September 18, 2022

Dear America,

I write this letter as a concerned American. What you are about to read is not designed to be political in a way that favors one political party. Instead, this is a letter intended to unite, heal, and inspire Americans across our nation. If you are like me, it is hard to ignore the events that continue to transpire each day and divide our country. It seems as if we, as Americans, constantly wake up to our values, freedom, and way of life under attack. The divide has created a sense of fear and hopelessness that demoralizes our men, women, and children across the country. The divide has also made it harder for us to reach across the aisle and look at each other as Americans, not by our race or political affiliation. Unfortunately, many of us are afraid and lost and have become vulnerable. We have fallen victim to the lies of false promises that our elected officials continue to voice, while, at the same time, finding new ways to defraud everyday Americans of their right to self-interest.

Countries overseas are watching as we continue to fight amongst ourselves. Many of these countries are gladly rooting for us to fail. Some historians compare the current state of America with the events leading to the collapse of Rome. They say that America has gotten to the point of no return of being saved. Today, I write this letter from my grandfather’s shop. My grandfather emigrated from Italy after WWII and during a time when Italy was experiencing economic and political instability. My grandfather lived through a fascist regime, and he will be the first person to tell you that he does not want anyone to experience what he went through. He came to America because it represented a new opportunity – to live the life he could not in Italy. To him, America symbolized the land of opportunity and freedom.  All my grandfather had on his back in this new land was his work ethic and faith. He worked from nothing towards success. To say I am proud would be an understatement. I am inspired and grateful. My grandfather’s story is just one of the millions of stories about the opportunities that America has presented to people. If you speak to my grandfather today, he will express his worry about our country's direction.

America was and is built on the backs of its people: We the People, a vast and diverse grouping, which includes immigrants like my grandfather and generational Americans like myself.  But We the People are tired. We are tired of the rising living costs that have made it harder for us to get by. We are tired of the violence in our neighborhoods. We are tired of the corruption and the false promises from our elected officials. We are tired of the infringement upon our autonomy.  We are tired of the media’s lies. We are tired of a political system that no longer works for the American people, but rather for a select group of elitists who find ways to enrich their bank accounts at the cost of American taxpayers' money. We are tired of seeing our children’s future destroyed at the hands of those who try to play God with our lives. We are tired of the divide in our country. We are tired of being tired. Today, we need to say that enough is enough and take control of our lives so we can build the future we want. Look at your neighbor in your eyes and say, that no matter the race, religion, gender, or political party, We the People are in this together, and we all want an opportunity that my grandfather had, which is a chance to live the American Dream.

To the historians and people who believe that our country is on the verge of collapsing, I tell them this: We must not collapse for the sake of humanity (McCoy, 2022). America is a symbol of freedom and a beacon of hope, and if America fails, as Ronald Reagan once said, “There is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth ” (Regan, 1983). That is why I have great faith in the American people: they realize what is at stake. I also believe that historians are selling short the strong spirit within the American people and disregarding everything America has gone through in the last 246 years. No one is saying that these times are not difficult; but, these challenging times remind us of what is at stake when we do not do our jobs as American citizens. Our founding fathers fought and established America on our First Principals to secure our freedom and liberty.

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness” (Jefferson, 1776).

The foundation our Founding Fathers set forth allows us to live the life they fought for us to have in America. This is a country that allows free will. It is a country where you can speak your mind without persecution, practice the religion you want, choose the path you want for your life, and vote.  Perhaps we need to take a step back and realize that we may have taken our rights for granted. The truth is these are rights that not every country has. We do not have to look far to see that many countries are oppressing their citizens' ability to vote fairly. Some countries continue to persecute you for the religion you practice; and, some countries will even silence you for saying things against their government (Bischoff, 2022).

What made America beautiful is that we could live in a country, and despite our differences, we can still respect one another. Unfortunately, it seems that there are politicians, prospective elected officials, and elected officials, themselves, that have made it very difficult to reach across the aisle and do what is suitable for the American people. The sad truth is that our freedom and way of life are being played within political hands, hurting the American people across our nation.

We Americans have the power. The power to change our circumstances has always been in our hands. Simple: we can vote, we can lobby; but when our voices remain unheard, what left is there to do?  For too long, we have, unacceptably, excused the corruption of our elected politicians. We then ask ourselves why these elected officials are in power when we are the ones who elected these politicians. As Americans, we are responsible for protecting our rights by ensuring that the government is doing its job. If we feel that these officials no longer represent our best interest, then we have a right, given to us by our constitution, to vote and replace those in power. If there are no people on the ballot that you believe are representing our rights, then we have to consider running ourselves. For too long, we have blamed an obscure America for all our problems when, sometimes, we need to look deeper within and ask: what are we doing to make this country a better place? We cannot take from America without replenishing the soil. To ensure that our future and our children’s future are bright, we must give back, just like those who sacrificed before us.

Do not let the divide consume you.  Do not let hate win or fear stop you. Instead, be brave, let love prevail, and let God in.  God Bless America.

Signed,

G.S.P.