Most people regardless of age will laugh openly or at least snicker when you bring up the idea of political institutions of the United States getting or acting to produce any real or meaningful change these days, and sadly, this has been going on for more than a couple of years now. Political parties are deadlocked, state legislatures, the House of Representatives, Senate and more. The Executive Branch is disrespected as an office, and the Supreme Court isn't being allowed to fill vacancies through inaction on behalf of the U.S. Senate. It is a political standoff with no viable end in sight. As a result, many people my age, in their late teens and 20's look at politics with disdain and disgust. But, this is the exact reason I plan on diving straight into the fur ball, and I hope you will join me.
Politics is ravaged by partisanship, where one side believes they are supremely in the right and the other side couldn't possibly know what they are talking about. This has led to a deadlock of ideologies move nowhere. It is a sacrifice of the basic tenant of republican (Government style, not political party) thinking. The ability to compromise to produce sufficient and effective action. We as a generation have been broadsided by this. We are fighting desperately for good jobs when there are few to be had, a student debt that has surpassed credit card debt in this country, when graduate degrees mean nearly nothing, civil rights violations gone unreported, the climate coming apart at the seams, just to name a few immediate crises. Without immediate action, the consequences of these may very well be disastrous in short term and long term.
We are disregarded as lazy and selfish, when all we want is just a fair shot to try and make the best life we can for ourselves. We are the future generation, we are the ones with progressive ideas, ideas to move our country, our home, forward. It doesn't matter what your party is, because if you can talk professionally and compromise, then there will be progress. We will be handed this country in a shorter time than most realize. The countdown is well underway already. So now I speak directly to you not only as a writer, but as a fellow citizen. Be not a patriot of blind faith, but rather a citizen of unwavering compassion and perseverance. Recognize the problems, establish viable solutions, and work together to build on those successes. If there was any generation that I believe could accomplish these tasks, it would be the one about to step to the helm.
