Imagine a world where you are free to express your opinion but can have your phone tapped without a warrant.
In this world you can have an ambulance arrive to an emergency in mere minutes and rush you to a hospital only so you can be turned away for not having health insurance.
Imagine a world where you're innocent until proven guilty and provided with a lawyer for your trial, yet the ability to stay out of prison is contingent on how much money you have.
This world is actually America.
The land of the free and home of the brave is many things, both good and bad.
Without the work of the Founding Fathers, we wouldn't have the Constitution. Without the work of every political activist since then we wouldn't have a public education system, interstate highways, sanitation or the numerous rags to riches stories we're motivated by as Americans.
Or imagine a massive wealth disparity where 10 percent of the population controls 90 percent of the money, families are forced out of their homes for defaulting on mortgages while bankers who pushed those mortgages make millions in bonuses or a minimum wage that doesn't allow someone to live above the poverty level and children are taken from those homes because their parents work two full-time jobs to make ends meet.
This, too, is America.
Now, before anyone labels me as anti-American or anti-democratic, let me say that I am indeed a flag-waving, America-loving supporter of democracy. I just think we can do things a lot better than we are. We shouldn't be considered a basement for Canada. Yes, there are people who think that.
I think Winston Churchill said it best: "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried."
If this were an ideal world, government wouldn't be necessary. But we are far from an ideal world.
We've created this world by accepting the status quo and doing nothing to stop it.
The greatest thing about democracy and America is that if there is something going on that we don't like, we can change it. The Constitution gives us the power to freely assemble and express our opinions. It also allows us all to have a say in public affairs by voting on candidates to represent us. Our vote at the ballot box sends a message.
In order to foster change, we must become politically active and understand the government and desire to protect the freedoms afforded to us.
This means if you have a problem with the government, do something about it aside from complaining. This can be writing a letter to Congress, starting an issues campaign, attending town hall and city council meetings and speaking up and, if you felt so inclined, running for office. Any form of political involvement for the right intentions creates a stronger and truer form of democracy and helps keep the government accountable.
Another way to become politically involved is by becoming more informed. Turn MTV off and turn on CNN, MSNBC or Fox News. Read a newspaper. Subscribe to a weekly magazine.
I realize the thought of running for office is laughable to many and you can find a plethora of excuses not to. It's too expensive, no one knows me, no one cares, etc. However, the pages of history are filled with underdog candidates who overcame massive odds to take office. There are mayors across America who are younger than we are. Anything is possible.
As it stands now, the real world we're about to go into is flawed. We hold the answers to make it better. It's just a matter of caring enough to do something about it.
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