The War On The People

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With midterm elections just around the corner, the youth of America need to be actively involved in the electoral process now more than ever. A future in which equal rights, economic stability, and viable social programs is hanging in the balance, and with headline after headline coming out of Washington, it is clear that if something doesn’t get fixed soon, we could very well be heading for a socio-political train wreck. There is a war being waged against the average citizen of the United States and it’s our jobs as young Americans to fight to preserve what this country is all about: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Let us recap some of the things that have happened over the past couple weeks that validate many people’s feelings of discontent. Just a few days ago the always lovely Mitch McConnell announced that the ever-rising deficit should be blamed on basic social programs like Medicare and Social Security. I urge you to take a moment and really think about what that means for the people of America. McConnell (and, according to him, the rest of the Republican party) has decided that amidst them giving the top one percent a massive tax cut, it was the citizens’ rights to standard medical care that is truly damaging our economy. Forget about the festering wounds the Trump tariffs have left businesses that were forced to close doors and the ever-expanding military budget, they feel that medical care could be less costly and in extension less important than their own agenda.

Maybe we should talk about something that has happened more recently. As reported by the New York Times, the RNC has started the process of not recognizing Trans people for who they are. The definition the Trump administration is seeking for the term gender is defined by the genitals at which the person had at birth. This would henceforth eradicate the acknowledgment that Trans people exist. So instead of concerning themselves with things that matter, like the restrictions being put in place to make it more challenging for minorities to vote, instead they are now ACTIVELY impeding on people’s personal rights as opposed to upholding them. This is cause for concern. This is something that the people should be scared of. It’s no longer a matter of policies anymore. It’s a matter of civil liberties and freedom.

Speaking of the voting restrictions, we must have an open and honest discussion about how the current guard in office is actively working to warp elections and oppress voting rights. Never in the history of America has it been more challenging to do something as simple as voting. Just a couple of days ago the Supreme Court passed a bill restricting the voting rights of Native Americans. As a country that loves to parade itself as a true democracy, isn’t it just a little ironic that our government is seeking to oppress those people who were here before we even were? Hell, they live in this country too. They were BORN here. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, should stand in their way of voting just like every other free citizen. We’ve seen in the past our government’s blatant disrespect for these people and their sovereignty; the least we could do is treat them like they’re a part of the bigger picture. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to voter oppression. We haven’t even touched on the topic of African-American voters and the mistreatment they face in a number of southern states.

All of these things do have something in common. They all benefit those in charge at the moment while at the same time beating down on the citizens of the United States. We as people should take great offense in the fact that the current people in office seem to be actively attacking some of the few government institutions we have left that actually benefit all of us. Come November I urge you to remember these things. Remember the bigger picture, and how slowly but surely the government is trying to dismember and dissect the bright future us and our children truly deserve.