Amy McGrath right for UK students, 6th district

Lieutenant+Colonel+Amy+McGrath+addresses+her+supporters+during+the+rally+on+Friday%2C+Oct.+12%2C+2018%2C+at+Bath+County+High+School+in+Owingsville%2C+Kentucky.+Former+Vice+President+Joe+Biden+also+attended+the+event+and+spoke+on+behalf+of+McGrath.+Photo+by+Arden+Barnes+%7C+Staff

Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath addresses her supporters during the rally on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, at Bath County High School in Owingsville, Kentucky. Former Vice President Joe Biden also attended the event and spoke on behalf of McGrath. Photo by Arden Barnes | Staff

Kellsie Kennedy

It seems that one of the most likely reasons why millennials had a voter turnout of only about 50 percent for both the 2012 and 2016 elections is because many of the issues seem to not address our age group. Even though it seems this way, Amy McGrath’s platform especially reflects on the lives of those graduating or recently graduating college

If you are an education major, you were likely thrown back by the end of teacher and state employee pensions, particularly Gov. Matt Bevin’s response to the protests and criticism that followed. If you are related to or are a friend of a teacher, you were probably outraged. If you were ever taught by a teacher, you were probably outraged.

Now recent graduates must make the choice to either leave Kentucky or work much longer before retirement. For those of us planning on having children, the deterioration to the education system in Kentucky should be catching up roughly around the time those children would start attending school. With such an unjust system, many young teachers are leaving Kentucky for states that offer them better benefits.

The issue of teachers’ pensions should be a concern for all. In an effort to amend this atrocity, McGrath’s website states, “When elected, I will do everything I can to educate my colleagues in Congress of the critical importance of this issue for teachers in states like Kentucky, and will help work to make this a more fair system moving forward.”

Another major component, probably the largest, of McGrath’s platform is addressing health care issues. Republicans offered a relentless string of criticisms to the Affordable Care Act, but then did not offer a better alternative when they gained control of Congress.

McGrath states on her website, “I believe strongly that basic health care is a fundamental right that should be guaranteed for every American. Similar to our guarantees of a basic education to every child born…”

Being students at UK, many of us have the opportunity to utilize Student Health Services for minor issues such as strep throat or getting a prescription for birth control. For more dire situations, many of us rely on our parents’ insurance. However, the required health fee raises the cost of tuition for each UK student by a couple hundred dollars. This is insignificant compared to health insurance obtained from a full-time job.

McGrath believes that we should follow in the example of other countries who have seen success with a better health care system. She states, “I believe firmly that the goal must be universal coverage for all Americans.”

These two issues alone show that Amy McGrath has in mind what is best not only for older Americans but also for those of us just looking to begin our careers. On Nov. 6, if you care about better health care and better education, vote for Amy McGrath for the 6th Congressional District Representative.