I am an Irishman who has spent the vast majority of my life wanting to be an America. I am blessed to have spent a lot of time stateside, I love your sports (Go NYC), am inspired everyday by your history and admire your wonderful people. I have no problem in admitting I am a fanboy of America and I do my best to promote your nation and your values at every opportunity.
The one exception is your politics. The history of your politics is nothing short of horrific. If you have watched DC over the years, you have witnessed countless examples of spineless weak politicians say one thing and do something entirely different and sell out at every opportunity.
Politics Today
Take a look around at the big political stories lately. Is Megyn Kelly a traitor? The fallout of a talentless actress running her mouth just to be heard? A President-elect and his early morning tweets. Who is attending the President-elect inauguration? Members of GOP failing to put together a complete plan on what happens if the repeal Obamacare. Lastly members of the right failing to call Putin what he really is – a war criminal!
With these issues, it might be easy to think that America has no major issues. It feels to me like we are all in Vegas sitting in front of the Nickel slots playing a game with a bucket filled with nickels. If we win or lose on this nickel, it means very little as there will always be the next nickel.
Real Issues Facing America
You really do not have to research very hard to find out America is in dire trouble regardless of who holds power. We could start with America’s $19 Trillion debt, the constant money printing, the continuing release of excessive regulations and the highest corporation tax in the Western world and third highest in the world, only behind UAE, Chad & Puerto Rico.
I could point to the worrying long term trends in the rise of student loans levels, rise in numbers of food stamps, rise in the costs of healthcare, reduction in labor force participation, lowering of median family income, lowering of home ownership and once again the rise of suicides among Americans and Veterans.
While these are all factual, I would ask you to consider one additional feeling and emotion some of you may feel right now or have in the recent past. Ask yourself how many people you know in your community who have no hope for the future or think that life right now is as good as it gets.
If you add all of the above together, you will understand Americans are not playing nickel slots in Vegas. In fact America is playing at the highest rolling and exclusive table that has ever existed but with the added responsibility and pressure that the whole world is watching . How we act right here, right now will not only determine the world we all live in, but the future we will hand over to our kids and grandkids. Are we really going to accept being one of the first generation in human history to handicap future generations where they cannot hope to be better off than our generation?
Hard Truth
I need to share a hard truth with you. I love America, your people and the principles that made you an exceptional nation. However I cannot point to America as the shining city on the hill and in truth I have not been able to do it for a long time. Let me explain. (I cannot include Trump in this list as he has yet to serve, but I have long detailed my many concerns about him including lack of talk on the Constitution and the support of policies including tariffs, Government run Healthcare and borrowing).
You really think I can point to Obama? The man who says I have a pen and I have phone. The man who has destroyed any small part of stability in the Middle East and who was stupid enough to call ISIS a JV team.
Now I know my friends on the right will blame that on him being a leftist and explain to me how the right are better!
Okay so let’s discuss Bush – a President who not only said, “I have to destroy the free market to save the free market”. Or should I support him because after one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in U.S. history felt one of the solutions was to go build a complex in Utah to spy on Americans – not like there is a fourth amendment in America.
But this goes way back into history of America including Clinton who lied and brought scandal and scandal to the White House. Bush who said “NO NEW TAXES” and then sold out. Carter who needs a book all to himself to cover disaster after disaster.
Nixon who was impeached and Ford who pardoned him. LBJ who saw poor people and blacks as nothing more than an opportunity to secure power for generations for the Democratic Party. JFK brought the sleeze to the White House. Any list of Presidents would be complete without FDR who is somehow loved by many on BOTH sides of America. Yet here is a man who fought a World War against a country who interned part of their population while interning part of his citizens.
While this covers the Presidency I could equally point out the countless failures elected to power in Congress? Do you think I could point to the GOP controlled Congress under Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell? How about John Boehner / Mitch McConnell? Harry Reid & Nancy Pelosi?
Conclusion
In fact, let’s make this easy for everyone. Can you point me to a point in time when Congress and / or President made you proud and one we could point to the whole world and proudly say, This is the America we are proud of and the one the rest of the world should follow”. While I can point out the Reagan Presidency as one in recent history that achieved a lot, however we must also remember that it was the GOP who stopped him cutting back government on several occasions.
Over the last 100 hundred years I cannot point to a single time where I could promote your politics to the world. Honestly I don’t see much changing in the future. But does that mean America is over? NOPE!!! As an outsider I spend most of my time promoting your founding principles, your history and sharing one quote that perfectly defines America –
America is GREAT, because Americans are GOOD!
This week America will once again have a transfer of power and with that America has an opportunity, but it all depends on which path you choose. Will the American people decide a different path and choose principles over party, or will continue on the same path you have been on for over 100 years and choose party over principles?
When you make your decision, how will you promote your decision to others. I for one, hope and pray Americans continue to be good and put your eternal principles over politics. If you choose this path America’s best days are still ahead of her and at some point in the future we will all be able to point to America once again as that shining city on a hill.
Above is a column based on a monologue from last week’s Freedoms Disciple podcast. You can listen at the bottom for free or by clicking directly on the links for SoundCloud, ITunes or Google Play. This podcast is free, available anytime and a new show is released every Saturday @ Noon Eastern.
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