Dear future President,

My name is Tom P. , I’m from Clarkston Michigan and a senior in High School. I am a dedicated 4-H member and spend most of my time helping others. Someday I aspire to become a Veterinarian. I have my whole life ahead of me and I ask myself, “ what will this country be like when I am and have to life in it?”

The founding fathers gave the citizenry of the United States a gift that has lasted through civil wars, world wars, cold wars, and for the time being political wars. This great gift is what has held our country together through thick and thin and preserved the integrity and the freedoms that make our country strong. As you know, this gift was the Constitution of the United States. As time goes on circumstances change, people change, and most importantly the needs of the country change. It’s brilliant framework allows for this document to be living so it can change when the country changes. This gift of being changed has undoubtedly saved our country more than once. We must ask ourselves, “is change always the best thing?”

No matter what, within a country some people will be pleased with the direction of the country, and some would want to change the pathway entirely. Changing the Constitution is a lot like getting a haircut you can always take hair off but you can’t put it back on. When you take too much off it tends to take a long time to grow back. As president you will have a very important opportunity to ensure the United States gets the right style. I know one of the first things on your list to complete within your first 100 days will be to nominate a Supreme Court Justice. Your nominee could tilt the court to the right or left, but the nominee could also do something else, balance it.

Change can be a great thing in moderation, it’s what allows our country to move forward and survive through the years. In the past our ancestors were not nearly as open minded as us. Promoting civil rights for all people was a huge step. Today, the type of change people wish to have is much more complex, and have further reaching implications than some of the previous movements. Activist justices are not the same as they were in the past. In this day and age, our activist judges are hyperactive. Whomever the president may be I encourage them to select justices who are moderates. This way when we go in for a haircut people won't get scalped.

Now, let’s say a partisan judge is nominated to the court. This justice is going to rule in favor of their party’s constituency, and not on behalf of all democrats and republicans alike. You ran on a party platform, so naturally it makes sense to nominate a justice that will help your agenda. I think we need to look at the country as a whole.

When George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton, he left his successor a letter. The most important passage in my eyes were the last two paragraphs. “You will be our President when you read this note. I wish you well. I wish your family well.Your success is now our Country's success. I am rooting for you!” Here Bush explains how Clinton will be our President and that his success will be our success. I encourage you to take this same advice when selecting our Supreme Court justice. It’s a bigger issue than partisan politics.

I wish you the best of luck,

you’ll need it,

Tom P.