The Patriot

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THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE NORTHEAST STATE VOLUME I ISSUE I ECR/NER FALL ONE-DAY

INSIDE

ECR, NER - Your Elected Officials Speak ECR and NER Mayors Review the Progress of their Regions

When Vice Mayor Frank Kachmar and I ran in elections to represent JSA’s Empire Constitution Region (ECR), we promised a year or progress. We pledged to a year of unparalleled dedication, tireless

work, and real results. With your help, this forward movement is underway. Beginning our term last June, we right away helped coordinate, for the first time in 5 years, DebateWars, a collaborative conference with the New Jersey Region. Members of the ECR packed Secaucus High School in New Jersey for the event, both ending

the school year and kicking off the new JSA term on a high note. Since appointing a five-person cabinet this summer, we have primarily focused our efforts on today’s event, ECR Fall Regional, which is a tremendous feat in itself. With expected record attendance numbers – fueled by an array of engaging debates, exciting activities and an ideal venue at Barnard College – this regional conference promises to be the best yet. Among the innovative features of the conference are new debate formats, a newsletter from The Patriot, and a mock New York City mayoral debate. Last year’s mock presidential debate at Fall Regional featured elected officials and cabinet members defending President Obama and Governor Romney’s respective stances; however, this year, after main speeches from our governor and lieutenant governor in our mock mayoral debate, each JSAer will have the chance to speak subsequently and participate. The ECR’s activity, however, won’t stop here, as we’re bringing back MegaCons for the first time in years. On November 3rd, the Brooklyn Tech, Horace Mann, HSMSE, and Townshend Harris chapters will all partner with Stuyvesant’s chapter to host a New York City election-themed MegaCon. Then on November 16th, the Ossining, Rye, and Scarsdale chapters will join forces to host a media-themed Westchester MegaCon at Scarsdale High School. With a new, more selective process for hosting chapter conferences in place, these MegaCons are not events to miss. Furthermore, the ECR is working not only to enhance the experienc-es of current JSAers, but also to grow the region and extend JSA to other students throughout New York and Connecticut. Since the year’s start, the Northeast State’s expansion team has initiated twenty-one new chapters, twenty of whom will be at Fall Regional, far exceeding modest expectations and thereby ensuring a consistent flow of new faces at this year’s events. That’s why we’ve introduced an “About JSA” information session during Block One for those looking to learn more about the organization. In just the past two months, we’ve come a long way in making the ECR an even more robust region. However, there is still significant progress to be made, which starts with your contributions. So I implore you to take an active role in strengthening our region together by offering your ideas– that’s how the ECR will reach its full potential and thrive in the coming year. That’s how each and every one of using can fulfill our mutual goal to “Be the People.”

Aaron Miller ‘14Solomon Schecter H.S.

Thus far in the NER, we have thoroughly prepared for our upcoming NER One-Day on October 19th. Our cabinet has successfully drafted, edited, and finalized the agenda. This means

we have added our debates (most of which are filled), we’ve secured a speaker, and we’ve made all of our plans for how the One-Day will be structured. In addition, we’ve scouted the rooms at our location (Boston University) and ensured that despite not having a large conference room, we will be able to fit everyone during the blocks and opening/

closing sessions. We’ve also had our publicity and chapter affairs directors contact chapter presidents, advertise JSA and our One-Day, and complete other communications tasks. Chapters are generally expanding, and we’ve only had things go awry for one chapter. This chapter, the Met School in Providence Rhode Island, temporarily disbanded due to the loss of a chapter advisor. However, they intend to get started up again soon, and we’ve been guiding them through the process thus far. Finally, we have established our activism cause as aiding organizations that raise awareness and combat human trafficking. Overall, the year has started off well for the NER, and it is all thanks to the hard work of our wonderful cabinet. Alyssa Wang, our director of publicity, has put up posters advertising JSA at various libraries in Massachusetts, and she’s been

advertised our events on Facebook. Anna Ringheiser, our director of chapter affairs has been contacting chapter presidents to keep them informed directly. Everything is going well on the chapter level as well. Chapters are in general expanding, and we’ve only had bad news from one chapter. This chapter, the Met school in Providence Rhode Island, temporarily disbanded due to the loss of a chapter advisor. However, they intend to get started up again soon, and we’ve been guiding them through the process thus far. Finally, we have established our activism cause as aiding organizations which raise awareness and combat human trafficking. Overall, the year has started off well for the NER, and it is all thanks to the hard work of our wonderful cabinet. Relative to previous years, our progress looks even more impressive. In the three years I’ve worked in the NER, the cabinet has never worked this productively. All of our members got adjusted to their roles almost immediately, and we were able to fully structure Fall One-Day at cabinet retreat. In addition, the roles we’ve added this year for publicity and chapter affairs are proving themselves worth having. We’ve been able to stay in touch with chapters, and publicize events in ways we never have. Last year, Dea and I had the idea to add a regional facilitator of growth position to ensure expansion, publicity, and contact with chapters throughout the year. When we made the decision to eliminate this position in favor of the Director of Chapter Affairs, and Director of Publicity positions. This decision, largely due to the hard work of Anna Ringheiser and Alyssa Wang, has really worked out well for us. They’ve taken their roles very seriously, and the results are showing. The other position we added this year, Conference Coordinator, has proved quite effective. Abigail Mumme-Monheit, our Conference Coordinator, has done a fantastic job of editing and managing the agenda, and other conference related issues. She has proven herself to be as effective as an elected official, and has clearly defined and expanded the role she was given. These small adjustments we made to NER cabinet have had fantastic results, and we hope that next years NER elected officials can learn from our success.

Adam Oriola ‘14Concord-Carlisle H.S.

The Race for NYC Mayor

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Understanding The National Debt Crisis Upcoming ECR/NER Events Numbers Do Not Define Me

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Elvin Migirov ‘15S.I. Technical H.S.

Bill de Blasio is currently the New York City Public Advocate. He resides in Brooklyn with his wife Chirlane, and two children

Dante and Chiara. Currently, he is facing a unique challenge, which few New Yorkers will ever experience. He is running for the position of mayor of New York. Representing the Democratic Party, de Blasio has a wide lead over his opponent, but all could drastically change. This Mayoral race is a matter of which candidate which candidate is the most qualified and well suited for serving as the mayor of America’s largest city.

People often claim that the most important qualities of a candidate are their qualifications, and experience. New Yorkers need a mayor who understands the government and has experience working in it. Bill de Blasio’s career in the government began when he was appointed to serve as the Regional director for the U.S. department of Housing and Urban Development for New York and New Jersey in 1997. As the tri-state region’s highest-ranking HUD official, de Blasio increased federal funding for affordable and senior-citizen housing. De Blasio was appointed to the role of campaign manager for Hillary Clinton’s United States Senate bid in 2000. Bill de Blasio represented some of the most historic, diverse, and culturally rich neighborhoods in the city, when he served as a member of the New York City Council, from 2002 until 2009. The committee assignments included: education, environmental protection, finance, Chair of general welfare, and technology in government. His roles in these committees indicate that de Blasio does infact understand the issues plaguing the city, along with their potential solutions. His current role as New York City’s public advocate further qualifies him to assume the role as the mayor of New York. His expertise in grassroots politics and city government undoubtedly justifies his reasoning and platforms in his bid for New York City mayor. Finally, Bill

de Blasio’s experience in the city’s government demonstrates and proves that he knows how the government runs, what the people need, and what he must do as New York City’s next mayor. Besides Bill de Blasio’s decade spent serving the people of New York City, he also managed to aid the people of another nation. After completing his graduate studies at Columbia University in 1987, de Blasio was hired to work as a political organizer by the Quixnote Center in Maryland. He travelled to Nicaragua for 10 days to help distribute food and medicine during the Nicaraguan Revolution. De Blasio was an avid supporter of the Sandinista government (socially

democratic), which was opposed by the Reagan administration. His ten days in the country rapidly changed his life. He was now determined to make a difference in Nicaragua and Central America. He worked for a nonprofit organization which focused on improving health care in Central America. He continued to support and aid other nonprofit organizations which aimed to improve the quality of life, and the Sandinista party in Nicaragua. Bill de Blasio’s experience, and contributions in Nicaragua, and Central America show his accomplished philanthropic qualities. Bill is not only willing to serve the needs of the everyday New Yorker, but also attempts to aid everyone who deserves but lacks the right to a safer, healthier, and happier life. Besides experience, philanthropy, and

out of city activity, one of the most important aspects of a successful campaign is the platforms which the candidate backs and promises. Bill de Blasio’s platforms and personal views are the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle that is New York City. His platforms accommodate the needs of the majority of New City dwellers. For instance, as mayor of New York, he plans to improve an issue almost all New Yorkers seem to constantly complain about: transportation. As mayor of New York, he will improve the way we commute to school, work, entertainment venues, and all other city locations. In addition to this, de Blasio promises to improve road safety, make tolls affordable, expand express and local bus service, effectively connect all areas of the city, along with many other improvements that many New Yorkers desperately need. Another issue which affects practically all new Yorkers is safety. De Blasio plans to reform the controversial stop and frisk program, increase the amount of police officers on the streets, and remove illegal and unregistered guns from the city streets. Bill de Blasio also has plans to improve the city’s housing, health care, infrastructure, social justice, neighborhood growth, job growth, and education. Bill de Blasio, although criticized for his far left views and liberal ideologies, still has the experience, ideas, and desire to make our city a city for all New Yorkers. He grew up in and around the city… his whole life essentially was helping and serving everybody, especially the people of New York. Although his opponent is nearly as experienced, and respected as de Blasio is, Bill de Blasio is the candidate with more fitting platforms, and ideas. Please take the chance to research his platforms, and his past experience, and vote for the candidate you think should assume the position of mayor of such a historic, rich, and world renown city.

Bill De Blasio is New York

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The Patriot ECR/NER FALL One-DayThe Race for NYC MAYOR

Joe Lhota is a man with the integrity, the experience, the passion for our city that we need in our next mayor. Whether it be serving as our city’s budget director, Deputy Mayor for Operartions or Chairman of the MTA, Joe has demonstrated time and time again how committed he is to the suc-cess of the City of New York. Joe has always been the guy working behind the scenes for New Yorkers, whether it be when he was Deputy Mayor to get the city up and running again after the tragedy of September 11th, or when he worked as budget director to give the city a balanced budget, or as Chairman of the MTA when he got the subway up and running just 72 hours after Sandy, the worst natural disaster to hit New York since the blizzard of 1888. The Public Advocate on the other hand has no experience whatsoever in the running of the city. He has served as the ombudsman for 4 years now, screaming from his hypothetical soapbox but failing to have any sort of quantifiable success. We need a mayor with experience, a mayor who will not need on the job training, Joe Lhota is that mayor, Bill de Blasio is not. Joe also has a clear vision to take our city forward. Cutting taxes so our city’s small businesses can afford to grow and hire more employees, continuing the programs that have been so success in making New York the safest big city in the United States, keeping teachers accountable for their students successes and failures. Joe Lhota is the man with a vision. Joe will not gut the programs that have benefited this city so much under Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg like Stop, Question, and Frisk or funding for charter schools, as the Public Advocate has promised to do. Joe will also not demonize success and divide our city into two separate camps as Mr. de Blasio has. Joe, through the platform he intends to implement, will unify our city and take it to new heights. It is easy to use a populist message to try and win a campaign. Raise taxes on the rich! Throw money at popular programs! These messages are easy to sell and that is the route the Public Advocate has decided to take. What is difficult, is to take the pulpit that being a candidate offers you and tell voters what they would not like to hear, but what is true. Joe has tried to run the latter time of campaign. He is honest, he is a straight shooter, he will tell you how he sees it regardless of what the potential backlash might be. These are fundamentally New York traits. That is why “Joe Lhota is New York” is not just a campaign slogan, but the honest truth.

Joe Lhota: A mayor for the People Austin Ostro ‘14Stuyvesant H.S.

The Race for

NYC Mayor

“we are bigger, we are stronger, we are bet-

ter as a city… We make sure that everyone has

a shot.”

Understading the National Debt Crisis Kelly Kim ‘15

Miss Porter’s School

The Patriot ECR/NER FALL One-Daynews

The American debt ceiling is becoming a major matter as October 17th, the date in which

Congress must decide how much to raise the ceiling, nears. The debt ceiling is not as complicated a concept to understand as many believe. The US debt ceiling increases every time the US government runs a deficit. Thus, the debt ceiling is simply the amount of money the government has used above its budget. Under Article I of Section 8 of the Constitution, Congress has the power to “borrow money on the credit of the United States.” No other branches may exercise this power. Congress continued to set a limit on the amount of money the United States could borrow by selling Treasury bonds, a fixed interest financial asset issued by the US Treasury. This limit has, unfortunately, been raised recurrently throughout the years because the US government routinely spends more money than it brings in. The most recent raise was in August 2011, when Congress decided to increase the limit to $16.7 trillion. The Republicans had initially opposed the increase of debt ceiling, but ultimately gave in. Most of the worst damage in the financial market in 2011 supposedly rooted from Congress’ agreement on the debt ceiling raise, since the problems occurred after the passing of the new limit. The broad stock market dropped more than 10 percent, and the United States’ credit rating was decreased from AAA to AA-plus by Standard & Poor. If two of the three main agencies rate the United States below AAA, many investors must withdraw their bonds with the US. Since 2011, the Treasury Department has attempted to stay below the ceiling by using “extraordinary measures”: borrowing money from internal accounts. Nevertheless of how extremely the Treasury Department uses the “extraordinary measures,” the government is getting closer and closer to its limit. On October 17th, the Treasury Department will exhaust the “extraordinary measures”. Thus, Congress will have until October 17th to raise the ceiling which will determine how much the federal government can use. Without the ability to borrow, the Treasury is able to pay some bills out of tax revenue and $30 billion of cash reserves. However, the government would not be able to pay all the bills due that day. In a recent letter from the Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew to House Speaker John A. Boehner, it was written that the government’s daily expenditures could be “as high as $60 billion”. So what if Congress fails to raise the nation’s debt ceiling? Many issues may spark. In addition to the disruptions in financial markets and the loss of confidence in the US Treasuries, very deep cuts in government spending may occur. Furthermore, according to a survey conducted by CNNMoney, about half the 22 economists surveyed say a recession will be unavoidable. The potential of setting a global financial crisis is troubling. As for the government shutdown that happened on October 1st, Paul Edelstein, the Director of United States financial economics at IHS says, “it might buy us a day or two on the debt ceiling”; however, the brief shutdown would be unlikely to materially affect October 17th.

In the year 2012 alone, more than 1.55 million Americans were arrested on non-violent drug charges. However despite these mass incarcerations, the availability and usage of drugs has only increased. A recent data survey released by the Vancouver-based International Center for Science in Drug Policy added to the ever increasing pile of evidence that the War on Drugs is an enormous failure, and finding that drug issues should be

treated as a public health issue rather than a criminal justice issue.As a result of the increasing evidence pointing to the ineffectiveness of the War on Drugs, states such as Colorado and Washington have taken steps to lessen the penalties for drug users by legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational use. This created a problem for US Attorney General Eric Holder, because federal law explicitly outlaws the possession of any quantity of marijuana, regardless of the intended purpose of the possessor, and regardless of whether it is legal in the given state. However, Mr. Holder took a major step this month when he agreed to not federally prosecute individuals in states where it is legal. Some believe that this decision could mark a turning point in the War on Drugs. During the Prohibition movement, after realizing that federal policy was not working, some states took the initiative and essentially legalized alcohol by eliminating funding for enforcement, or by creating loopholes, such as “medicinal alcohol.” The parallel between the state lead fight for alcohol reacceptance and the state lead fight for marijuana acceptance lends strength to the argument that Mr. Holder`s respect for the state`s position will be a major turning point in the movement to make marijuana acceptance mainstream. Justice Louis Brandeis also set an important precedent for Holder`s decision to not prosecute states like Washington and Colorado. In the Supreme Court case New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann, Brandeis famously ruled that a “state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.” Holder`s decision could have profound implications for the rest

of the country, particularly if the marijuana “experiment” in Washington and Colorado proves successful. Mr. Holder also made another landmark decision when said this August that the Justice Department would no longer pursue mandatory minimum sentences for “certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders,” who do not have ties to gangs or cartels. This announcement has been preceded by bipartisan efforts to allow judges to depart from mandatory minimum sentences, efforts undertaken by senators such as Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Mike Lee (R-UT). As incarceration rates for non-violent drug offenses continue to soar, it is too early to know if Holder’s decisions represent a turning point in the War on Drugs. However, Holder`s decision does represent the first federal attempt at deregulation and the softening of what many believe to punitive sentences since Richard Nixon began the War on Drugs in 1971. Regardless, it seems that Holder’s decision is a culmination of this country’s gradual shift in views about marijuana and the effectiveness of the War on Drugs in recent years.

Eric Holder Makes Two Landmark Decisions On the War on Drugs

Benjamin Lanier ‘15Stuyvesant H.S.

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Congress on the precipice of disaster

Mr. Holder sets a new precedent for future legislation on drugs

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Jenny Gao ‘14HSMSE @ CCNY

The Patriot ECR/NER FALL One-Day NEWS and events

Long Term Effects of the Stagnation of Health Legislation

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, was aimed so that even those who live in poverty can have health care. For middle-class families and lower income families, the health care law provides subsidies to allow them to pay for health insurance. Ideally, the health care law was intended to provide care for over 30 million Americans and fix many issues. Previously, insurance companies could deny an individual any

coverage if he get sick; this creates a hectic situation because the individual would have to come up with a large sum of money in a short amount of time to pay the hospital fees. With Obamacare, individuals would never be denied any coverage by 2014. In addition, because of a coverage gap in Medicaid’s prescription plan, many elders had to pay for their medication out of their own pockets or not receive the medicine at all. However, nothing ever goes as planned and just last year, the Supreme Court ruled that healthcare is a state privilege; states may decline the offer to adopt the health law. As a result, many lost their health insurance because they live in southern, Republican states. Many of these people are African-American or single mothers; they are the cashier at the local deli, the waitress at your favorite restaurant, or the salesperson at the mall. In an interview with New York Times, Claretha Briscoe, a resident of Mississippi, reveals the scarcity of help she receives. She makes a mere $11,000 a year, an amount that is too little for subsidies but too much for Medicaid. In 2002, she had a heart attack and was placed on blood pressure pill. However, due to lack of insurance and financial issues, she often skips her medicine and only takes them when she has enough money. Other than the money factor, there are also other eligibilities for healthcare that render many unqualified. Take Willie Charles Carter for instance, a 53 year old who manages to scrape by with $3,000 a year. You would think that a man in his situation who qualify but because Carter has no dependent children, he is unqualified. Briscoe and Carter are not the only one who’s hurting here; there are millions who are in their situation and there is nothing they can do but to wait for a response from the government. On the other end of the spectrum, the Republicans argue that Obamacare would just lead to too much money being spent on Medicaid; business owners would have to invest more into health care and as a result, they would hire part time workers instead of full time workers. Moreover, some Republicans claim that Obamacare would simply destroy America; because there hasn’t been any elaboration on this argument, the Democratic people believe that Republicans simply hate everything the Democrats do. In the end, the entire health law issue becomes static with neither side willing to budge. Those left behind by the health law begin to question “why am I not covered when I work just as hard as the next

Upcoming ECR/NER Events

NYC Megacon Date: November 3, 2013

Location: Stuyvesant High School

Fall StateDate: December 7-8, 2013 Location: Sheraton Boston

Winter CongressDate: February 7-9, 2014

Location: Doubletree Crystal City

Spring StateDate: April 5-6, 2014

Location: Stamford Mariott Hotel

Westchester Megacon Date: November 16, 2013

Location: Scarsdale High School

NER Fall One-Day Date: October 19, 2013

Location: Boston U. School of Law

NER Activism DayDate: T.B.D.

Location: T.B.D.

U.S. Senate gridlocked on Health Legislation, leaving more Citizens uninsured

The Northeast Guide to Fundraising

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Drew Solender ‘14

The Patriot ECR/NER FALL One-DayA CLOSER LOOK

About Stay Classy: Stayclassy.org is a website that the National JSA leaders chose to use for JSA state, chapter and summer school fundraising. This is due to both its complexity and its easy-to-use fundraising resources.About Financial Aid: We use the money we fundraise to help pay for half of the convention costs for students who cannot afford to go on their own resources. We also give this aid to chapters that cannot get the needed fundraising to attend conventions.

1. Set up your online fundraising resources:a. If you haven't already, set up your fundraising page by going to http://www.stayclassy.org

b. Create an account (using facebook is often a good way to make your account)c. Search for JSA on the search bar

d. Go to "JSA Chapter Fundraising" and press the big green button that says, "Become a Fundraiser"e. Finally, join the Northeast Fundraising team when you've set up your page.

f. You should also write your own letter on your page as well as a thank-you email to personalize it.

2. Create your contact list:- Start by going through the family friends, businesses/business owners, and other people that you think would be willing to donate to either help your

fundraising succeed or to simply do a charitable service. You should also mention that there is a charitable tax deduction for those who donate.- After you have gotten together your personal contacts, go to your parents as well. There is a good chance they have a lot more people who would do-nate if you asked them to. You can also look to the members of your chapter to get donors to your page. Ask then about the company or organizations

they are involved with and see if you can pitch it to them. Remember that donating can qualify one for a charitable tax deduction.- If you feel like you should still get more contacts, you can even go so far as to post ads or articles in newspapers or online or find other ways to spread

the word.

3. Reach out to your contacts:- The most important things to know for being a fundraiser are: why we are fundraising, the fundraising competition, financial aid, and the process of

going to stayclassy and donating. For more in depth information, contact Dsolender@northeastjsa.org or Aostro@northeastjsa.org- Your first plan should be to talk to as many of your contacts as possible by phone or if applicable, in person. Get a personal pitch ready for spoken discussion that explains what JSA is, what our financial aid is for, why they should donate and how to donate. If you don’t know this, feel free to ask

me or another officer.- If you can’t talk to them by phone for whatever reason, the next option would be to communicate through Email, Facebook Messaging, or text. For this you should prepare a written pitch similar to the spoken one. You can use a duplicate of something like your StayClassy profile description. We

suggest, however, that you do not use another persons work or at the very least that you make sure to personalize these requests.

4. After the donation:- Be sure to show your thanks to all your donors by making a personalized thank-you email and by commenting on the donation status

- Ask the donor to tell people about your fundraising or share it on their facebook page. That way you can continue to get more people to come to your page and donate.

- See if your donors have jobs, corporate connections or other business involvement that may be able to give the chance to pitch your idea to a much larger scale donor such as a foundation or fund for businesses and organizations. Be sure to mention that there is a charitable tax deduction and that

helping less fortunate students be involved in political discourse and democratic practice is a good cause and good for publicity

The opportunities:- The person who raises the most money during the month of September will be given the opportunity to speak at Fall State. For someone like a Cabinet member, It might be a good way to really get the word out about the job that their department is doing and how members of JSA can help. However that will be discussed in depth later into the fundraising process.- This is a great chance to get good publicity, be more involved, and be recognized for achievement in JSA by your peers. The state leaders and cabinet members will also have good sentiments towards successful fundraisers as well.

Scarsdale H.S.

On June 8th, 2013, the Empire Constitution Region of the Northeast State and the New Jersey Region of the Mid-Atlantic State co-hosted the first Debate Wars competition held in 5 years. At this event, Junior Statesmen from across New York, Connecticut and New Jersey came together to discuss current events in the spirit of competition. Each region earned points when their members performed a variety of actions.

These actions ranged from winning best speakers and asking questions, to donating money and moderating debates. The NJR was the overall winner of the event, but the ECR was thrilled to have a chance to debate on new territory, against fresh meat. Over the course of the day, schools steadily poured in after a variety of logistical mishaps. Trains were missed and many chapters arrived late to the event after traveling from the ECR but everyone was excited to be there. Debate Wars enabled members of the NES to build connections and friendships with their colleagues from the MAS. This is an opportunity that the NES hopes to continue and expand upon in the coming year. The highlight of the day was watching the banter between the mayors of each region. Alex Kauzinger, Mayor of the NJR debated Aaron Miller, ECR mayor over which region was superior. The debate was filled with good spirited banter and was a great way to cap off the event. Regarding the event, Alex Kauzinger had to say that, “Debate wars was an opportunity for two regions to come closer together and to develop bonds of friendship that will last. It was an opportunity for two of the greatest regions in the nation to pit their debating strength against one another in order to see which of them was the stronger.” The debate quality was very high and the best speakers from both regions really stepped up. Drew Solender said that “it was great meeting people from the MAS and seeing their perspective of JSA and politics. However when I moderated a debate about US economics the speakers were interested, knowledgable and eloquent. It was the most skillful display of debating I have seen. The problem was that there were 4 people in the audience.” However, the NJR was able to outshine the ECR in terms of points scored, but they also had about three times as many members at the event as the ECR did. However, rhe ECR scored more points per person. Overall, both the members of the ECR and NJR who attended the event came out with a pleasant experience and hoped for increased contact between the two regions in the future. Increased contact over the course of the next year is a very real possibility as Ben Reytblat, Governor of the NES said, “Debate Wars was an incredible experience to not only discuss the issues that concern us today, but to mingle with and learn from our counterparts in the Mid-Altantic. The event truly provided a prospective on JSA’s national impact.” Hopefully this event will become a yearly tradition and the two regions will continue working with each other in the near future to foster friendships and show JSAers just how large the organization is by interacting with other regions. The next Debate War will be held in January. The debates featured at the event ranged across a wide spectrum of topics. Women’s rights, economics and various philosophy debates occurred during each block. Nearly all of the debates were populated with at least 5 or more JSAers, and the halls were bare except for the odd JSAer or two shuffling over to the bake sale and then eagerly returning to the debate they were in. Debate Wars also gave students a chance to speak to their newly elected officials for the last time before applying to cabinet. JSAers from both regions had the opportunity to hear how to properly write a cabinet application and have any of their concerns cleared up by the elected officials.

Debate Wars 2013: A Reflection Michael Abel ‘14

S.I. Technical H.S.

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The Patriot ECR/NER FALL One-DayEditorials

Common Core: A Common GoodJack Cahn ‘14

Stuyvesant H.S.

“Would you rather have gotten a 95 that you didn’t really earn or the 94 that you did?” At the close of my first semester at Stuyvesant, English teacher Maya Zabar concluded an 828-

word e-mail sent to me with those words. While at first I didn’t understand her message, Zabar taught me a valuable life lesson: that it is more valuable, in the long run, to receive an honest grade than an inflated one. Honest feedback makes you more self-aware and allows you to learn, improve, and grow. With this memory in mind, I’d like to celebrate! New York State’s third through eighth graders are miserably failing statewide exams. The percentage of students passing English and math exams has fallen from 47 percent to 26 percent and from 60 percent to 30 percent, respectively. The plummeting test scores are the result of New York’s recent adoption of the Common Core State Standards—testing standards established by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices to “prepare America’s students for college and career.” These poor test scores are a cause for celebration because they provide the state with an honest assessment of our students’ abilities and force us to face the truth: our students are woefully unprepared for life in the real world. Past test standards were dishonest because they didn’t measure a standard of excellence in course materials. Forbes Magazine explains that for decades, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) “dumbed down” standardized Regents Exams to increase the number of students who would be able to pass. According to CNN, federal funding is dependent on student performance, so as more students passed, the NYSED received more funds. However, as more students passed, “student competency and college readiness decreased,” because students were raised to lower standards and ultimately learned less. In fact, a CBS News New York investigation showed that 80 percent of high school graduates needed to relearn basic skills such as reading, writing, and math before college. Adoption of the Common Core Standards has made test scores more reflective of actual knowledge, because now our testing standards are designed by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, an independent, third-party organization with no financial motives. While the standards are higher, the results of the new tests give students an honest understanding of where they stand. The Common Core Standards have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Some New Yorkers, however, continue to oppose to the new standards. According to the New York Times, some have gone as far as to boycott statewide exams. They argue that the Common Core is too difficult and that students aren’t smart enough to handle so much

learning in such a short time. This is a defeatist perspective that assumes that New Yorkers are bound for mediocrity. While it will take time to adjust, New York State, forced to raise test scores in order to receive federal funding, will eventually improve to meet these new standards. The plummeting test scores are a cause for celebration for a second reason as well: they aren’t that bad. New York City students significantly outperformed other urban districts, even though NYC has more underprivileged children. In Rochester, for example, only five percent of students passed. This means that New York City students are, in fact, improving in relation to the state. Education in the past years under Mayor Bloomberg has been successful, and we’re headed in the right direction. While the scores reflect positively on the city, mayoral candidate Bill Thompson has used the poor test scores to attack Bloomberg. The United Federation of Teachers has also begun pointing fingers, blam-ing school administrators for not adequately training teachers to teach the new curricula. In the end, though, politicians need to put aside their personal political relationships and come together to improve education.Adopting the Common Core is an experiment. It’s not perfect. But it’s a risk we need to take to get our education system one large step closer to perfection.

Celebrating Failure: NYS Test Scores Plummet

With the elections of a new leader in an area of scant Democratic principles, Iran’s jubilee was cut awfully short by the peremptory action of the United States, six world nations and the United Nations. President Hassan Rouhani, the newly elected and the seventh to serve his position, was chastised brutally over what would direct him to hasten to political expedients and imperatives after his summer debut. Put bluntly, the

new President retorted calmly to the contrived opprobrium and skepticism by the press and diplomats with a statement that shows that the United States and Iran can manage their “differences.” The Nuclear Program in Iran, a plan whose first Nuclear Power plant started in 2011, has attracted multifarious conflict which has severely undermined what could be a transient existence of this source of power; albeit, America was not, and is not, willing to take any chances. Thus, the two leaders spoke on the phone for the first time since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. This action, however, has turned out results that are much better than expected. This was a propitious harbinger, as President Obama accedes with the statement, “While there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward, and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive agreement.” Additionally, this issue can be shown not to be another myopically misinterpreted issue by the American press with the two-sided positive attitudes also being reflected in what President Rouhani tweeted on the 27th of September: “In phone convo, President #Rouhani and President @BarackObama expressed their mutual political #will to rapidly solve the #nuclear issue.”

For additional support to this claim, cite the testament given by Kenneth Pollack as he starred on Robert Polack’s show, “And I think that we’ve also seen some interesting developments with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who also is suggesting a willingness to at least talk about making compromises on Iran’s nuclear program that we haven’t heard before. And obviously this could all be nothing but talk. But I think it’s absolutely an opportunity worth exploring.” Additionally, the Senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution would go on to say, “And so far, what we’ve heard from the administration is we’re not thinking about that right now, we’re focused on the diplomacy. And the president has made clear, he said, you know, basically I’m not going to allow Iran to acquire this capability. We will see what that means if/when we come to that point.” So, despite their conflicting styles in reporting to constituents, the American people may be relax for a bit about the conditions overseas in that area. And, while it may not be the greatest idea, it may even be justified to be a little happy too.

A New President in TownPaul Kleiman ‘15

Ossining H.S.President Rouhani and President Obama begin talks on the nuclear issue

The Patriot ECR/NER FALL One-Day Editorials

Numbers Do Not Define MeKaren Su ‘15

Townsend Harris H.S.

Imagine sitting in a room, taking an exam that will determine your future. Your hands start to clamp up, and they shake. Your head starts to pound, the walls start to close in, and you gasp for air, but nothing comes out. Time’s up! The paper,

the determining factor of your future, sits in front of you untouched and the color starts to slowly drain from your face. You realize that you just possibly threw away what could have been. You can’t help the fact that you are a test taker who happens to suffer from anxiety, but you know that you were capable of acing the material. We’ve all experienced the dull sensation of being trapped in a room for endless hours, looking over pieces of paper that happen to represent the summation of our academic lives. Several may have overcome this obstacle with great triumph. However, some were not so fortunate. I myself have been a victim of this nightmare of a scenario. I never understood how a simple score could determine the aptitude of my intelligence nor have I ever comprehended what it truly measured. Have we fed so much into the hype of standardized testing that every student suddenly becomes a number? What is the mission of standardized testing? According to the ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), a standardized test is one that is scored in a predetermined and standard way. There are two major types of standardized tests administered: aptitude tests and achievement tests. Our education system uses aptitude tests such as the SAT and ACT to determine how well a student is able to perform in a certain educational environment, and achievement tests to measure a school’s effectiveness. However, is their effectiveness reflected in student and school performance? Standardized tests are intended to measure the amount of knowledge we accumulated at a certain point in our academic careers. However, the idea of standardization of all students into one conglomerate of test-takers is inherently flawed. Evidently, several students achieve more than others; we all absorb knowledge and information in different increments and in different ways. There is not an existing measurement that can determine the content and the amount of knowledge each and every person possesses, and have the outcomes be measured on the same scale. The thought of it is absolutely ridiculous. We were all told at least once in our lives that we are all unique in our own ways. The same expression can be applied to education. We all absorb information using different methods. Some of us may be visual, logical, verbal, aural, or physical learners. It is safe to say that we all present our knowledge using different methods as well. Therefore, administering a standardized test does not even the playing field and is not an accurate measurement of one’s abilities. Not only has this affected students across the nation, but it has also affected teachers alike. The over-emphasis on standardized testing has caused a race to see who can earn the most based on the aptitude of their students. The majority of the teachers no longer teach for the sake of teaching, instead they teach to the test. In my career in the education system thus far, I have only met a few teachers who haven’t mentioned a word of a standardized test excessively to the point where it’s the only thing they are teaching. What happens to the teachers with the underperforming students? We have put a divide in our education

system by using standardized testing as a determining factor of a student’s capabilities. It has made us forget the students who truly need help. Instead, we focus on those who can help earn us rankings in the State, Country, and the World when compared to our constituents. The over-emphasis on standardized testing has all but pushed students to the verge of hysteria and mental exhaustion. In this system, we lose our uniqueness and creativity in favor of pure uniformity, so long as it “ensures us a good grade.” Students are dehumanized and grouped according to their test scores like cattle. We sacrifice our own approach to learning, and instead follow a book of guidelines produced in various formats guaranteed to earn us the best grade possible. We have gotten to the point where students are no longer students, and are just raw scores waiting to be processed by some educational authority. I say enough. Students must realize that they are not defined by some standardized score, but rather that they must weigh their own learning capacity and improve from there.

7

Time for the Palestinians to Say “Yes” to Peace

“All sides are to blame.” These five words always seem to come up when people discuss why thereare not two states between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. For the Palestinians to

achieve “liberation,” however, all they need to do is, for once, say “yes” to peace. Israel has never walked away from a peace plan—the Palestinians have walked away every time. They claim it is in the best interest of “Palestine,” yet paradoxically, “Palestine” cannot and will not come into being until they fully commit to the effective, albeit tedious, peace process. Some might say that the failure of the peace process is just as much the Israelis’ fault, so let’s delve into what steps each side is being called on to take for the sake of peace. The Palestinians must put Israel on their maps, websites and textbooks; Israel must pull out of disputed land. The Palestinians must recognize that Israel has a historical connection to the Land of Israel; the Israelites must tear down Israeli homes. The Palestinians must stop celebrating any terrorist who kills an Israeli as a “martyr”; Israel must stop monitoring active terrorist cells on the West Bank. Time and time again we see a double standard. All over the world, Israel’s commitment to peace is questioned. President Obama says he would like Israel to be more “serious” about achieving peace. The European Union has frozen relations with Israel until the European Union sees “movement [by Israel] in the

peace process.” Prime Minister Erdoğan of Turkey has even gone far to state that Zionism is “a crime against humanity.” These comments that were once those of extremists have been accepted as mainstream today. So does Israel, and her people, really oppose peace? No. Israelis, in fact, are one of the most peace-loving people in the world. According to a Haaretz poll, 80% of Israelis support the two-state solution.Moreover, Israelis not only crave peace — they need it. Throughout Israel’s existence, peace has been the prime motivation for all of the country’s actions. Every war, every battle, has been in hope for peace. Likewise, at the climax of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, the Israelis “extend a hand in peace to [the Palestinians] in an offer of peace and good neighborliness.” Every Israeli Prime Minister since has repeated that offer. But with all the criticism of Israel for not being “serious” about peace, why haven’t Israel’s neighbors across the Green Line been subject to the same criticism? How do they really feel about peace? Let’s look at their track record. The Arabs in what was then Palestine rejected the United Nations resolution in 1947 that partitioned Palestine into two autonomous states—one, with a Jewish majority, for the Jews, and one, with an Arab majority, for the Arabs. In 1948, when Israel declared her independence, the Arabs immediately invaded. In 1967, after Israel routed the Arabs in a war of self-defense, the Arab nations passed a resolution enshrining the infamous “Three No’s”: “no peace . . . no recognition . . . no negotiations.” The list goes on and on, but their stance on peace never changes. Every war, every boycott, every act of aggression and each of the 15,047 missile attacks reinforce their belief about the two-state solution and peace with Israel. Yasser Arafat, former President and founder of the Palestine Liberation Organization, summed it up best when he said, “Peace for us means the destruction of Israel.” Why are the Palestinians so pigheaded about peace, and what can they do to fix that? I’ll start with the former: why are the Palestinians ferociously blaming their misfortunes on Israel and the Jews? To fully understand this complex issue, one must look back at how the Palestinians became the Palestinians. Up until the creation of Israel there was no such thing as a Palestinian, because there was no need for a “Palestinian people.” They were simply Arabs—the same way Syrians or Jordanians were. In fact, up until 50 years ago, those that we now refer to as Palestinians vigorously opposed being called Palestinians, in fear of being thought of as lesser than their Arab brothers. However, their Arab brothers didn’t want to take them into their own countries and because the Palestinians had too much pride to remain in Israel, they created refugee lands for themselves—what became Gaza and the West Bank. And because it was shameful for them to admit that their fellow Muslims rejected them, Israel was the easy scapegoat. Now, the latter: what can the Palestinians do now to achieve peace? In the words of Golda Meir, “Peace will come when the Palestinians love their children more than they hate [Israel].”

Jacob Fortinsky ‘16Solomon Schecter H.S.

A blind focus on standardized testing diminishes the most salient purposes of education

The blame for the lack of peace does not belong solely to one side

8

Behind The Patriot

As the new year gets underway and the Northeast State begins to wind itself up for another fantastic year, it gives me great pleasure to introduce myself to my fellow JSA members. My name is Jin Park, I am a Senior at the High School for Mathematics, Science, and

Engineering at the City College of New York, and I am serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Northeast State this year. For the ECR/NER newsletter, I have not implemented drastic change or created a whole new installment for the paper. Instead, in this issue, I have compiled an assortment of diverse articles for you to get your feet wet from constituents all around the ECR and NER. This is not to say that my goals for The Patriot this year are not coming into fruition. In the next few weeks, I will launch the official website for The Patriot, where members of the Northeast State will have access to the most salient and relevant news 24/7. I ask you to look forward to future editions of The Patriot, and to please contribute! The patriot is always in need of writers. With that said, I thank you for picking up a copy of The Patriot, and hope you enjoy today’s event.

The Patriot ECR/NER FALL One-DayJSA ACTIVISM

Youth Advisory BoardEmily Goldstein-McGowan ‘14

Prospect Hill Academy

This year, we would like to have the opportunity for our students to meet with their representatives in government through Youth Advisory Boards (YAB). The purpose of YABs is to allow youth to

express their views to their Representatives in government. A small group of students would meet with their representative 2-3 times a year to present their individual research and recommendations on a topic such as education or environmental policy that is relevant to upcoming legislation. This way, we can continue the discussions we have in JSA with those who shape the policy surrounding them. JSA students are extremely politically active, and a common goal among the students is the chance to communicate with a wider audience, particularly the members of the government.

YABs are being created nationwide and would be a great accomplishment for JSA as well as a great experience for students involved. Whether you are interested in becoming an elected official in government, passionate about one topic or a constituent who never had interest in politics outside of JSA, being a part of a YAB would be beneficial.We will be setting up YABs in Boston, Connecticut, Westchester county and New York City. For more information about Youth Advisory Boards, please contact, Emily Goldstein-McGowan at egoldstein@northeastjsa.org I encourage all JSA members to join a Youth Advisory Board in your region to support the Junior State of America’s mission to promote “life-long involvement and responsible leadership in a democratic society.”

Art to Heal

What empowers you? Which activities cause you to feel most capable and connected? What would you do if the activity that makes you feel best was no longer

available to you? In addition to participation in JSA, creating art makes me happy. When I paint, stress melts and endorphins flow.Painting brings color to people's lives, provides a sense of accomplishment, boosts self-esteem, and develops fine motor skills. It resurfaces memories and allows for creative expression and interpretation of these memories. The creation of artwork provides individuals with products to share with family and friends. Artistic accomplishments are a source of pride. Participation in the arts is scientifically proven to make people happy.Unfortunately, not everybody has access to the supplies or opportunity to paint. Individuals who are homeless, young adults with intellectual disabilities, and senior citizens living in assisted living facilities or nursing homes often do not have access to painting or education in the arts in general. To solve this problem, I founded Art to Heal, a volunteer-coordinated project dedicated to organizing and facilitating painting workshops for Special Olympics athletes, residents of assisted living and nursing facilities, individuals who are homeless, and others who may benefit and would not otherwise have access to the healing effects of art. I work with a team of dedicated volunteers to coordinate workshops at venues in MA, CT, and NY and recruit student volunteers for these workshops. For many of the residents participating in our workshops, painting is a new experience to them and they enjoy watching us paint and guide their hands with the brushes. For others, we discover that they once loved to paint and considered themselves painters. It’s beautiful to watch people rediscover and remember their love of art. A participant at a previous workshop at Sunrise Senior Living of Weston in Weston, MA shared with me, ‘I never thought I’d be painting again.’ Yet there he was, painting a beautiful farmhouse. Beginning in October, Art to Heal will be partnering with the Boston Red Sox Kid Nation, and Wally and Red Sox Kid Nation Captains will be joining high school volunteers at workshops in the Boston area. I plan

to officially establish Art to Heal as a non-profit organization in the very near future. Until then, I plan to continue to host painting workshops in MA, CT, and NY, with a minimum of twelve workshops per year, while expanding into other states. Expansion will be initiated through student leaders who have submitted volunteer interest forms and requested workshops in their states. Ultimately, I hope to join people in art, an activity that all people can participate in, and do my part to heal the world. My involvement in JSA has helped me to advance the goals of Art to Heal. Surrounded by young people who are driven and compassionate, I am inspired to pursue my goals. Through JSA, I have joined a network of teens across the region and country who support and believe in one another, and this connection fuels my work with Art to Heal.Upcoming workshops will be held in October and November at Talmadge Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in East Haven, CT, North Hill Retirement and Assisted Living Facility in Needham, MA, and Emeritus Assisted Living in Dedham, MA. If you are a junior statesman or stateswoman interested in spreading joy through art, please visit the Art to Heal website, http://www.arttoheal.com, and fill out the Volunteer Interest Form to express interest in a volunteer spot at an upcoming workshop. No prior artistic experience is necessary. Knowing that you have made somebody’s life more peaceful and beautiful is an inspiring way to make a difference. A volunteer at a recent workshop shares that “Bringing a smile to a person’s face means so much to me, knowing that I created it through art and a newfound friendship.” Being told that Art to Heal made this person’s day special is truly inspirational, knowing that all you have to do is be there and support people as they follow wherever their minds lead them.” To express interest in volunteering, request additional information, or communicate your ideas and feedback, please feel free to reach me at mbirne@northeastjsa.org. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you to be the people, be for the people, and heal the world one painting at a time.

Marissa Birne ‘15The Rivers School