In celebration of Independence Day, this week we asked readers what they think is the current state of the country.

I hear health reform isn’t going well and tens of thousands could die. The fate of Planned Parenthood remains uncertain. According to “Freakonomics,” abortions actually reduce the crime rate, which I believe is true because a lot of candidates for abortion are not fit to be parents. The part that angers me the most is the denial of climate change and going against 99 percent of scientists. There are already strange deaths and phenomena happening in the wildlife, weather and the environment. Denials like this are a slap in the face to Mother Nature and unwinding the progress the entire world has made, so the current state of America is not great.
Victor Chu
Long Island City, Queens

I think we’re doing pretty good except for the fact that we’ve got a president who doesn’t know what he’s doing with the economy, taking away Medicaid and Social Security and all the other stuff for poor people. Everything he’s doing is for the rich and the middle class, that’s it. He’s not doing anything for the economy out here. All he cares about is putting up his wall; that’s all he’s doing and it concerns me a lot. Sooner or later there’s going to be civil war.
Hector Bruno
Bedford Park

After 241 years, I feel the state of our nation is good, but with Donald Trump as president he has turned the government inside out. So now there is no trust or stability as far as confidence in our leaders or the government. Right now the United States has a lot of good programs for the youth. America is strong and the ongoing war with ISIS is going to go on for God knows how long. He’s not stable and the government is not stable. The Democrats are trying to keep the balance of this whole situation.
Renaldo Shadow Rivera
Wakefield

At the present time America is doing better, but the president has issues with politics. He makes false accusations and they’re still unsure what to do on healthcare. They want to take away Medicare from the people who have no money, like the poor. Everything else is great right now. The president’s Tweeting is unconstitutional.
Edwin Tosca
Bedford Park

We’ve made a lot of progress since we were first founded, but that progress has been stalled for the last few years. America needs to start shaping up and fast because right now all we have to cling to is our freedom. I’m not sure what else we got. And that freedom is being encroached upon.
Jonathan Burgos-Santiago
Kingsbridge