The divisiveness in America is certainly no secret. And this presidency means something different for everyone. In an effort to promote more thoughtful and constructive conversations surrounding the news, we asked our audience this question.
Yes, there were some really abrasive comments, like those asking President Trump to "kill himself." But many others focused on education, marijuana legalization, health care, climate change, debt reduction, U.S.-based job creation and social security protection.
Here's what some of you had to say:
"Put a more qualified person in charge of our children's education. One who isn't going to take away funding from public schools and give it to private schools!" — Roseanna H.
"I would tell Trump to call the country in and have a revision of the Constitution. The Constitution needs updating, much like a business that is constantly renovating itself for success. If America wants to be the nation of the world, its views have to constantly change in the direction that uplifts humanity for a better world and not take steps back towards ignorance and destruction." — Eddie M.
"Equal protection and punishment under the law, if you commit a crime no matter who you are ... sentencing, time served, everything is the same punishment for the same crime across the board!" — Mark L.
"Stay true. Kill ISIS. Build a wall. Lower taxes. Fix health care costs." — Brad J.
"Crack down on welfare abusers. States shell out way too much of taxpayers' money." — Lisa C.
"Forgive all student loans, and make tuition free. Who knows what great minds America is wasting because the owners of those minds can't afford higher education." — Will K.
"Put more money into our education system. Find a way to lower health care premiums for working Americans, not by repealing health care but by holding the insurance companies and medical industry accountable for why they charge so much. It shouldn't trickle down on the consumer. Doctors shouldn't be driving a Porsche. They should be in health care because they want to help, not get rich. — Elizabeth I.
"Please get rid of Monsanto, and please be kind to the environment. Please understand that sometimes abortion is a bad circumstance to a victim. Have an open heart and open mind to the Truth of the Word of God. Bring us together, and let us meet on a common ground with ALL people from all walks of life. I'm going to hope for this. This is my personal request." — Victoria R.
"Raise the pay for caregivers who break their backs taking care of someone else's loved ones while our loved ones wait for us at home." — Christina A.
"Ideally, remove all undocumented immigrants. Realistically, make marijuana legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes." — Jordan G.
And personally, I'd like to commend this woman for standing up for herself when a conversation went awry.
"I can be educated and informed and speak my opinion. I'm open minded here. But we all have our opinions on this situation. ... I was really enjoying both sides of the conversation here ... Like I said ... we just will have to sit back and watch." — Desiree C.
People will never agree on everything. But when we silence opinions we disagree with, we all lose.
If you'd like to participate in more thoughtful discussions, email me at kristin@newsy.com.
Editor's note: Some comments were edited for length or grammar.
