Merwil Urena
Staff Writer
Our country has existed for almost 250 years. We have emulated the greatest republic in the history of our species, the Roman Republic, which lasted around 500 years until its fall. What led to their downfall? The same thing that is leading our country down to a path of authoritarianism and monarchism: corruption.
There is an understanding to those in power that to keep the wheels of democracy moving, there will have to be some proverbial “greasing of the wheels.” The problem is that even though money in politics has existed since the creation of republics, it has never been more evident now in our current age that due to the lack of disclosure laws and transparencies from organizations, conglomerates and large corporations, our political landscape has been rife with gross corruption and confidence in our election process.
The solution is harsh but simple. We need to create an atmosphere in our political landscape that incentivizes fair and balanced actors from those who wish to influence our political leaders to do their bidding. By creating an even playing field for all the individuals who wish to participate in creating policies that will affect their fellow denizens, we cannot only restore faith in our political processes but give future generations hope that their vote matters. The average young American is disillusioned from voting in national and local elections. How can we preserve our government if our future generations are not involved in the processes that keep our society afloat?
We are at a crossroads in our nation. We have become a divided nation due to situations of race, violence and overall disaster. Sadly, the only times where we as a nation have come together is through tragedy and despair; but we do not have time to wait for the foundations of our republic to fall and crumble so we can finally realize that we need to do something. This is an issue that every American, whether they see it or not, will be affected by until there is change. Rome fell and through its ashes grew an empire that curbed the rights of the average person in the name of its emperor. Hopefully, America does not suffer such a fate.
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