Dear American Government,
You have failed us. Not just me, not just the next generations (or previous ones), but you have failed even yourselves. With your micro-focus on what was “going to be in it for you”; only you have failed America. While I am quite aware there are numerous statistics about voter turn-out, political involvement declining, and even the justification for major business funding campaigns, these are still no excuse for the lack of morality, character, or just simple intelligence.
Let me start with an area I am quite familiar with: Being a millennial. Not only do we get labeled entitled, coddled, and even whiny, we stepped into the worst trifecta in memorable American history. The trifecta (with some bonuses) includes, but is not limited to: Inflation of college costs (still rising!), Crashing home market (hope you didn’t want to own a home until you’re ready to retire), Big banks crashing (cue Capitalism rant), obvious corruption in all levels of government with no consequences (remember that constitution you swore to uphold? Oh yeah. That silly thing.), the highest divorce rate in history, Autism in children spiking, massive health care failures globally, and even sprinkle in (a lot) of racial unrest just for social significance. I could continue, but I wanted this to be constructive.
I just sometimes laugh to myself (if not then I would weep for days) at the idea that we are the entitled ones. The generation burdened by all of your “good-intention” social programs (i.e. Affordable Care Act), moronic leadership decisions (i.e. Patriot Act), and lack of basic financial accountability (i.e. Goldman Sachs). Somehow, you’re right, even though we’re the most civic generation since World War II. Meanwhile you removed American government, political science, and American history from the curriculum in public schools. Are you going to supply brown shirts for my children’s school uniform and constantly force feed them “America is chosen nation of God” propaganda too?
It’s not just millennials. The world around you is showing you the wrongs you have committed and yet, you still continue with the same mentality. For example, over 80% of voting Americans are dissatisfied with Congress. Yet, you spend half of your term fundraising so you can come back and actually complete what you halfheartedly promised the first time. “Term limit” is not even comprehensible at this point so you decide to ignorantly brag about how you have been on the hill for twenty years. Which means you are more to blame than most since you have essentially allowed these laws to be passed, or decided to skip the vote that day, meet with some donors from the Teacher unions, and then go to the next vote where you subsequently remove American history courses from the curriculum so that same Teacher’s union will keep donating. All the while future generations will not know how the American government functions and you can keep on keepin’ on for another twenty years. Clever. Incredibly despicable, but clever.
Since it is an election year, we cannot forget the most bizarre menagerie of candidates this election season. The American governments actions have left people so hopeless, they turn to: A narcissistic megalomaniac billionaire, a known and reputable liar with a knack for deflection, and a 74 year old socialist with 1960’s era ideals in 2016. This is not a drill, warning, or satire. This is our nation. The one that used to believe in justice, freedom, and work ethic. Other nations used to look to us as beacon of hope and now we are punchlines are their late night shows. Gallup polls, participation trophies, and crippling student loans aside, you have failed everyone. The unintended consequences on society of what you have done and will continue to do will never cease.
I majored in political science and public policy, because the system it self is a symphony. I recognize all of the parts, and that when working correctly, make beautiful things happen. It is poetic, hard, raw, and real. Even with a few hypocritical bad apples, it could have been something golden. Your dirty hands have forever tarnished whatever music that could have been made. You bent, broke, and flat our demolished any chance we ever had. Morality can be debatable, but pure malice and selfishness is not.