On November 4, 2004, after weeks of following the Presidential election, Mr. Tuck's Language Arts students wrote letters to the newly re-elected President Bush, outlining some of the things they would like to see him do during his second term. Their responses were outstanding: cognizant of many of the most critical of the issues facing this country, and passionate about their hopes for our nation in this new millennium.

Here is a representative sample of the students' responses, grouped by topic. Note: All Pender County School Internet guidelines have been observed. Some student responses have been lightly edited for grammar and syntax.

I'm very happy that you are president! You are a very good person...although I do have some things that I really think you should change when you're president for this term. -- Michelle H.

You are who I wanted to win! You just need to make a few adjustments in my opinion, you might not agree. -- Grace Capps

I think you should give more money to public schools! One like my own! Please don't give government money to private schools with vouchers! They have enough money and this will weaken our public schools. -- Grace Capps

You should not let people drop out of school. This is because kids nowadays want to always drop out of school. Kids need a good education. -- Demetrece H.

Why do Mexicans have less rights than others? I mean, it's just ridiculous. But it's not only the Mexicans, it's other races, too. I'm just saying it's crazy. I mean, why do people do that? It's wrong. Now think about it, how would you like it if you didn't have any rights? -- [name withheld]

We should get our US troops out of Iraq, because there are no weapons of mass destruction over there. We as Americans are paying a lot of money just to get us over there and there is no use for us being over there. -- Brandon McDevitt

I think you're doing a good job of keeping our troops in Iraq. If you stop, terrorists will come over here. -- [name withheld]

Send our troops back home. They've been fighting for a while now and probably the only reason they're fighting is because we're fighting. I think we should end the war. God did not make us to kill other humans, it's like killing ourselves. They may not look the same as us, but they are the same. We are all of God's children...so that makes us brothers and sisters. It's like they're out there killing their brothers and sisters. So please, end the war. -- Michelle H.

Don't you think you should switch up the troops? My uncle has been over there for two years, and has been actually gone for four, because of training. I haven't heard from him for months. I don't know whether he's dead or alive or hurt, sick, coming home, or what. I would give anything to see him, just please, let him come home for a week. Why did you not go into Afghanistan? There's barely any terrorists in Iraq. -- Claire Dees

We need to get the soldiers out of Iraq. I am in AG (Academically Gifted) for Social Studies. We had to read about you and Kerry, and you both said you wouldn't take soldiers out of Iraq until you had democracy. I really don't know what that means, but why are they still in Iraq? Thousands of American soldiers are getting killed because you keep them in Iraq. I am not a major fan of you, that's why you need to listen to the people. It could help one day. I mean, you found Saddam Hussein, why can't you take the soldiers out? It's your own fault if the American population runs out just because you won't take the soldiers out of Iraq. I was lucky enough that none of my relatives went to war. My friend's uncle went, though. He said he hates it. All that he likes is that he is keeping the world safe. -- Holly Dieterle

You should do a most wonderful thing for American families. We want you to bring our friends and families home, please. This war is over. There is nothing over there that can hurt us now. But still you force our friends and families to just fight and die. The peoples' death have been all in vain. What happened in the past is over, we have won! But still our families fight. Our families and friends have done their parts, now let them come home. -- Joshua R.

Iraq, now there is a problem. Can you do me a favor and give my friend Brandon his uncle back, and everybody else their families back? -- [name withheld]

We need to get our soldiers home safe. We need to make sure the family knows they are okay. You can make a Web site so they can visit it to look up the soldier's name to bring up info. Also, benefits: if a soldier dies, don't just call up and say your son or husband has passed, give them like a thousand dollars. -- Latria Everett

I think the soldiers that have families and want to go home, you should let them go home for the holidays. Some of them have kids that they have never seen and they will probably never see if they get killed. Then that kid when he/she gets older will have no pictures of their Dad and them. Plus, their Dad will never know anything about them. He will have never seen them. That is why you should let people go home for the holidays if they have a family and want to. -- [name withheld]

Some people need to come home for the holidays to see their families and their kids. Kids they don't even know about. -- Devin Lesine

I think we should have higher benefits for veterans. For instance, if a soldier dies, his or her family should get a lot of money or their house and car should be paid off. -- [name withheld]

Please help the people at war, and help their families and their relatives. Many of the soldiers are fighting for our country when their families are praying their hearts out. Some, and probably most, of the soldiers have not seen or heard from their own families. I would like to ask if you could please allow the soldiers to come home on national holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, or maybe even Veterans Day or Memorial Day. My Language Arts teacher's brother is in Iraq along with many other soldiers that are close to their own families. -- Meagan A.

Please keep our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. We are just risking and losing our troops. This way the troops can come home to their families, children, and friends, and come home safe. -- Jessica E.

Bin Laden: just find him and kill him! No one wants him alive, not even second graders. He's the reason why the world is going down and people are killing each other. You may think I'm just a kid, but I have feelings for other people, too. -- Latria Everett

People think you're mean because you don't protect our country. That's true. People think you might rule the country. Please, Mr. Bush, protect our country from war or robberies. Some people voted for Kerry because they think you might rule the country. -- Bruce Lopez

You should have handled terrorism way before. Come on now, you've been on them for about two years now, that's another thing that I wanted to let you know that you need to take care of. -- Joy S.

You should find bin Laden and kill him. The reason is that if you kill him, you could be another life saver. I think bin Laden could go down and we could win the war more easily. I think Iraq would be weaker without bin Laden. -- [name withheld]

What I would like to see changed is to protect the forests. Soon we will have no forests, they will be all extinct. Air would be extinct, too. And without air, we'll die. YOU HAVE TO protect the forest! You may have said it's okay for now...but if this doesn't stop now, it's never going to be okay. Never. Surely this is something you're going to change. -- Michelle H.

Why is the environment so bad? We -- oops, sorry, you -- are letting people cut down our rain forests. What happens when they run out? My teacher said that that is our supply of oxygen. When it runs out, we may die. So why are you letting people cut down our rain forests? That is what we breathe, that is our living source. -- Holly Dieterle

I think you should protect the environment! Please do, because animals are so precious and innocent. Why would anyone want to kill them? You might not mean to kill them, but when you try to make room for more new buildings, homes, and factories, you kill thousands of animals! My school is doing a fundraiser for that matter. Instead of tearing forests down, why not explore them? Learn more, and hey! You might even discover a new species! -- Grace Capps

We need to work on our environment. You are just letting people ruin it! I personally think that you should plant more trees and stop ruining our rain forests because you are hurting us and our environment. Without those trees we would not be here! -- Mary Hannah Hughes

All humans need air to breathe, right? Well, where do we get the oxygen? From trees! And due to all the tree chopping you have done, we are dying. You're not just killing your own people, but you're destroying animals' homes. The environment and all of American needs your help. You must stop the destruction of our rain forest. Also, you need to add poaching laws into America. There are thousands of endangered species in America. And it's your job not just as a citizen of America, but as the President of the United States, to do this. -- Joshua R.

I feel most concerned about our environment. Animals deserve to live just as much as we do. People should quit dumping mercury in our oceans. We could get poisoned by mercury. People should quit littering. I would hate to get a disease from an animal that has been eating trash. -- Jorge Flores

You should help the environment. So if you cut down trees, you're killing yourself because trees give off air. So if you cut them down, there will be no air. -- Blair Johnson

I think that the logging companies should stop cutting down trees. The trees are the home for a lot of animals. When we cut down the trees, we cut down their homes. Then they have nowhere to live. It's like someone coming and cutting down your home. Then you won't have anywhere to live. -- Kelsey Shearin

I think you should make a law about people not cutting the rainforests down. Those trees help us breathe, and we're running out. -- Corey Woods

Gas prices -- why are they going up so much? I remember when one gallon of gas cost lower than $1.00. Hey, please! -- [name withheld]

Lower those prices. $2.59 a gallon? I don't even drive, and I think that's way too much. Candy bars don't even cost that much. Some people don't have that much money or don't even get paid that much an hour. -- Latria Everett

Gas prices are too high. The prices are like $2.13, $2.17. That's just too high. My mom's van takes more than $20.00 to fill it up so do that favor for me. -- [name withheld]

I would like you to lower gas prices now. This is very important. The reason is, most people have a job and they have to go back and forth. $2 a gallon is out of the question. That is too much. -- Demetrece H.

Taxes: lower them! You should see the meat at Food Lion. People can't even eat sometimes even if they have food stamps or are getting help by SSD. -- Latria Everett

Lower the taxes because they are too high. It's like 99 cents for a bag of chips, but no, they want to go up with the price. Also, I only get a little bit of money and can't afford it all. -- Jourdan Douglas

I am concerned about taxes because they are killing my family, if you know what I mean. That's why you should lower taxes because if you do, my family and even other families will most likely have more food on their tables. -- Brandon S.

What I think should be changed this term is to stop sending jobs overseas. My dad used to have to ride an airplane to a lot of places for his job, and I haven't seen him in a long while. All the other children who have someone they love who have to go overseas and stay for probably forever, I bet they feel really sad. They may never get to see them ever again. I hope this has been able to be a definite change. -- Michelle H.

I think you need to raise minimum wages. I don't want you to think that I'm nagging and complaining, but it's true! When you go get a job somewhere, you start out with only $5.15! But it only goes up about a quarter each hour. That's not very much even to a kid. Young teenagers need extra money these days because of young motherhood or ones who live by themselves. Please do, it will help a lot! -- Grace Capps

I think you should help the homeless and the poor. They need jobs and nobody will help them. I see them on the side of the street holding up signs and they say, "Homeless, Need a Job, Please Help Me," then others say, "Need Work, Don't Pay Me, Just Pay Me in FOOD!" So see, the homeless really do need help. Really bad! I'd rather care for and help the ones in need that only care about myself. -- [name withheld]

Help the poor. We need more organizations like the Salvation Army for the people. We also need some more homeless shelters. We need more food kitchens for the homeless to go to. -- Jay L.

You should help homeless people find homes, jobs, and things like that. Another thing is, you shouldn't help other countries, just our own. -- Kimberly Fuson

See, the homeless need shelter and schools, or maybe you can teach them how to shoot guns and they can probably serve in the Iraq war. We need more people so we can win this war so Iraq can be done and gone. -- [name withheld]

I think you should raise the minimum wage. People could go to work for 24 hours a day and still not be able to buy food for themselves. That is another thing I think you should do. -- Scott Oxendine

I agree with you on the fact that you believe adoption is the option instead of abortion. Also, the fact that you and me believe marriage is between a man and a woman. Thanks! -- Grace Capps

Abortion should be the woman's choice, and women should have their rights. I know a 13-year old woman who is pregnant. How can she work for the mopney to keep the child? Will the child be happy? No! He/she will not because they won't have the money for the child. -- Cecilia Drake

I suggest that we stop abortion because for one, you are letting someone kill somebody, and that's the same as murdering. So that's just wrong, okay? We really need to stop that! -- Mary Hannah Hughes

I think that you should keep abortions legal, because some mothers sometimes are in danger when they're pregnant. I think you should keep it legal. -- Jamelle Batts

We should stop abortions. Abortions are good in a way, but I do not want them. Just killing a baby is bad. I cannot stand abortions. -- Cody Suggs

Stop the rights of gay marriage. We don't need gay marriage. They might persuade other people to be gay in the future, and we don't need that. -- Jocelyn S.

I have a problem with your ways with gay rights. Shouldn't everyone have the right to live like they want to live? It's just not fair. It's not that unnatural, it's just that they like other kinds of people. Shouldn't everyone have that right? -- Claire Dees

I think you should allow gay marriage. They should be treated the same as anyone else. They might not be able to help it. It should be allowed for marriage. -- Jorge Flores

I think you should allow gay marriage. If they are gay, just let them be gay and get married. There's nothing wrong with being gay and married. -- [name withheld]

Now the gay rights. I think they should be what they need to be. Protect gay rights. They are just like us. God made us, so God made them. -- Jodie Penny

Thank you for staying strong on issues that are important to me. There are some things we agree and disagree on. But overall, you're the best man for the job! You rock! Good luck and stay strong! -- Grace Capps

The last thing is that the President should pay taxes, even if you are the President. You should still have to pay, just like the rest of us. -- Daniel Skipper

President Bush, I want to thank you for using your time to read my letter. You do not know how much it means to me. I thank you so much! -- Jocelyn S.

I thank you for reading this. I thank you for taking some of my advice. Well, like my Language Arts teacher always says, "Still I Rise." -- Chris Craven