I have some ideas about how the government should be run. I think that the president should be honest with his/her citizens, and open minded about the ideas that they may have. A good president would take input from not only those that they work with directly, but those of the general public. A way that the president might go about doing so is by creating online polls where citizens can vote. I think that the general public often has great ideas and logical points about what should be done when a conflict arises.

An issue that is very important to me is equal rights. My hope for the country is that we can all tolerate and treat everyone equally, regardless of gender, religion, sexuality, race, and whatnot. I think that it is critical to the peace of the country that everyone is treated equally. I’ve noticed that women are often ridiculed and treated as lesser beings than men. The same goes for homosexuals and anyone that identifies as a member of LGBTQ. In my opinion, tolerance of differences doesn’t just mean that you are okay with someone as long as they stay a good distance away. Actual tolerance means, to me, that you treat them exactly the same way as everyone else. Women, men, members of LGBTQ, all humans, deserve the same treatment. One person doesn’t need special treatment because of their differences, they really just need equal treatment.

I worry that this country has too many issues with differences. For example, being a woman in a workplace should not give you any special privileges, but it shouldn’t mean that you get any unfair treatment either. For instance, I read an article about prison officers being bullied by their coworkers on the job. Female officers reported that their male coworkers had been the bullies, and male officers reported that they had been bullied by both coworkers and supervisors. The females had been victims of sexual harassment significantly for often than their male colleagues. The bullying impacted both the male and female victims, affecting stress levels, mental health, and job satisfaction. This situation is one of the many examples of workplace discrimination that is often found today.

The same goes with being a certain religion or sexuality. I think that everyone has the right to be treated equally. It’s really important to me that the president supports equal rights for everyone. Why does the Declaration of Independence say that “all men are created equal?” Why don’t Americans follow the things in the Declaration today? I really believe that maintaining our honor as a country that treats everyone equally is of the utmost importance.

Thank you,

Liz B.