Voice of Democracy

        As a young person who is just starting to be aware of everything in the world, my perspective and viewpoints on many things are evolving. If you read the newspaper or watch the news there is rarely anything optimistic being reported. As I grow more aware of the events around me, and understand their effects, I see a lot of people who are adversely affected by many recent events. The war in Iraq has affected my immediate neighbor, and we all know someone who is affected by the economic downturn. Yet, I consider myself lucky to be an American citizen, and I am still optimistic about America’s future.

Such optimism stems not from the folly of youth, but from the fact that America has always recovered and learned from its mistakes. We survived a revolutionary war fought with, at the time, the most powerful empire in the world, Britain. After a long and bitter civil war, in which the country was divided in half, we managed to abolish slavery. We have gotten past two world wars, a decade long Great Depression, and a Cold War with the Soviet Union. After tough times, America has always emerged better and stronger.

Also, no other country is ready to take our place yet. No country has posed as an ultimate threat to us. Japan’s population has gotten old, almost rapidly. The European Union is facing immense fiscal problems, and even though China has been flourishing over the past few years, it is unlikely to grow over the next few decades due to its instability. Additionally, Russia and India are likely to remain regional powers.

Although other nations have been trying to catch up with us, America is still in a stronger position than most people realize. America is still the country with the world’s largest military, and the world’s largest economy. The dollar is still the world’s reserve currency, and competing countries still have a lot do in order to become a possible threat to American society. We still attract the most immigrants relative to other countries and we are the only Super Power that exists at this time. Our country’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses.

Furthermore, no other country can rival the genius and innovation that lies in American soil. From the earliest days, Americans have reimagined and remade themselves. The colonists couldn’t have imagined living in an independent nation free from oppression. The engineers who were revolutionizing computers couldn’t have imagined, that one day there would be brilliant machines the size of our palm. From electricity, to airplanes, to cures for diseases, America has always fostered creativity and innovation.