Dear Mr. President,

Times in America are getting hard. Is the purpose of your planned changes for America to make our nation's people better Christians or just better citizens? Mr. President, you want to make America great again, but when was it ever great?

Was America great during the 1790s when our nation's founders were still trying to develop their own identity? Maybe America was great in the 1800s, but it was filled with slaves, political corruption, the Civil War, and the post-war effects. It didn't get better in the 1900s because African Americans and other minorities were still being treated as if they are lesser human beings. The Jim Crow laws are not a myth. Let's not discuss the first World War and its sequel. It's hard to not think about the Great Depression, the big recessions, and the wars that we fought in. Then, there was the epidemic of heroin and crack cocaine that plagued our country. Maybe America was great in the 1990s and early 2000s, but it surely has its flaws today.

There is too much tension in America. I would suggest cutting it with a knife, but I am afraid that it won't be sharp enough. Maybe that is the problem. There are too many things that are not good enough to cut through the tension. Our efforts to make America great have not been good enough, but they have been semi-productive. We have made advances in technology, created laws to protect human and animal rights, changed our educational system, and excelled in movies, music, and sports. I love cheering for America during the Olympic games. Go USA!

I appreciate the gains we have achieved over the years. I love waking up feeling safe and knowing that our troops are working hard to protect us. However, we can't ignore the little things. I feel America has lost its "American dream." Immigrants have glamorized our country and left their home in pursuit of a better life that America will bring. "America brings better opportunities to make money. Making money makes people happy because it shows our success." It breaks my heart to see "Americans" bashing immigrants for coming to "our" land. How can we mistreat immigrants? Did we forget that once upon a time a couple of Pilgrims fled their country to pursue a better life in the new land, which was already inhabited by the Native Americans? Then, the colonists, our founding fathers, have the audacity to take the land from the Native Americans. At least, they gave the Natives some new land until they decide they need that land, too. I remember learning about the Trail of Tears in my history classes. Mr. President, are you going to help the immigrants have a better life in America? Are you going to help Americans have a better life in America?

"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from the "I Have A Dream" speech

Martin Luther King Jr. has a beautiful dream for the country. Do we want that same dream that Dr. King has? Can we, at least, want some of it, if not all of it? Sometimes, I feel that we have turned his dream into a nightmare. We have done a great job listening to Dr. King's words but a poor job of adapting his words into our lifestyle. Racism, still, exists today. There are numerous young black males being arrest and killed because of racist motives. "A white cop kills an unarmed black male" is frequently the headline of the daily news. All of us know how the outcome of that story turns out. Social injustice and racism are just two of the many issues we need to tackle. How will we change America to a better place? Mr. President, how can you or we decrease the violence in our country. Maybe, the violent traits are a stem product of what's going on at home. Poor people are more likely to be violent. Also, poor people are more likely to be uneducated. How can we make sure that our children, the future generations, and leaders of this country, will have a better education? States, especially Louisiana, are making many educational budget cuts and firing teachers. Using those tactics are not giving young students hope towards college. Let the children have the education that your daughter has been receiving because I know you, as a father, want your children to have the best teachers and an amazing education. Mr. President, what will you do to help your citizens?

Mr. President, America's problems are not all your fault. Unfortunately, you are just the one that will take the blame for a couple of years. You do play a huge role on if our country will either progress or regress. Hopefully, the choice is to progress. Mr. President, you were elected for a reason. While you're in office, I and other fellow Americans will be supporting you because we care about this country. What will you do to make a better difference? Please, don't let us down, and don't make promises that you can't keep.

Mr. President, what is your dream for America? How can we work together to make this lovely nation a great nation?

With grace and love,

An American

P.S. I ask many questions because I don't have all the answers. Maybe, we, as a united nation, can work together to brainstorm effective solutions.