Politics is the forefront of where change happens through policymaking. In my opinion, the government, at least in America, still stands strong because citizens and people in the country still have a glimmer of hope and belief that the government will and is serving the public good. And I am one of those citizens that still have that glimmer of hope.
I used to think the government had a myriad of issues - all politicians are slow, corrupt, self-interested, liars, and complicated. When I was younger, my mom would tell me politicians are all interested in money, if there’s no benefit for them, they wouldn’t help the people. Even in school, I was taught by my teachers, told by my friends that most politicians are corrupt. That constant cycling of “corrupt”, “liar”, and other negative words thrown at me, pretty much brain-washed me to dislike the government.
I still think that those same issues exist in the government; however, I feel optimistic about how the government can change to really serve the public good. My experiences constantly remind me to be optimistic about the government. And that optimism and awareness will help the nation get further towards choosing the right people for office.
Working at Senator Kennedy’s office made me realize how much work goes behind serving the public. It is daunting to read long bills and policies, let alone write policy. It is daunting to hear criticisms from the public on controversial issues like providing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, the Climate Leadership Community Protection Act, and the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act via email and phone calls. Having the government perspective of things, I realized that politicians do care about helping people, at least for my senator, he does. Researching about the policies he supports, the policies he created, all to improve access to food, education, transportation, and other big issues, indicates that there are good politicians out there serving to help the public good, that there is some glimmer of hope to counteract the “bad” politicians. Knowing that constituents still email and write letters to the senator to show their support or their opposition on certain bills and issues emphasizes that people do believe that the government will listen to them and that the government will do something about their issues.
Obviously, not everyone is optimistic. I went to volunteer for my office to help build a community garden and I met a resident from the neighborhood, expressing her anger towards the government, that people of color are constantly facing issues. I told her I’m studying government in Cornell because I want to understand and mitigate the hate people have towards the government. I want to learn how the government works to better inform what the government does, how there is some glimmer of hope to change the bad parts of the government. Her anger reminded me that a lot of help is needed, but at the same time, when she listened to me talk about my interests, it reminded me that people do listen. She told me, “those are some big goals you’re reaching, but good luck.” Her words told me that although skepticism towards the government still remains, being optimistic and being aware will influence the choices made towards electing better politicians to office.
Like Professor Sergio Garcia summarized, people affiliate themselves with an identity. For people in America, that identity is often American. And being an American comes with the core value of freedom - the freedom to choose. As an American, I choose to be aware and optimistic about electing the right politicians to make the necessary changes and policies for the public good.