“There is nothing wrong in America that cannot be cured by what is right in America.”
—President Bill Clinton
Wow! The election is behind us, thank goodness. So many candidates ran a doom-and-gloom campaign: “Our country is going down the tubes.” “We’re in an existential crisis, or maybe the America as we know it no longer exists.” Are they right? I, for one, don’t think so.
If there is a crisis, I believe it’s in Washington, D.C. There, our leaders—and I use that word loosely—spend a lot of time spinning their wheels and harping at each other. It seems like the only thing they’re in agreement on is focusing on the next election cycle. But let a threat land on U.S. soil and, to their credit, everyone comes together to defeat it.
The founders established a government with checks and balances, in which no individual or small group could impose their minority position on the majority. Even our presidents have limited power and often have policy decisions rejected by Congress or overturned by the judicial system. By design, the wheels of government, and hence progress, turn slowly.
Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post on the way Americans view their country. Sadly, a significant percentage of folks view America unfavorably, especially those between eighteen- and thirty-four-years of age. That demographic is the up-and-coming driver of our economy, innovation, and leadership. If they’re disillusioned, we may be in trouble after all. Let’s hope enlightenment comes with age!
Last week, we held an election in which tens of millions of Americans went to the polls and cast their votes, even after enduring the candidates’ bickering during the campaign season. We take that peaceful process for granted, when some in other countries still fight to have that right. Whether or not we like the outcome, most of us accept it and move on—a peaceful shift in power we also take for granted.
For sure, our system of government is not without its warts, but as former Prime Minister Winston Churchill once quoted , “Indeed it has been said, democracy is the worst system of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Our healthcare system is not without its faults either. It’s expensive, and there are inequities. U.S. life expectancy is a few years lower than that of comparable countries. But think of how quickly we can be seen for an emergency, and how easily we can get the prescriptions we need. And answer this: Have you or anyone you know left the U.S. to get healthcare in another country? I haven’t, and I don’t know anyone who has.
Let’s take the Four Freedoms President Franklin Roosevelt articulated in his 1941 State of the Union Address:
• Freedom of Speech and Expression—Some try to suppress it, alter it, or misinterpret it, but by and large we are all free to speak our minds. In some countries, we’d be imprisoned or killed for some of the things we’ve said about our presidents.
• Freedom of Worship—Most of us can walk into our houses of worship without fear of retribution. There’s work to be done to fight antisemitism but, in the U.S., generally speaking, our Jewish friends are free to follow their faith.
• Freedom from Want—Compared to most countries, our average income is high, making houses and consumer goods readily accessible. Capitalism isn’t without its flaws, but do we really want a system that isn’t based on meritocracy?
• Freedom from Fear—The world is a scarier place than it was when I was a child. In that day, all we had to do to protect ourselves from nuclear fallout was get underneath our school desks! We do have ongoing wars and rumors of wars, and there are other places, like the Scandinavian countries, that don’t spend the money we do on our military preparedness. But what would the world look like if the U.S. didn’t serve as a deterrent to the tyranny of dictators and the threat of nuclear proliferation?
Okay, I’ve made some generalizations, and I know there are exceptions to every point listed. But, all things considered, there’s no other country where I’d choose to live. In this the season of gratitude, I’m thankful to live in the U.S.A.
I bet you are too!
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing:
“There is nothing wrong in America that cannot be cured by what is right in America.”
—President Bill Clinton
Wow! The election is behind us, thank goodness. So many candidates ran a doom-and-gloom campaign: “Our country is going down the tubes.” “We’re in an existential crisis, or maybe the America as we know it no longer exists.” Are they right? I, for one, don’t think so.
If there is a crisis, I believe it’s in Washington, D.C. There, our leaders—and I use that word loosely—spend a lot of time spinning their wheels and harping at each other. It seems like the only thing they’re in agreement on is focusing on the next election cycle. But let a threat land on U.S. soil and, to their credit, everyone comes together to defeat it.
The founders established a government with checks and balances, in which no individual or small group could impose their minority position on the majority. Even our presidents have limited power and often have policy decisions rejected by Congress or overturned by the judicial system. By design, the wheels of government, and hence progress, turn slowly.
Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post on the way Americans view their country. Sadly, a significant percentage of folks view America unfavorably, especially those between eighteen- and thirty-four-years of age. That demographic is the up-and-coming driver of our economy, innovation, and leadership. If they’re disillusioned, we may be in trouble after all. Let’s hope enlightenment comes with age!
Last week, we held an election in which tens of millions of Americans went to the polls and cast their votes, even after enduring the candidates’ bickering during the campaign season. We take that peaceful process for granted, when some in other countries still fight to have that right. Whether or not we like the outcome, most of us accept it and move on—a peaceful shift in power we also take for granted.
For sure, our system of government is not without its warts, but as former Prime Minister Winston Churchill once quoted , “Indeed it has been said, democracy is the worst system of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Our healthcare system is not without its faults either. It’s expensive, and there are inequities. U.S. life expectancy is a few years lower than that of comparable countries. But think of how quickly we can be seen for an emergency, and how easily we can get the prescriptions we need. And answer this: Have you or anyone you know left the U.S. to get healthcare in another country? I haven’t, and I don’t know anyone who has.
Let’s take the Four Freedoms President Franklin Roosevelt articulated in his 1941 State of the Union Address:
• Freedom of Speech and Expression—Some try to suppress it, alter it, or misinterpret it, but by and large we are all free to speak our minds. In some countries, we’d be imprisoned or killed for some of the things we’ve said about our presidents.
• Freedom of Worship—Most of us can walk into our houses of worship without fear of retribution. There’s work to be done to fight antisemitism but, in the U.S., generally speaking, our Jewish friends are free to follow their faith.
• Freedom from Want—Compared to most countries, our average income is high, making houses and consumer goods readily accessible. Capitalism isn’t without its flaws, but do we really want a system that isn’t based on meritocracy?
• Freedom from Fear—The world is a scarier place than it was when I was a child. In that day, all we had to do to protect ourselves from nuclear fallout was get underneath our school desks! We do have ongoing wars and rumors of wars, and there are other places, like the Scandinavian countries, that don’t spend the money we do on our military preparedness. But what would the world look like if the U.S. didn’t serve as a deterrent to the tyranny of dictators and the threat of nuclear proliferation?
Okay, I’ve made some generalizations, and I know there are exceptions to every point listed. But, all things considered, there’s no other country where I’d choose to live. In this the season of gratitude, I’m thankful to live in the U.S.A.
I bet you are too!
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing:
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