The topic of American Government is a very broad one. When asked to discuss my opinion on its current state its very conflicting. As a member of the armed forces, having first hand experience, there are aspects to which I have a differing opinion from what most of Middle America believes. It cannot be argued that we are currently in a budget crisis and foreign wars are very expensive. I have a strong conviction that we must put the brakes on the excessive spending. The banter in the media, and the current issues of the Supreme Court, focus on social issues such as gay marriage. These are issues, which I believe, should not even be questioned. Why is American Government exerting their power in social issues when we have yet to solve our financial crisis? The bulk of the population receives their information about governmental issues from media outlets; media outlets that rely upon ratings and advertisements. With this in mind, these media outlets focus on moving stories such as school shootings. The stories of school shootings move the average American into action. Political leaders and lobbiests are aware of this fact and use it to their advantage. There have, as of late, been a rash of similar stories covering shootings that are causing Americans to demand reform of gun laws. Lobbying groups such as the National Rifle Association have been in strong opposition to harsher gun control; which I agree with. These proposed laws are not going to positively impact the big picture. Guns do not kill people, people kill people. As a whole, America tends to waste energy on matters that are irrelevant and wasteful. While we grow deeper into debt the media continues to draw attention away from this and onto more “gripping” stories.