Americans envision to be in a country that promotes peace, justice and equality for all. Both the government and the people have a role to play to make America greater in the 21st
century. The government should work to deliver services to the people by providing enough opportunities that should be fairly shared to improve the living standards of the Americans (Poole, 52). The government should honor the freedoms and rights that the Americans have been given in the constitution. The people want an America that cares about them, develops the land, protects its borders and is a good global citizen. The research paper answers the study question of how America can be made greater in the 21st Century. The paper will focus on the rights and freedoms of Americans, , the economy, the healthcare sector, the education system and the response of the government on criminal justice, among other topics.
Constitutional Rights
For Americans to realize the vision of making the country greater in the 21st
century, every individual and institutions should ensure that the rights and freedoms given to the Americans by their constitution are not interfered with (Beard, 110). For instance, the Americans have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit for happiness. Every individual is free to live their life how they want and to dream and act on their dreams as long as they are not interfering with that of other individuals. The government can reinforce this right to its people by providing the necessary support to help individuals realize their dreams. In the recent past, there have been many cases of murder attributed to the high number of civilian gun ownership. The government should ensure that the people’s lives are valued by making laws that protect the lives of its citizens.
The constitution has given all American’s the right to freedom of speech. Every American has the right to choose what to think, say and how to say it. The Americans have the freedom to speak without the fear of being prosecuted. The media has also enjoys the same freedom of speech and is free to investigate and report on any topic including the actions and plans of civil authorities. America can be made greater in the 21st century by allowing every individual and the press to exercise their freedom of speech without restriction. International bodies rank the US behind in their press freedom compared to other Western countries. There has been an increased hostility to the journalist and have been banned from airing investigative reports in the reason for national security. The government argues that some reports would fuel terrorism and other criminal acts. The journalists should be allowed to exercise their freedom and protection to be able to enjoy the right to freedom of speech.
The Americans have the right to freedom of assembly as provided for in the constitution. The people do not need government’s permission to have public peaceful assembly. The people can demand a government office or an elected official for accountability freely. American’s can utilize this right by demanding accountability of public funds and provision of quality services by the government. The constitution has given the freedom and thus the people can make America greater in the 21st
century by utilizing the freedom of assembly to demand for accountability of public offices and for provision of quality services by the government.
The Americans have the right to privacy, which allows them to live private lives without intrusion by anyone, including civil authorities. The Americans continue to fight for this right as in some cases individuals are searched without warrant. Such practices may be termed as intrusion, which denies the individual their basic right of privacy. In addition, the internet privacy falls in this category. Americans have the right to have secured internet access to protect their personal data published in the internet and the data should not be given to third parties without consent of the individual. Currently the privacy no longer exist as companies use cookies to collect information from internet sites people visit and this data is commercialized by sending advertisements and content based one’s browsing history. Other concerns are privacy risks where people maliciously spread spyware and other bugs to internet users. America can be made greater if the internet users are allowed to enjoy the right to internet privacy. Their browsing habits should not be used without their consent and internet unethical practices should be curtailed, thus making America greater in the 21st
century.
The Americans have the right to just treatment in the courts. Justice has remained a major concern in America. The constitution provides the right to speedy trial without favor or prejudice. In addition, the government should not impose cruel fines and punishments on individual, the law must be followed fairly in punishing the guilty persons. One should not face the same legal charges when cleared and no one should be forced to accept guilt. The right has been abused on several cases leading to biasness against certain individuals in the basis of religion, race and ethnicity. The American justice system must be made fair for all to make America greater in the 21st century. No one should feel discriminated against when in their own country. Other rights that need enforcement are the right to safety, right to transparent government, right to vote, freedom from discrimination, right to vote, right to bear arms and right to freedom of religion.
Improving the Economy
The US economy is highly developed and is the largest in the nominal GDP. America is also among the high technology innovators and the US dollar is most used reserve currency globally. The US economy is driven by the vast natural resources, modern infrastructure and the high innovativeness and productivity of its citizens. However, the country has suffered from unemployment of its people with the unemployment rate remaining at an average of 4%. The economy should work to the benefit of all its citizens, by creating policies that emphasize on job creation to reduce the unemployment rate. In addition, there should be a fair living wage for all to reduce the poverty gap. The poverty statistics taken in 2017 show that 12,593,000 individuals and 7,758,000 families in the US have an income below the Poverty Threshold totaling to a poverty gap of $178 billion (OECD, 2018). A fair living wage would make more workers become self-sufficient, thus increase productivity and reduce the dependency on government. The government has spent $177 billion on the welfare of the middle class in the last ten years with $355 billion on thirteen welfare programs, excluding the Medicaid (OECD, 2018). This can be reduced by making the economy work for all citizens, having a fair living wage, thus improving living standards of the people. When more money is in more people’s hands, the economy will improve and the living standards of the people too will improve. To achieve this, the federal government should come up with policies to increase the number of jobs, the minimum wages, boosting the private sector, among other factors. The growth of the economy would make America greater now and the future.
Improving Healthcare for All
All Americans deserve quality and affordable medical care. The American’s should have access to affordable comprehensive healthcare (Gonzalo et al., 36). The vision to have a quality healthcare can be made possible by having qualified medical professionals, infrastructure, systems, and funding in the healthcare industry. The Medicaid and Medicare programs are negotiated to provide quality affordable healthcare to the Americans. In addition, the private insurance companies should be encouraged to offer supplementary medical insurance. Most importantly, the government must focus on fitness and wellness programs to prevent avoidable illnesses thus reduce the cost of healthcare. The Americans are affected by lifestyle diseases especially obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, among others, these diseases can be avoided by the American joining wellness programs. The government should give incentives to the wellness providers to make it affordable to all Americans.
Providing High-Quality, Affordable Education to All
The Americans desire to have quality and affordable education. The parents want their children to acquire all-round education to make them productive and responsible citizens. The employers too want to have high quality graduates who are well prepared for work. The government is currently working on improving public schools to make the higher education accessible to all. There is free basic education that allows every American to the skills needed for a decent job, supplemented by tuition-free programs that provide technical, trade, and vocational skills. The public schools receive adequate funding to deliver an effective education, the teachers are adequately remunerated and motivated, and the non-performing teachers are replaced. However, for higher education, the government should work towards making the education affordable, by offering cheap student loans with reasonable payment plans and by having public programs that support adult education for all. By that, America will be made greater in the 21st
century by having a literate population, with skills that are relevant to the job market.
Criminal Justice Reforms
Americans desire that the crime rate reduce to the bear minimum. There is a developed criminal justice system, which ensures protection of the Americans and their property. The security bodies are doing an exceptional job in trying to provide Americans safety and the crime rate has reduced steadily in the past six years (Wilson, 102). However, the systems still have loophole that should be rectifies to ensure criminal justice for all. For instance, there has been continued police brutality against the blacks and the perpetrators escape freely. The minority ethnic groups are the majority in the American prisons, and at times, innocent people are imprisoned. The justice system, thus need to be improved to make America greater in the 21st century. The authorities should avoid unnecessary and brutal arrests as they make people loose trust in the police. The persons charged with crime should be free to defend themselves in court and their property should not be confiscated until they are proven guilty. Observing these and more reforms in the criminal justice would make America greater in this century.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the country is doing well in ensuring peace and prosperity of the citizens. Laws and policies have been developed to ensure that every American is free to live and pursue their dreams. However, the laws and policies need to be emphasized and the Americans need to play their part by exercising their duties and responsibilities given to them by the constitution. Having an economic system that works for all, quality healthcare and education and a fair justice system would make America greater in the 21st century.
Works Cited
"United States - OECD Data." theOECD. N.p., 2018. Web. 9 Nov. 2018.
Beard, Charles. An economic interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. Routledge, 2017.
Gonzalo, Jed D., et al. "Educating for the 21st-century health care system: an interdependent framework of basic, clinical, and systems sciences." Academic Medicine 92.1 (2017): 35-39.
Poole, Robert W. Rethinking America's Highways: A 21st-Century Vision for Better Infrastructure. University of Chicago Press, 2018.
Wilson, Woodrow. Constitutional government in the United States. Routledge, 2017.
