America is leaning towards a failed democracy, and has been lying about clear truths we’ve seen with our own eyes. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE) murders and rising health care costs are the result of what happens when there’s an abuse of political power. Our rights as the people are being stripped from our hands.
A recent example of these lies would be unlawful ICE murders. As for myself, watching these events unfold has changed my view on politics.
Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was brutally shot and killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7th. She had just moved to the city, and was a prize-winning poet and a hobby guitarist. City leaders have said she was a legal observer of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities, but the Trump administration has called her a “domestic terrorist,” according to the BBC.
According to the Minnesota Post, Vice President JD Vance claimed ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot Good in Minneapolis, has absolute immunity because he was engaged in a federal law enforcement action. Although federal officials have some constitutional protection against state prosecution, ICE agents do not have full immunity.
ICE has abused and detained many other U.S. citizens. When will their cold-blooded actions be met with consequences instead of people in power shielding their wrongdoings and making excuses?
These horrible deaths didn’t end at ICE. Another important issue would be the cost of healthcare in America.
Millions of Americans are left with untreated injuries, long-term mental health crises and deep trauma. America has the most expensive health care in the world. According to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which is an organization dedicated to raising awareness on America’s long-term challenges, “In 2024, the United States spent an estimated $14,885 per person on healthcare. The highest healthcare costs per capita across similar countries.”
Healthcare should be a right for everyone. Not a privilege. Less fortunate people have to endure suffering because of those in power who lack empathy. According to Kim Krisberg, at the Public Health Watch, a woman in East Texas had diabetes and was working full-time to make ends meet while sick. Healthcare is so expensive that she still couldn’t afford her health insurance bills and had to live with her disease, which soon worsened. Roughly 36% of adults skipped or postponed necessary healthcare in the past 12 months due to cost, according to the Health System Tracker.
President Donald Trump proposed “The Great Healthcare Plan” on Jan. 15, in an attempt to lower health insurance premiums for Americans, but will that work? How are we supposed to believe in a government that continuously lets its people down?
People shouldn’t have to worry about cost when they’re in desperate need of help. Watching millions of Americans suffer because they can’t afford a medical bill is disheartening. People in power should be held to account.
As for someone who is a part of the younger generation, most of us have lost trust in our government. People keep dying, democracy is failing, and change has yet to come.
From ICE killings and injustices to an expensive healthcare system that is money-hungry and leaves people behind. It’s more than clear that our country is flawed. Government lies, ignorance has real consequences, and the citizens are the ones who pay the price. Our government officials have to take accountability. Maybe then our country could improve one step at a time.
