An Open Letter To The American Government

Dear Government,

I am very disillusioned by you, and you have angered me greatly.

In the sixth grade, I was lucky enough to have a fantastic U.S. Government teacher. Though a daunting task, she changed the generalized connotation of government class from being “boring” to being “exciting”. I’d even go out on a limb and say that she made our government seem amazing and awe-inspiring. She wasn’t embellishing the truth or fabricating any lies to make the government more interesting. She was simply stating the facts, which were captivating in nature. She taught us that we lived in a country in which the governing body had our best interest in mind. They wanted us, the citizens of America, to have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness no matter who we were, where we came from, or what we looked like. I left the sixth grade feeling inspired.

Perhaps I was naïve, but learning about the American Government gave me hope. It gave me hope for others and myself that, through education, we could create opportunities that other countries’ citizens could not afford to create. I wish I could say that I still feel this way, but I do not. Over the years, I have uncovered more and more information about our government that has led me to my disillusionment.

Firstly, I learned about the many workers in our government who do not have our best interest in mind. Some politicians have proven to be greedy, money-hungry and deceitful. The people that I thought were our biggest allies turned out to be not so nice. I was able to cope with this information; it’s a fact of life that some people do bad things. Next, I learned about my state’s recently enacted laws on education and abortion. I was infuriated to learn about how Ohio’s government has been handling those issues. Yet, again, I was left to cope with my anger. However, the last straw finally broke this month when I learned that our government could abandon us and shut down all together.

This is it. I’ve lost hope for our government. I’m speechless at the greed, the inability to compromise and the underhanded ulterior motives behind the shutdown. I find this to be unacceptable. It shows a general lack of concern for the millions of Americans whom the government knew would be affected when they failed to reach a compromise. The residual effects of the shutdown range from minor inconveniences to serious, life-changing disturbances, none of which is acceptable.

Those responsible for the shutdown need to understand how disheartened they’ve left their American constituents. I believe I speak on behalf of many, many Americans when I say enough is enough! It’s time to quit squabbling and make some decisions. I don’t mean to belittle the decisions to be made; I understand how important their effects will be on the United States. However, it’s time to stop leaving us in the dust. I am ashamed of our government and embarrassed for our country. I want to see the return of the government I was promised in the sixth grade. I want to feel the security of our government having our best interest in mind. I want them to support my right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Sincerely,

A Disheartened American

By Alexandra Fountaine

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