When I'm Thirty

Option B

Since the Sequester 12 years ago, this nation has consistently found it necessary to use hard measures in order to cut federal spending and reduce our national debt. The divide among Republicans and Democrats have worsened and the ability to enact new measures have suffered because of it, leading to more across-the-board cuts. When we elected a new president, we subsequently lost some of the mental blocks which had surrounded President Obama's 8-year term. However, this new generation has realized there must be changes in order to reduce the United State's horrendous trade deficit, and there have been painful (but necessary) cuts. This was unfortunate when I sought to buy a house as the mortgage rate was higher than before. Taxes have increased as well, and it was difficult to find a job in that time's poorer economy.

Globalization has seen a shift in power over the last 12 years, and the United States was in a difficult position trying to keep job-producing companies in the US with low corporate taxes; however, we needed those funds, and we raised the corporate tax. We now concentrate on ourselves, as opposed to international conflicts, and seek to strengthen the internal economy while maintaining a respectable trade relationship with other countries. The government used to politically divide us on topics such as gun control or abortion, but now we recognize the need to address the economy with as much passion. Times have been harder as we rely more on state and local governments to guide our lives, and the transition from a big government to a smaller one has included balancing the budget better so that the federal system is not a fund-draining conglomerate. Overall, while it has been harder on me this last 12 years, I understand our economy could not sustain the debt and trade deficit as well as other hardships that were steering our economy to a worse and worse end. There was no simple or easy way out of the hole we dug, so now this generation must work to get us out of it and clear the path for the future with long-term goals in mind.