks throughout the eight hours we are kept in school.
The Oregon government needs to reconsider the phone ban. It’s understandable not to allow elementary or middle schoolers to be on their phones throughout the day; however, students in high school should not be held to the same standard, it’s not age-appropriate. The ban should be limited to only inside classrooms; students’ phone access should not be controlled during their breaks.
`Natalie Gerhart, student at North Eugene High School
Eugene
Homelessness Is an Issue
I am writing about my concerns with homelessness and how we can fix this issue to where every homeless person would be able to have a place to stay whether it being permanent or temporary to where they can have a new start in life again. I think a way we can help these people out is where we can start a program like the one in Seattle where we make a tiny home in every house that wants to help participate in this life changing program for our community, our city. We can make tiny homes for homeless people as a temporary shelter for them, for ones that want to make a difference in their lives, ones that want to have a new start in life once again and to not mess up anymore.
And for those who are in deep need of housing, we can start to make new shelters for homeless people, so that way they won’t have to cause trouble/ leave any mess out in the streets, so that way we can keep our streets clean rather than having to pick up tons of trash or having to tell them to go somewhere else. Building tiny homes and shelter places for homeless people will help out everyone, including us as well, because we will make a difference for those in need and we will make a difference for our city and community as well.