What Makes America Great?

I am sick and tired of listening to all the negative rhetoric blasting America and Americans for being what they are. Everyone, at home and abroad, has been trying for the last 40 years to make us feel guilty for being born, being independent, for raising the standard of living for the world, in short, for becoming what they all wish they were.

Other countries complain, criticize, and  caterwaul, and yet, if given the chance, they would almost to a person, trade places with us at the drop of a hat.

The problems the world are feeling, stem not from our oppressive foreign policy, (which has had it’s moments of weakness), not from the fact that we have colonized the world and bled resources from defenseless territories, (even though the principle of Manifest Destiny did needlessly trample and destroy many people and places.) No, the real reason for the disdain, is jealousy; unadulterated, green-eyed jealousy.

And so, like adolescent children, instead of trying to beat us at our own game, they belittle, condemn, and conspire to pull us down rather than try to lift themselves up. They tear away at the fabric that make us what we are, never dreaming that if these threads were woven into themselves, they would realize their own dreams.

So, what is it that makes America great? What are the components of our success? Listen as a Son of the Revolution, a product of the culture, explains the spirit of success. 

My family came to America from the Germany to Philadelphia in the 1750’s and fought in the Revolution, the Civil War, and all the wars since. They also moved west from Pennsylvania and settled Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, California, Oregon, and Idaho. But the spirit of success had never been limited to those who crossed the Appalachians or forded the Missouri. It lives in the hearts of the Irish, the English, the Russian, the Poles, the Asians, and Arabs who came to this country searching for opportunity. It is the spirit of responsibility. The responsibility for not only your actions, but more importantly, responsibility for your destiny. It is the force that pushes you out of bed each morning to try again. It is the motivation that compels you to do your best so your family and posterity may benefit.  It is the power that has made and keeps this country great.

We do not believe in the Divine Right of Kings nor the natural right of anyone else to lead. The right to leadership is based on your ability, not your lineage. It explains our passion for winners. We are drawn to those who accomplish although we too often worship those who succeed. We follow our leaders when they lead the direction we are going, and when they deviate, we replace them.

We believe that families are important, that they are the building blocks of any nation. But when families lie, steal, cheat, or expect us to do the same to protect them, it is imperative that the laws of the land are honored.All people, even our family members, must pay the consequences for their unlawful actions or the rule of law dissolves and anarchy ensues.

We make mistakes. But we try to learn from them. At times it seems we learn very slow, but it’s hard to turn 300 million people on a dime. Some changes have taken generations, and others will take several more. But we live in a country of people who not only chose to come here, but few ever choose to leave. We have border patrols to keep people out, not to keep our population in.  How many other countries can say that. Eldrege Cleaver, an outspoken critic and terrorist of the US in the 1960’s, left for twenty years to live abroad among the communistic countries he idolized, but chose to return to the land of his birth and face prison for his mistakes, because incarceration in this free land was better than citizenship in a dictatorship.

The voices of condemnation and dissent, whether at home or abroad, those who espouse Socialism, Communism, Maoism, or any other brand of Totalitarianism, have missed the mark. Those who want government or Big Brother to watch over and take care of us do not understand the nature of our success. The success and continued existence of the United States of America is based on the constant and vigilant maintenance of responsibility for self, for family, for country, and for those in need. Fortunately most of our citizens still harbor this flame of self-reliance as evidenced by the overwhelming outpouring of compassion, labor, and cash that poured into New York from across the country since the World Trade Center Collapse as well as in the aftermath of other recent calamities.

We have our failings, but we are blessed with greater strengths. Our faith in God and in ourselves will continue to preserve and sustain us. We are faced with a deadly, faceless foe bent on our annihilation. They not only want to topple us from our place of leadership in the world, but they want to destroy our way of life, convert us to their theology and enslave us for their prosperity. The threat is not new. It is the same challenge we faced from King George to Bismarck to Hitler to Kruchev. Their goal is to empower themselves by enslaving others. Abraham Lincoln stated, “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master”. We as free people, need to reach out, to teach, expound, and exhort others to accept that there is a reason for every man’s condition, but there is no excuse for them to remain that way.

Image courtesy: Joshua Hardin http://www.viewfindermedia.com/images/rockies/slides/rockies77.htm

How to Tell a Conservative from a Progressive

I had an interesting discussion with my college-age grandson last night. It centered mainly on the 2 different ideologies in our country, how they differ, and is there any reconciliation. I asked him to explain to me his understanding of the difference between Conservatism and Progressivism.

His answer ran along the lines that Conservatives don't want change, preferring the status-quo or what worked in the past; while Progressives are for change, the change needed to fix what is wrong.

He was correct in explaining the definition of the terms according to Webster, but he did not understand the differences in their ideologies. Here is how I see the differences.

Conservatives believe:

1. The Individual is the backbone of society,
2. In the power and goodness of the Individual; that left to themselves, the Individual will try to better themselves and society,
3. That Individuals are best able to choose their destiny, what is best, and can collectively govern themselves successfully,
4. That Individuals should be rewarded for their productivity and value to the society.
5. That there are eternal truths and laws that never change, that obedience to these truths will always bring the same results.

Progressives believe:

1. The  Individual only exists to strengthen and promote the good of the Society,
2. That Individuals can not be trusted to choose what is right; that left to themselves, the Individual will lie, cheat, and steal from others and the Society,
3. That Society must monitor and regulate the Individual to prevent abuses, (corporations are now Individuals, as well,)
4. That Society should reward all individuals equally, regardless of their productivity or value to society.
5. That all truth is relative and changeable; that situations, circumstances, and desires dictate what is truth.

Using these definitions, we can see that Conservatives are generally found in:

1. The Republican, Tea Party, Libertarian and Independent political parties,
2. Countries where democracy exists, such as; The United States, Switzerland, Germany and maybe England, France, Spain and Italy.

While Progressives are generally found in:

1. The Democrat, Socialist and Communist political parties,
2. Socialist, Communist and other totalitarian governments, such as; Russia, China, Cuba, Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, The Taliban, etc.

So, taking these things into consideration, we can see that it is fairly difficult to form any compromises with such extreme positions. 

1. Either the Individual is the backbone of society or they are the fodder that feeds society.
2. Individuals have innate goodness and can be trusted or they can never be trusted. If they can only be trusted some of the time, who decides when they can be trusted and when they can't?
3. If we have bee-watchers watching the bee-watcher, who is watching the bee-watcher, who is watching the . . . who will be left for the bee-watchers to watch?
4. If you reward everyone equally, regardless of their value or performance, won't the productive individuals loose their ambition to succeed and how can we ever motivate the under-productive to pull their own weight?
5. Without definable, unchanging truths, how can faith be established in laws or governments?

We also find Progressives slandering the Conservatives, labeling them as; greedy, selfish, stingy, and hoarders, while they applaud their idealistic goals of equal distribution of wealth, health and happiness. The Progressive motto, "the greatest good for the greatest number" sounds very great and good, but what about "the smallest group that is sacrificed for the good of the largest group"? Do they have a voice in the matter?

All people have an obligation to help those less fortunate than themselves, but Conservatives believe that is a choice for the Individual to make, not a mandate from the Government who will take what they think is needed to invest in a cause whether the Individual supports the cause or not.

Wait, who are "they"? In a Progressive Society, who governs, who decides, who controls the money and the people? 

Those who instigated the system. Individuals. 

But Progressives don't believe that Individuals can be trusted to make the right choices and it looks like they may be right. There has never been a Progressive/Socialistic/Communistic/Totalitarian government where the leaders have not stolen, conscripted, taxed, or taken everything they possibly can from the Society. Russia, China, Nazi Germany, Vietnam, Columbia, England, France or the United States of America, the story is all the same. Take as much as you can as fast as you can.

Every deposed dictator left office with hundreds of millions of dollars in their personal bank accounts. Who was the King of Graft?

The Palestinian Liberation Organization had been given billions of dollars to help them establish a homeland in the Middle East. When Yassar Arafat, the leader of the PLO, died, it was discovered that he had over $2 BILLION US DOLLARS socked away in Swiss bank accounts. His posterity is still fighting with the PLO over who has the rights to the money.

Leaders in our own country enter the Congress or other government service with modest incomes and retire as multi-millionaires, with millions more accumulated as they dance around the speaking circuits. Hillary Clinton stated that when she and her husband left the White House, they were so deep in debt they were paupers, but 14 years later, they have a net worth of over $80 MILLION dollars. Bill Clinton even received $500,000 for a speech he never gave.

Well, these are all just facts. You, the reader will need to determine whether our country will be better off with the Progressive path or the Conservative course. 

Choose wisely or someone else will choose it for you.

Photos courtesy: http://lonelyconservative.com/2013/12/saturday-funnies-137/

Immigration: a mutilated concept

There are three basic groups of people that come to America:

1. Those who want to become a part of this country and enjoy the benefits of living here.
2. Those who want to learn and earn as much can they can and take it back to their native land.
3. Those who sneak into the country for one of the first two reasons.

The first group is always welcome here. They are the immigrants that wade through bureaucracy and red tape to eventually earn the right to move here, find work and become productive citizens. They leave a legacy and posterity that are proud to promote the concepts of self-government, private ownership and personal responsibility. I have friends from all over the world, Argentina, Brazil, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Mexico and the Philippines to name just a few. They came, worked and realized the American Dream of owning their own home, providing for their families and controlling their own destiny. Some of their descendents have even married my children and are now part of my immigration legacy.

The second group is also welcome. They typically come from underdeveloped countries to attend college and work for 5 to 10 years. Then, when they have mastered their professions, they return to their mother land and bless the lives of countless brothers and sisters with the knowledge they gained. They become pillars in their communities and teach the principles of hard work and self-government.

The third group is creating a lot of controversy today. I know and have worked with many of them and agree with those who say that most of them are a contributing part of our economy and that life would be different with out them. But as true as these statements are, everyone seems to overlook the fact that they have broken laws that were implemented to protect they very people they want to become. I worry when left leaning activists want to grand amnesty or absolution to 9,000,000 to 11,000,000 illegal aliens who broke the law to come here. What part of illegal alien do they not understand? Do these supporters have the same flagrant disregard for law and order?

A recent report cited that 10% of the population of Mexico lives in the United States. These are not Mexicans that have become American Citizens, these are Mexican Citizens that intend to stay and vote for the changes needed to keep them here. This is no different than allowing Guatemala or Argentina to vote on a referendum as to whether or not they can immigrate to this country and not be prosecuted once they do.

I worked with a man who embezzled $150,000 from the small business we work for over a two year period. When he was caught, his father-in-law offered to pay back the entire amount if no charges were pressed. His reasoning was thus: What would be accomplished if the man was sent to prison and his family had no one to support them? The answer is simple: He would learn that actions have consequences, his children would learn that actions have consequences and his next employer would probably not loose hundreds of thousands of dollars. The father-in-law could use that same $150,000 to support his daughter’s family until her derelict husband had paid his debt to society and hopefully learned his lesson.

What happened? The charges were dropped, the money was paid and an unrepentant felon was released back into society to prey on some other unknowing business owner. (I hope he gets a job with the ACLU, Barbara Streisand or Michael Moore.)

Most of my ancestors came to America between 1640 and 1750. They came from England, Scotland, France and Germany to Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Georgia to start a new life in a new land. They held no allegiance to their old country, the lands that had abused and mistreated them. They had to swear allegiance to the King of England as they disembarked from the boat, but when the tyranny of the King and his disregard for law became intolerable, my relatives rose up in revolt and helped to start this country where the rule of law would prevail and the American Dream was available to all who would work for it.

Our borders should be open to all who would embrace this philosophy and closed to those who want to make this country just like the one they left.