Messages Just for You

After years of engaging with local, state, and federal agencies, I have come to a sobering realization: the system is too big. What was once envisioned as a means to ensure fairness, justice, and opportunity has become an overwhelming and impenetrable behemoth, incapable of recognizing the struggles of middle and lower-class citizens. The promise of a government that serves the people is being eroded as only the privileged appear to benefit, while the rest of society, particularly the working class and the poor, are left behind.

At its core, the government is supposed to provide for and protect all its citizens. However, the reality is far different. The criminal justice system, for instance, has become a glaring example of how the system disproportionately affects those without wealth or connections. Innocent people are languishing in prisons, their voices unheard because they cannot afford proper legal representation. Some citizens sit in jail for years awaiting trial simply because they cannot make bail. This form of pretrial detention does not affect the wealthy, who can post bond with ease, but it devastates the poor, who may lose their jobs, homes, and families while awaiting their day in court. How is this justice?

Meanwhile, countless Americans are being evicted from their homes, not necessarily because they are irresponsible or unwilling to pay, but because they are unable to fight the overwhelming bureaucracy of the system. Legal battles over housing are stacked against those without resources, and once again, the privileged prevail. When hardworking citizens are forced into homelessness simply because they lack the financial or legal means to defend themselves, it becomes clear that the system does not work for everyone.

Perhaps most distressing is how the IRS, an agency tasked with ensuring that every citizen pays their fair share, disproportionately targets the middle class. The wealthy, armed with teams of accountants and lawyers, find ways to skirt around the tax laws, while hard-working Americans have their bank accounts seized and their property taken. It is the middle and lower classes who shoulder the burden of the federal budget, which currently stands at a staggering $1.9 trillion. These citizens are the backbone of the country, yet they are often treated as expendable.

This reality prompts an important question: Is there a solution? What happened to the American Dream, the idea that with hard work, determination, and integrity, anyone can achieve success in this country? The dream used to promise that if you worked hard, raised your family, and paid your bills, you could be anything you wanted. Now, it seems the dream is reserved for those who already have wealth and influence. For the rest of us, the system has transformed from a tool of opportunity into a barrier to success.

The most troubling part of this situation is that we—the citizens—are being absorbed by the system, becoming faceless entities in an ever-expanding bureaucracy. We the people are no longer individuals with rights, dreams, and aspirations. Instead, we are cogs in a massive machine that seems more interested in self-preservation than in serving the very people it was designed to protect.

The system is too big. It is time to ask ourselves whether this is the society we want to live in. Can we find a way to restore balance and justice? Can we, the people, reclaim our voice and restore the promise of equality? The American Dream must not die, but it is clear that unless we reform the system, that dream will remain out of reach for far too many. It is time to confront this challenge and rebuild a system that truly works for all of us—not just the privileged few.