The United States is Not the World’s Babysitter
The horrible acts of ethnic cleansing and the violence depicted in
”The Wild Beast” are deplorable. It is very disheartening to read accounts of civil inhumanities in other parts of the world, and to see the graphic images on the nightly news, but is the United States responsible to intervene and stop these atrocities from occurring? Does The United States have to be the world’s “big brother” or babysitter? No, we as a country do not have to hold responsibility or accountability to ensure these atrocious acts cease.
I do not believe that the United States should be solely responsible for fixing problems in other parts of the world. If the United Nations chooses to intervene and many countries are standing together to assist the victims of inhumanities, then we do have that responsibility as a member of the UN. I do not think that we ever should risk the lives of our citizens because the rest of the world is depending on us to do so. If the actions of another country are going to directly and adversely affect our nation, then that is a different situation entirely. I believe that a united front against forces that commit the atrocities is much stronger than one country bearing sole responsibility.
We have many issues in our own homeland that need to be addressed, intervened in, and solved. Instead of focusing the majority of our attention on countries on the other side of the world, I believe we need to refocus on our own issues. Our nation’s future stability is dependent upon us.
Our country is faced with cities full of homeless people. There are overcrowded homeless shelters that house thousands of men, women, and children. When those shelters are full to capacity, then the homeless that are turned away are forced to live on the streets. On the same nightly newscast in which we watch the foreign atrocities abroad, we see people sleeping in cardboard boxes and bus shelters here in our own country. We see pictures of starving children in other parts of the world and are urged to help those children; yet we have children that are starving and malnourished right here in our own country! Even though the perception of the homeless is one of a destitute alcoholic or drug addict, this is not the case for all of our nation’s homeless citizens. Some are homeless because of poor choices and some are homeless through no choice of their own.
We, as a country, also need to put a far greater emphasis on the education of our children. There is plenty of funding available to go fight other countries’ battles but there isn’t enough funding to ensure that our nation’s children go to schools that provide a safe, healthy, and mentally enriching environment. And if there is, it sure is not being used for the education of our youth. Something is wrong with this scenario; what could be more important than educating our nation’s future adults? Educating our nation’s children should be inclusive of providing them with mental enrichment in teaching the traditional educational classes, as well as mental stability and hope for the future. Unfortunately, not all of our nation’s young citizens get this in their own homes, if they even have a stable home, and the proper funding for mental health assistance in the schools would be a very positive aspect of educating our youth; therefore, ensuring a more secure future for our nation as a whole.
What about the health care and well being of our own citizens? How many people in our very own country have to suffer from disease, illness, and pain because they are uninsured and cannot afford treatment to relieve their ailments? And if these uninsured individuals do receive medical treatment, it is often at a great cost and they could wind up losing everything they have in exchange for good health. Many people with chronic illnesses, such as asthma, have to go without the medication they are supposed to take daily because it is so costly. They have to choose between their medication and living expenses such as shelter and food. In such a well-developed, and technologically advanced country, there has to be something our government can do to ensure that every citizen of this nation has access to affordable health coverage and adequate health care. I believe adequate health care is total health care—physical and mental. All citizens should be able to receive any and all health care needed, regardless of their race, sex, or financial status in society.
The above issues are just a few of the problems that our nation faces on a daily basis. We are not the Utopian society that many foreign countries perceive us to be. We do not live in a peaceful and crime-free society. Television news and newspapers are full of stories of violent crimes being committed. All of our citizens are not treated equally; there is plenty of hate, prejudice, and suffering all over the United States. Big cities, small towns, rural areas, and urban areas, they are all affected somehow by numerous problems and issues that need resolution. I believe it our responsibility, as a nation, to take care of our own country. We need to focus our attention and funding to resolve the problems we face at home. I do not think the United States needs to play the role of the world’s babysitter, big brother, and protector.
