“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” George Washington said.

These words could not become truer than in America today. Political parties, things that used to unite people and get people to go out and simply vote or voice their opinion, have become potent weapons. The American people have not been this divided since the Civil War. Let that sink in for a moment, Americans are as divided as we were back in 1860. Who is responsible for this though, you could argue that it is the politicians in Washington or our current President. However, the real person who is at fault through all of this is ourselves. Americans are responsible for the crisis we seem to have spun into. We have become so focussed on ourselves and what our personal lives that we have forgotten about one of the biggest responsibilities we have as Americans. We have stopped watching the political system. We have stopped holding our politicians accountable. We have stopped voting. The most basic liberty that is given to us, we do not do. Americans complain all the time, “I am not a fan of our President, I do not like my senator or governor. I hate my local representatives, I wish they did this or that.” Perhaps instead of complaining or whining start becoming politically active and pay attention and start voting for people who agree with your views.

My junior year, I took AP Government and though the class itself wasn’t all too exciting, I found it amazing how many people did not know how our basic government operated. I found it amazing that people could not tell me what the First, or even the Second, Amendment was or at least what it stood for.  In my senior year, though I’m no longer in AP Government, I have found that the problem has only seemed to have gotten worse. Nowadays, people will simply use Twitter and the most trending tweets to decide what is fact vs fiction, they will do little to no research and ask almost zero questions every time. I have also found that in general, most people have little to no interest in politics and that they would rather watch the drama unfold with James Charles than look at what is happening in Alabama.

However, this is not just a problem at Lake Central, it is throughout all of America. The lack of people who follow politics is a serious problem. As we edge closer to the 2020 Presidential Election, I urge anyone who will be of voting age to begin researching who they support and why. Don’t go off of the fact that they are Republican or Democrat, a political party does not tell you anything. For all you know, the Democrat that you voted in could be all for Fascism but you simply assumed because he was a Democrat he would have the same views as you. Remember, at the end of the day the most powerful people in this country are not the politicians, it’s you. Why do you think restaurants always say the customer is always right? Because it is the customer who keeps that business running. The same goes for our government, the politicians rely on our vote and our support. Without us, they are nothing no matter how much money they raise or how far up the establishment they are, the true power in this country lays with the people. The sooner Americans figure that out, the sooner we can fix the country. The sooner Americans figure out fact vs fiction, truth from bias, and hatred vs love the sooner our government will serve us. The sooner we start voting is the sooner that we can truly make America Great Again.

“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address.