![Senior Tiffany Gibson has dinner with her parents and her nine year old sister. Gibsons family has been her largest source of support throughout her treatment process.
[My dad] helped me through it. He was the one who’d take me to my doctor’s visits, he was trying to make me try to take my medication on time, even though he’d get angry when I didn’t take it. I had to do blood work, so he would always find out. He would always try to get me to take it and remind me, Gibson said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/92iA4Tg7fGWMhmk9DKWf7Q6UQQ4p0LYeBobwwvV7-900x672.jpg)
![The cardiovascular system is painted on the wall outside the biology classrooms. The nicotine in vape and e-cigarette products have been proven to negatively impact the lungs, contributing to the concern the vaping epidemic will affect the health of youth for years to come. “There is an epidemic in our school of under-aged nicotine consumption… I think that this year that they did a really great job by bringing in Breathe NH… it was much more effective: there was a lot of data, statistics, infographics and [comparisons] especially to cigarettes, said Mary Martin 20, student council president.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/vapingphoto.jpg)
Students show growing dismay after month-long government shutdown
A opinion poll of grades 9-12 collects thoughts on the longest government shutdown in history
Flickr Creative Commons: Phil Roeder
The United States Capitol on a cloudy day. “I’m really concerned for this country and the direction it’s heading in,” said 9th grader Sophie Cullen.
January 31, 2019
One month in
Martin Luther King Jr. Day—a day of celebration, service and progress—marked the 32nd of the longest government shutdown in United States history. Over the course of a month, numerous federal services have gone dormant, half a million federal workers have lost their wages, and Congress has, unsuccessfully, toiled over a compromise. Disagreement runs amok, but all sides can agree on one thing: the shutdown can’t go on.
The origins of the government shutdown are wary. However, the central conflict is Trump’s proposed border wall. He demanded that $5.7 billion in funding be included in the 2019 federal budget, and Congress rejected that proposal. Since late September, the house has tried to work things out and agree on the budget, but Trump is adamant about receiving the funds.
Disagreement runs amok, but all sides can agree on one thing: the shutdown can’t go on.”
Normally, the federal budget is finalized by Sept. 30—its official due date—but it is not uncommon for deliberation to persist until the end of the year. If Congress still hasn’t reached an agreement by Dec. 22, a partial government shutdown ensues, and all non-essential discretionary programs close. There are only nine such programs, but their roles are pervasive.
TSA officers, as part of the Homeland Security program, have gone without pay for an entire month.This conflict coincides with peak winter travel rates, making it particularly untimely. Without a wage, officers tend to call in sick, or even quit their job and find part-time work to make ends meet.
Another prevalent concern is the closure of the Food and Drug Administration. Aside from drug approval delays, the FDA has stopped routinely screening high-risk foods—such as seafood, pork, and lettuce—for bacteria and parasites, meaning there is an increased chance of foodborne illness. Two days ago, however, the FDA announced it’s resuming routine food inspections.
A poll sent to 100 students, with a 35% response rate, details students’ beliefs on which side of the discussion was at fault, levels of concern, and what should happen next.[infogram id=”shutdown-it-begins-1hxr4ze57loe4yo?live”]
Read the full story on The Rubicon.
