Honestly, I would have a much easier time supporting major national projects if they came after we had meaningfully addressed the problems already affecting millions of Americans every day.
Before we spend enormous amounts of money building monuments, vanity projects, or anything tied to political legacy, we should be focused on fixing the basics.
We should start with our broken healthcare system, where too many people delay care, ration medication, or go into debt because they cannot afford treatment.
We should address the food system and food insecurity, where families in one of the wealthiest countries in the world still struggle to afford healthy meals.
We should be serious about the wage gap, the wealth gap, and the growing reality that working full time still does not guarantee financial stability.
Housing has become unaffordable for far too many people, and homelessness continues to rise in communities across the country.
Then there is our failing infrastructure: roads, bridges, water systems, public schools, and mass transit. These are not luxuries. They are the foundation of a functioning country.
I am not against building things. I am against misplaced priorities. Build a country where people can afford to live, get medical care, eat healthy food, find housing, earn fair wages, and move safely through their communities. Then we can talk about a monument and a ballroom.