President Donald Trump,

I am honored to write to you. I am 18 years old and currently enrolled at Auburn University. My interest in politics grew through high school and, while I was not old enough to lend you my vote in 2016, I voted for republican candidates in the 2018 midterm elections and will vote in 2020. Your actions during this shutdown and how you end it will determine my vote, along with much of America.

Your stance on immigration has been made quite clear. Congress has made their position clear as well, refusing to fund the border wall for which you advocate, resulting in the current shutdown. I humbly ask you to reconsider this position.

I am a conservative and a republican. I believe America is for Americans. I believe that the United States is a nation of immigrants, but those who wish to enter our country must share American values, to include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Inevitably, a consequence of these values is the value of hard work. The opening line from the Auburn University Creed states very clearly what the American value of hard work is about, "I believe that this is a practical world, and that I can only count on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work."

I say that to make clear, to my understanding, the motivation for the influx of legal immigrants into the United States. People who wish to make a better life for themselves see the United States as a nation where hard work is rewarded. In our society and in our economy, those who strive for success will achieve, and those who do not will fail. The United States is a bastion of capitalism, the economic system that has raised more people out of poverty, paving the way with opportunity. But each step requires work. Immigrants who are willing to take the journey come here legally, and these are the immigrants we need.

Yet immigration is still an issue. Because if the ones who do not hold this American value as their own. Why do these immigrants seek to come to the United States? Because they see the United States not as an opportunity to earn a better life, but as a place where livelihood can be made from the fruit of others labor. Where welfare programs justify the government taking money earned by hard workers and giving it to the lazy. This draws in the illegal immigrant. How do we stop this problem? Your answer is a wall. But this has several problems. Not only is it opposed by many Americans, it also costs tax dollars, which congress refuses to grant. An alternative fix would be to remove the cause of the illegal immigrant.

I already noted that I am a conservative, and as a part of my conservative beliefs I believe in limited government. I believe in minimal taxes and minimal spending. And I believe that government is a necessary evil. Building a wall is not a conservative fix to the immigration issue. It does not limit the government, rather it strengthens the power of the executive. It does not reduce the burden of taxation no the interference of government spending, rather it uses money earned by Americans and taxes by the government to fund the wall. It does not reduce the size of government, rather it increases its power, further increasing the possibility of tyranny and evil. A border wall may be effective, but it is not the best solution.

You are an educated man, and I know you understand how people think. It has led to your success in the business world. I ask you, if our government were to reduce spending on entitlement programs, how would that affect illegal immigration? It would reduce the desire for illegal immigrants to sneak into our country. And this is a conservative fix to the problem. It reduces the size of government and it lowers government spending. In turn, it limits the need for taxation to fund that spending.

Again, I ask you to think carefully about your actions in the coming weeks. You can determine the result of the 2020 election. You control the fate of the United States and the fate of the world. Take into consideration what the American people ask of you. Take into consideration the values of our nation. And most importantly, take into consideration what the true conservative answer to the illegal immigration issue is.

Sincerely,

Alex K. Edwards