April+RP

Contributor: April Location: Rhode Island Country: United States ofAmerica

I believe government is a built structure to power and make enforced laws.

In elementary school, I was taught that a government is an organization. There is a positive aspect of government such as upper class, support of democracy, and religion. Then there’s a negative aspect of government such as war, enslavement, and class oppression.

As I grew up, I became embittered on the government as I was taught many different views on how the government deals with today’s society. I learned about the structure, the constitution, how the government was formed. But I was never taught how I could be a part of the government and act out my opinions on today’s issues. About two years ago I went on a trip with my church youth to McCauley House and learned how the government takes care of the disadvantaged group and therefore cannot support themselves. McCauley House is a volunteer shelter for the homeless action committee. “We know that this shelter has already saved one life,” interjected John. Homeless people from all over Providence come to McCauley House not only for food, but for support and comfort from the volunteer’s that work there. By attending this action committee I was convinced that the government was not giving enough resources to those who are disadvantaged.” According to the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, 6,773 people entered a Rhode Island shelter in fiscal year 2007. By contrast, just over 4,500 people entered a shelter 10 years ago.” Having this many people homeless is a cry out for help. I started to formulate questions in my mind about the government. Are they contributing enough to support the homeless? Who are fellow Americans. Are they willing to go through dramatic measures to ensure that people have shelter? What are their plans for the future? It’s very necessary in life such as shelter.

I also joined a nonprofit organization about two and a half years ago that changed my idea about government and democracy in so many different aspects. I attended a trip to South Carolina where my church youth and I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. The goal is help every man, woman and child to have a decent, safe, and affordable place to live. They built with people regardless of race or religion and welcome volunteers/supporters from all different backgrounds. This one house I worked on was for this old lady who had been in the hospital for months. Her son wanted to surprise her by remodeling her old house. My group and I created a new shed because the old one was rotted and was bound to collapse. We painted the whole inside of the house because each room had exotic colors. And lastly we renovated the floor because it was incomplete from previous years. I believe that private nonprofit organizations are more beneficial than government. They are more dedicated and have one goal in mind, and that’s to help people afford decent homes. Nonprofit organizations are devoted to helping others and get excitement out of seeing others happy. With government there’s a lot of paper work and they could be doing it just to get a job.

So throughout the years my opinons about democracy and government have changed dramatically. In elementary school I thought the government was nothing but nice, powerful, and a solution to solve sociey's structure issues. But as I grew older, I learned different opinions about democracy and government. I learned that your opinions don't have to be based on what other's believe or even what you've heard on tv. It's about your own idea, your own thoughts, your own structure, and your overall experiences dealing with the government.