Yesterday I watched an intriguing interview with a young man on Charlie Rose that captured my mind of where we are in this world today as a nation. He has written a book on the engines of growth in China which I have ordered and look forward to reading. In the interview he underscored what many Americans have lost sight of, I believe, when he stated that still America is the "currency of the world." His fundamental meaning was that in spite of all the negatives of our political system, corruption, slowed growth, tepid diplomatic force and weakening and downsizing of the military and now the awful realities of the Veterans Administration and on and on, America is still the country "of last resort" meaning where people turn to see what we will do and wish to come into. That, in that moment, caused my heart of nationalistic fervor to warm up.
Frankly, and I plead guilty as well, I have become tired of all the negatives hurled at my country. People scoff at our ineptitude as we watch Russia push her borders in the shadow of NATO. Americans want that to stop, I believe, but more and more Americans feel it is somebody else's problem so let them worry about it. As the 2016 electioneering begins in earnest, I feel a sense of worry when I look at the field of Democrats and Republicans for not one appeals to me for an array of reasons with corruption and professional politicking being at the head of my "not" list.
Yes, we as a nation have so much to offer this world but we seem to keep circling our selves into these firing squads and pulling the trigger aiming at each other. The blessing of living in this nation is that we are still a relatively safe country in which to live and rear families. I have seen much of this world and miss parts of it for a visit but not to live. We have a relatively good educational system that needs to be uplifted and upgraded to the twenty-first century and focus more on the students and less on tenure and union demands meaning protecting inept teaching at all levels of the educational food chain. The "entitlement" generational legacy of our nation's wealth is of great concern as are the bursting prison populations for there is so much bad in our culture but it seems insurmountable at times.
As I have stated in almost every class I taught, America is still the nation people still aspire to come to for education and a life for you never see people swimming back to Cuba, for example. This is a great nation. Yes, it can be better; much better. But we should never forget that it is We the People that allow our nation to sink to new lows on many fronts for it is We the People that send our republic's politicians to Washington to supposedly do our will and bidding. I am, frankly, quite fed up with the whole political system as are most Americans if you believe the numbers, and I do believe the poll numbers. I highly suggest taking a week and watch the three CSPAN channels so you can watch the "process." It is worth it to give you a deeper appreciation of how a business would fail every time if they ran their business the way American politicians "work" the process.
It is good to know we are still viewed by these blooming countries like China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, etc, etc as the best in the world and seek to model what we do. So on this Saturday morning, I am humming the National Anthem in pride in calling myself an American!
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