Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Angus Butler, a 10th-grade student at Houghton High School, finished fourth in the state in this year’s Voice of Democracy essay contest, put on annually by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

HOUGHTON — A Houghton High School student’s entry in the Voice of Democracy contest took him to the top levels of the state competition.

Angus Butler, a 10th grade student, finished in fourth place in the state for the nationwide competition, put on annually by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Students write and record themselves reading an essay on a given patriotic theme – this year, “What Makes America Great.”

Butler’s essay, “There’s No Need to Make America Great Again, It Still Is,” begins with America’s ports and trade, which he wrote have given America “unique goods, innovative ideas, and inseparable bonds and alliances with other countries.”

Butler likened the benefits of trade to those of immigration, which he said has helped America by bringing in new people and new views.

“The mixing of foreign and national beliefs and thoughts shaped America’s ethnic diversity into a giant complex concoction of beliefs and thoughts,” he wrote.”This mixing caused America to become a stew of outlooks and values from all over the globe clashing together and forming new, elevated views and ideas.”

The blending of differences could happen because of the freedoms Americans enjoy, Butler wrote.

“Americans have the ability to speak their minds, receive treatment fairly, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or religion, and elect their leaders,” he wrote. “The worry of unfair discrimination, unlawful treatment from the police force, and the gloomy thoughts of a lying government should not cross the minds of any American man, woman, or children, for they all have guaranteed protection against any of these wrongful actions.”

After winning the district competition, Butler went on to the state competition in Kalamazoo.

“I met a lot of new people, I made a lot of new friends, experienced a bunch of things I’ve never had before,” he said. “And it was just nice to be recognized for hard work.”

Along with the experience of going to state, Butler also liked

“I think the biggest thing I got out was sometimes how we can take America for granted, about how little some people think the benefits of living in America are and how truly amazing it is to live here and how privileged we are to exist in this land,” he said.