|By Mark Mizell|
An open letter to Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois:
Dear Senator Duckworth,
After a disastrous and turbulent 2016, many Americans felt that improvement was the only possible path. We were woefully incorrect. 2017, like its predecessor, furthered the ever-expanding divide among the American people and government alike. It was a year filled with political and social turmoil from sea to shining sea. Our great nation was consistently torn asunder by a steady flow of intolerance and our Constitution strangled by the hands of partisanship, but akin to other times of tremendous instability in our nation’s history, 2017 was not consumed entirely by these ideals. Many Americans not willing to accept the grim reality thrust upon them spoke out, stood up, and as a collective sought to keep and protect a brighter and fairer future in America. That is just what we at Next Generation Politics (NGP) seek to continue into this new year of 2018 and all the years to come. We represent not just the Next Generation of American voters, but the Next Generation of American leaders. As a member of NGP, I believe that the preservation of American ideals, institutions, and principles is of paramount importance to usher in a new age of inclusion in which all people can be treated fairly and equally and be awarded the rights and freedoms deserved by all.
Being the highly influential and incredibly busy woman who you are, I am sure you receive countless emails and letters addressing issues such as the very one I am about to mention, but this has been a major concern of mine since I began my interest in politics a few years ago. My mother is an elementary school teacher in the small Southern Illinois town where I have lived all my life, with a population of 6,500 it is safe to say that the majority of citizens live in poverty, or are on the verge of it. The same holds true for the aforementioned elementary school which is also the one I attended. As of 2016, 87% of the 600 students lived in some form of poverty, and being closely tied to the school all my life, I have seen the level of poverty experienced by 5-12-year-old students and it is truly saddening — the state of not just our community, but of communities across America.
Sadly during the current administration the countless strides made by President Obama to relieve the lower class from the heavy burden of poverty and to level the playing field in The United States to allow all Americans a fair share of the nations bountiful fruits seem to have been rolled back, attacked, or forgotten. The repeal of Obamacare, the expiration of CHIP, and the Recent Republican tax reform perhaps nullified the progress made in the last eight years.
Senator Sanders has pushed for the implementation of single-payer healthcare in the United States and I see that as the most important step in a long walk to lower poverty and unemployment exponentially in America. Other democracies in Europe and even Canada have single-payer healthcare and all studies show that it is incredibly beneficial to all citizens but especially the lower class. With the beginning of this new year, I hope you and Senator Durbin will bring the full weight of the State of Illinois in advocating for single-payer healthcare and the long march to eradicate the horrendous blight plaguing this great nation, poverty. Thank you, and keep up the amazing work you do for America!
For the Next Generation,
Mark Mizell
This letter has been edited by Editor Mateo Portelli
The post An Open Letter to Senator Duckworth (D-IL) appeared first on Next Generation Politics Blog.