An Aspirational America
04/07/23 04:32
July 4, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 29) - Some may call me naïve. Others may accuse me of being a Pollyanna. However, it is within my DNA to believe in America and in its founding principles. On this Independence Day, I share the concerns many of my fellow citizens have about crime, discrimination, injustice and gun violence. I am especially concerned about the moral and political corruption that reaches deep into the three branches of the federal government. However, despite all of this, I still believe in America. I believe that even with these flaws, our country still stands as the world's best hope. No, I don't blindly believe in America as is it. I believe in an aspirational America, one where democracy and meritocracy are one in the same. I know that cannot happen until all are accorded equal opportunity. I also know that our nation must set a higher standard for ourselves than we do for others. We can't lecture others on the merits of a civil society when we don't practice civility among ourselves. We can't preach about the merits of democracy when some of us engage in blatant voter oppression and others are involved in open sedition. And what about those who aspire to become Americans? Unless you are a Native American, we all came from somewhere else. I find it ironic that those who tell us they worship the memory of Ronald Reagan don't appear to know what he stood for. Listen to the last speech he gave as president. It was a love letter to the immigrants who forged this nation into what he called "A Shining City on the Hill." In a 1982 speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Reagan boasted that American hasn't built walls to keep people in. He should have added that we - at least for the most part - hadn't built walls to keep them out, either. Neither Reagan - nor I - favored uncontrolled open borders. But we both agreed that people seeking freedom and opportunity afforded within this nation should have it. Reagan had faith in the Founders. So do I. Sure, there's a lot to fret about on this Independence Day. And it is our duty as citizens to seek the changes we desire through meaningful and civil public discourse that is ultimately decided at the ballot box. America today is far from perfect. But, our Constitution proclaims in its preamble that it was created "in order to form a more perfect union." If we love our country as much as we say we do, let's not make it a confrontational America that tears down people because they are different than us and tries to build walls to keep people out. It should be an aspirational America — one that taps into the best that all of us bring to these sacred shores. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.