Equality of Opportunity

If American citizenship is to be at all meaningful, American citizens need to recognize the importance of equality of opportunity, accept some responsibility for achieving it, and start demanding that our elected leaders start trying harder to provide it.   Right now, the idea of equality of opportunity is, in this country at least, little more than an idea.  We don't even have free and fair elections (elections with id requirements meant to keep certain voters away from the polls and districts constructed to insure the control of the House of Representatives by one party (to name just two problems with our elections) can not possible be free and fair).  Many folks do not have access to a quality education.  Children grow up without a roof over their heads or food on their tables.  Government benefits are not available to folks based on their sexual orientation.  As long as these, and many other barriers to equal opportunity, exist ... American citizenship is not meaningful and American democracy is a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing,.