By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
In 1886, it was a monumental gift from one nation to another, celebrating the enduring values of liberty and democracy, embodying the aspirations of those who sought refuge and opportunity in a new land – a welcoming beacon of hope for generations. This was the gift from France to the United States following the Revolutionary War when the 13-colonies overthrew the Kingdom of Great Britan. The Statue of Liberty – originally named “Liberty Enlightening the World,” was intended to be an international symbol of liberty, justice, and democracy, per the National Park Service.
“The statue’s role in American history extended beyond mere symbolism; it served as a literal gateway to a new life. New arrivals were often met with the words inscribed on the pedestal: ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’ This iconic phrase, crafted by poet Emma Lazarus, encapsulated the compassionate spirit of the United States and its commitment to providing refuge for those in need,” per World History Journal.
Here we are, 139 years later, and reasonable people inside and outside America can ask if the United States still stands for liberty, justice, and democracy. It seems like discrimination, oppression and inequality are no longer on a snail’s pace of decline – they are on the incline. IPSOS surveyed perceptions of America as a force for good in 29 countries since just prior to the November General Election and 46 percent said yes. Prior to the election that number was 59 percent – a 13 percent decline in six months. The country list includes South Korea, Hungary, Australia, Great Britan, Germany, and yes, the very country that conferred Lady Liberty on us – France – records just 30 percent of respondents claiming America is a force for good today.
As President Trump focuses on immigration – illegal and otherwise – some Americans are contemplating emigration. Gallup polling in 2024 found that 21 percent of Americans wanted to leave the United States permanently, more than double the 10 percent who had said so in 2011. The thousands that are leaving are people who have the means to do so. We have no shortage of people of means here. “In 2024, the top 10 percent of wealthiest Americans control 60 percent of the country’s overall wealth, whereas the bottom 50 percent control 6 percent,” per USA Today.
One lens to the view the deep division in America is the number of tie-breaking votes cast by our vice-presidents, in the Senate. Over time 306 of these votes have been cast. Vice President Kamla Harris cast the most, 33 over her four years. J.D. Vance has already cast his fifth tie-breaking vote – on H.R. 1, dubbed One Big Beautiful Bill – in just five and half months in office. Just three Republicans Senators voted against it, Susan Collins of Maine, Tom Tillis of North Carolina, and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Among the Democrats speaking on the Senate Floor prior to the vote was New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “I’m here on the floor to oppose the Reconciliation Bill that we are considering today. It would be the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in a single bill in our history. It would give not the top 1 percent but the top .1 percent an extra $250,000 per year, while those making less than $50,000 per year, which is about 30 percent of Americans, will lose $700 per year. The bill represents the largest cut to healthcare in history, impacting Medicaid and those on the Affordable Care Act. There are $930 million in cuts to Medicaid alone in this bill. Up to 17 million will lose their health insurance. Those American’s earning less than $30,000 per year will pay $1,500 more per year in taxes.” So much for fairness and equality. So much for “with Liberty and Justice for all…,” so much for caring for our own children. The One Big Beautiful Bill will drive a deeper, more expansive wedge, between the haves and the have nots.
Pew Research tells us that 23 percent of Americans are enrolled in Medicaid – about 80 million people – and the number is rising. States like Louisiana (32.4 percent), Kentucky (28.3 percent), West Virginia (28.2 percent), and Arkansas (27.4 percent) – heavy Republican states – are among the seven states with at least 25 percent of their population enrolled in Medicaid. These four states have a total of eight Senators and eighteen Representatives. Of those twenty-six members of Congress, only five voted against H.R. 1, per https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025190, demonstrating little to no regard for the least of these.
Here on the deep down home front, both Mississippi Senators – Wicker and Hyde-Smith – and three of our four Representatives – Ezell, Guest, and Kelly – all Republicans, voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill, despite one out of every two Medicaid enrollees being children, per the Kaiser Family Foundation – https://files.kff.org/attachment/fact-sheet-medicaid-state-MS, in a state that refuses to apply for Medicaid expansion. Only Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, a former schoolteacher from Bolton, voted against the bill.
The inscription on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty no longer applies in modern-day America. There is a full-out assault on poor and marginalized communities in the United States today, fueled by people who pridefully call themselves conservatives, MAGA Republicans, Christian Nationalists, and President of the United States.
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