28th Amendment!

 The 28th Amendment should abolish the death penalty nationally. The Death Penalty Abolition Amendment has been proposed in 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1995. The judicial system already punishes people of color harsher than whities, but when the sentence is life or death, we can not continue to use a system that is even slightly biased.  There are countless good proposals for the 28th (equal rights, drug laws, controlling congress, controlling the budget) but this is an amendment that would save lives.

Alcohol, Voting, Military, and Drug Laws

     Having the drinking be set at 21 is just begging young adults to break the law.  Even though heavy drinking can cause developmental problems in teens, 18 year-olds are classified as adults and they should know their limits and behave responsibly.  Smoking tobacco is more harmful and more addictive, but it's legal when alcohol is not.  Law enforcement should crack down on people who drink and drive, become abusive when they drink, or sell to people under 18; if you're 18 you should be able to purchase and consume whatever you want. 

     It's outrageous that marijuana is still illegal in the U.S. when alcohol isn't.  Marijuana is used to treat symptoms of multiple illnesses and is less addictive than many other pain-relievers.  The only reason some consider it to be a gateway drug is because it's still illegal.  When something is illegal and people do it anyway, they're more likely to move on to other illegal drugs.  It's not a gateway drug, it's a gateway crime. Decriminalizing marijuana would help the economy if we tax it, keep people out of jail, and benefit people that need it for medical reasons. As for other drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, meth, or anything else considered harmful, there should be a required rehabilitation system for abusers instead of jail.  People that only purchase the drugs and are addicted to them don't deserve to be punished, they deserve treatment.  They should still have their kids taken from them until they're clean, but jail doesn't help anyone, it only makes the situation worse.

     The voting age should stay at 18 as long as 18 year-olds are considered adults.  Everyone deserves to be represented, so it isn't fair to say that people should pass a test before they can vote.  Yes, it is incredibly stupid and unforgivable to not know how many states we have, but a lot of old people that vote know much less than some teens and no one questions whether or not they can vote.  Also, it's important to know things about our country, but I think those clueless people that can't even recognize a picture of our vice-president can be technically stupid but still know who they want in office. The military age should be 18 because 18 is old enough to know what you want to do or the rest of your life.  If it isn't, then why does everyone expect college students to know what they want to pay thousand of dollars to learn? It's time for everyone to recognize 18 year-olds as adults and let them do want they want.

    

Emergency Contraception!!

Emergency contraception is safe when taken properly, so the government has no right to place restrictions on it.  Those that aren't old enough to consent to sex obviously shouldn't need the pill, but there are unfortunate circumstances in which it may be their only hope.  It's ridiculous that a young girl who's been raped should have to have an abortion or worse, carry out a pregnancy when she isn't physically or mentally capable.  Placing restrictions on birth control or abortions endangers women.  The girl in Indianapolis who had to have an unsafe, illegal abortion is only one example. The pills alter a person's body and the buyer needs to be aware of any possible health risks, but banning the pill for minors isn't fair.

Gay Marriage!

      Conservatives are running out of excuses to keep gay marriage illegal.  There is no reason that homosexuality is wrong besides "Jesus said so!" Breaking news: Jesus has literally no say in our laws. Religion is a significant part of society and very important to many people, but it has absolutely no place in politics. 
     It's astounding to think that people today still think that not everyone deserves the same rights.  I imagine that people against gay marriage are the same type of people that were against freeing the slaves and women voting. If I can marry a man and a person with a penis can't, that is a direct violation of the 14th Amendment, there's no way around it.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment!

I think that the death penalty, solitary confinement, and psychological torture are all direct violations of the 8th Amendment.  Inflicting violence onto others sets a horrible example and the government should find other ways to punish or interrogate criminals/terrorists.  Many claim that psychological torture is worse than physical, so methods like sensory deprivation, collaring, phobia exposure, stimulated drowning or the such should absolutely be outlawed.  Long-term solitary confinement psychologically damages criminals and in some cases they are released from prison even more dangerous than they were upon entering.  It is an ineffective and unjust punishment.  The death penalty should never be used as a punishment because it is a biased and cruel system that doesn't even lower the crime rate, and in some cases the slaughtered are proven innocent after the execution.  The death penalty, solitary, and torture are three terrible systems that our country can definitely do without.  Reserving the death penalty for criminals who have been proven guilty by DNA testing, putting a limit on the amount of time a person spends in solitary, and moving towards more humane methods of persuasion are fantastic ways to improve these practices if we can't eradicate them entirely.

Gun Control!

I think that instead of banning guns, regulating who can and cannot buy guns will be more effective in preventing massacres such as Sandy Hook and Columbine.  It's impossible to eliminate 100% of gun violence, but by requiring background checks and thorough psychological tests, surely we can lessen the number of armed psychos.  Also, gun licenses should expire after a certain amount of time; many people buy lifetime carry cards and later develop disorders that can make them a danger to themselves and others.  Half of America thinks we should ban all guns for everyone and the other half thinks anyone should be able to by a gun for self defense and sport.  Surely we can agree on a compromise to keep our schools and streets as safe as possible without altering our rights. 

WBC

Hate groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church should never be allowed to protest a funeral.  They use the word "Church" in there name to hide behind religious freedom laws, and then pick and choose the parts of the bible that they want to follow while blatantly ignoring the parts that condemn themselves.  Groups that are legally recognized as hate groups should only be allowed to protest a person's funeral on their own property. Freedom of religion and speech laws were not created to encourage or allow the spreading of hate, and they should never be an excuse for harassment.  Bullying in schools has become a national issue since bullying has been proven to cause emotional and mental heath problems that can lead to permanent issues and in some cases suicide (especially in LGTB youth).  The government should set an example by holding these people accountable for their harmful actions.  It's important that everyone's voice and opinions can be heard, but when a group exists solely to hurt others, they shouldn't be allowed to hide behind the 1st Amendment.