President Trump longs for those halcyon days of post WWII America when this country was the envy of the world, unemployment was at record lows, peace reigned, and regulations were at a minimum. This is when he came of age and his dad was a hard-working prosperous developer of suburbia. Life was simpler then, or so it seemed to many Americans who came of age during this time. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many Americans endorse his agenda of America first and “make America great again.”
No one can argue that FDR’s Social Security Act or LBJs Medicare legislation hasn’t benefited millions of Americans providing crucial safety nets of financial and medical security to denizens of people. We are a far better and more secure country because of these forward thinking and compassionate Democratic leaders. But as Winston Churchill once said “There is nothing government can give you that it hasn’t taken from you in the first place.”
This idea that government exists to provide for us is unAmerican thinking — it’s a distortion of the American ideal of independence and self-reliance. America is the home of the self-made man, the cradle of individual initiative and dogged perseverance. Many hard-working Americans feel that we are losing our work ethic and our self reliance. Our public schools are churning out weak and undisciplined children who have been coddled into thinking that competition and individual drive is somehow bad and unacceptable social behavior. Teachers and administrators inappropriately include ideas and values that transcend core curricula of essential academic subject matter in the name of “progressivism.” Many schools no longer have mandatory physical education or personal hygiene requirements. Deferred gratification is a foreign concept: It’s all “now” and to hell with waiting.
Yet somehow we think we are benefiting our children and preparing them for adulthood by not teaching them core Christian values and the essentials of self-reliance. Madison Avenue rules and we don’t have the common sense and self-discipline to say no to mindless consumption and excessive spending.
So, what’s the answer to this downward spiral? Term limits to begin with and a five year moratorium before politicians can accept work as lobbyists. Second, get politics out of the classroom and leave parenting to parents. And let’s repeal intrusive regulations that force homeowners to secure permits for changing light bulbs. And what’s wrong with fair trade and restricting immigration until we can begin to take care of our existing population, including veterans, addicts and the downtrodden. And why is it deemed ignorant and cruel policy to want to implement a rational immigration policy where people are vetted, finger printed and medically examined before they are allowed into this country. Is it wrong to want to know who’s living among us?
Call me a misguided, angry white guy in a wheelchair who shoots chipmunks, but much of what President Trump espouses, despite his often irritating delivery, makes sense to many Americans.
Brad Brigham
Colrain