President Barack Obama isn’t the only young man trying to come up with viable solutions to America’s problems.
Joey Files, a sixth-grader at Kingsbury Country Day School in Addison Township, recently created a PowerPoint presentation advising Obama on how to fix the economy, end the war in Iraq and save Detroit’s foundering auto companies.
‘Those seem like the three main issues in Michigan,? said the 11-year-old Orion Township resident.
Files? presentation was recently selected as one of the top 43 entries in a contest called ‘A Presidential Minute,? organized by the ePals website, an internet resource for educators, schools and students.
‘I was pretty amazed,? Files said. ‘I didn’t think it was possible (to be chosen) because there were a lot of entries and mine wasn’t particularly long.?
A total of 700 entries from 31 states and seven countries were submitted.
‘We were the only school in Michigan (to enter),? said Kingsbury teacher Karen Melaas, who had her sixth-graders create and submit presentations as part of a two-day class assignment.
Files? advice, along with the other top entries, will be presented to Obama’s Transition Team. Right now, it can be viewed by visiting www.epals.com.
‘I think Joey’s just got an extraordinary awareness of what’s going on. He asks a lot of questions,? Melaas said. ‘He keeps me on my toes.?
In examining the economic situation, Files believes things are failing because of adjustable interest rates, layoffs in the auto industry, decreased consumer activity due to layoffs, and the fact that ‘people have taken loans they can’t pay back.?
To fix things, he recommended gathering financiers and mathematicians together to formulate a solution.
With regard to the Big Three’s problems, Files, whose father, Robert, is an engineer with General Motors, said their troubles can be attributed to competition amongst themselves, employee layoffs and consumers buying foreign cars.
He proposed either merging the Big Three into the ‘Giant One? or having each company specialize in making a certain type of vehicle.
For instance, GM could manufacture diesel vehicles, Ford could make all-wheel drive vehicles and Chrysler could produce small cars.
As for the war in Iraq, Files, whose mother is Oxford attorney Christine Stephens, believes it must end because young people are being sent to war instead of going to college, precious artifacts are being destroyed and there’s an increased risk of terrorist attacks.
Overall, Files asserted the U.S. has ‘done more damage then if we hadn’t stepped in at all.?
He advocated removing the soldiers ‘as quickly as possible,? but still ‘keep a close eye on Middle East countries and deploy a small number of soldiers when necessary.?
Even though he supported Republican candidate Arizona Sen. John McCain during the campaign, Files said he believes Obama has the ‘potential to be a good president.?
‘He made some pretty powerful speeches during his campaign,? he said. ‘A lot of people voted for him and they seem to trust him.?
Despite this brief stint as a presidential adviser, Files plans to pursue a career in either biology or medicine.
‘Joey is one of those students who just gets it,? Melaas said. ‘I don’t think it really matters what field of endeavor he’s going to choose for his life’s work.?