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Our proposed solution is a Universal Basic Income (UBI), similar to the one popularized by millionaire businessman, philanthropist, and politician Andrew Yang during his 2019 presidential campaign. Unlike raising the minimum wage, which increases business costs and thus leads to inflation, a UBI would be paid directly to all citizen households, earning less than a determined income ceiling, by the U.S. government. This income would not be sufficient to completely cover the living expenses of these households, but would assist them in paying enough of the basic living expenses that they could afford to work part-time while attending college full-time, or allow them to afford to pay off existing student loans (rendering unnecessary, proposals that the federal government forgives all existing student loans), or allow at least one parent to spend more time at home to assist in their children’s primary education. Because this allows citizens to choose how to spend what is then their own money, those who chose to spend it affording higher education will place a greater value on that opportunity and thus work harder to be successful in college.

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Higher education is unaffordable for many Americans. In an increasingly globally competitive marketplace, a highly educated workforce is essential for continued economic success, especially as an increasing number of lower-skilled jobs shift to other countries and robotics combined with A.I. continue to replace human workers. However, many Americans who are not partially supported by their parents must work full-time jobs while attending classes full-time and still struggle to pay their bills. Due to the well-publicized fact that many college graduates struggle for most of their working lives (some even into retirement) to pay off their student loans, some new students are unwilling to apply for student loans to subsidize the gap between their low income and ever-increasing living expenses, which are especially high in large cities where many colleges and universities are located. When students have to work full-time and are stressed about finances, their odds of success in full-time coursework are diminished. Any nation is most successful when it can maximize the potential of its citizens to contribute to the greater good of society.

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Having an education should not be a privilege. It should be a right. In the United States, getting an education can oftentimes require many sacrifices.

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We discussed some of the larger, systemic problems within our countries, and found that the common thread, between sectarian (Sunni/Shia/Kurdish) politics in Iraq, and Democrat vs. Republican conflicts in the U.S, is group thinking. Rather than thoughtful, open-minded individual analysis of policy ideas determining how each person and politician votes, decisions are made based on political group affiliation. Until this scourge within our democracies is eliminated, most of the needs of the citizens will not be meaningfully addressed.

We then selected one need within each community to focus on. The identified needs of both countries have to do with education. Without a well educated society, people more easily fall into group think, democracies fail to function well, and the incredible talents and intellect of the people, which we need to solve our problems, is squandered.

The problem identified in Iraq is that once students graduate college, in order to work in any field or industry, they must have connections within the government to get a job, since there is very little private industry other than small businesses. Therefore there is widespread unemployment among young adults, threatening to waste their potential.

The need identified in the U.S. is the financial hardships faced by college students who live independent of their parents. These students must often balance working full-time while attending school full-time, in order to pay their basic living expenses. This makes a high degree of success in school extremely difficult/bordering on impossible. The only alternative is to work part-time and fill in the financial gap with massive debts that will overburden them in the future.

- Michael Raphael