Was America Ever Great?

BRYCE ON POLITICS

- You betcha.

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In defiance of President Trump, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently declared, "America was never that great," an unfortunate comment which will cost him points politically. Even his father, former NY Governor Mario Cuomo, would have trouble swallowing it as he was well known for his stories of his family's humble beginnings as Italian immigrants, that America was indeed the "land of opportunity." The declaration made by today's governor is in keeping with the left's position that the country is desperately in need of a makeover, and certainly not in keeping with President Trump's policies.

Nonetheless, they beg the question, "Was America ever great?" A lot of people tend to think so...

• Ask the Europeans who we aided to free the continent from Nazism and Fascism, and the "Marshall Plan" to rebuild it.
• Ask the Russians about how "Lend-Lease" saved their hides from German destruction.
• Ask Japan and South Korea who we helped rebuild into powerful economic engines.
• Ask the victims saved by the ravages of Polio and other diseases we helped find cures for.
• Ask the victims of the many countries who suffered through disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and typhoons. Ask who fed them, gave them shelter and medicine, and helped them get back on their feet.
• Ask the millions of people in this country who can now easily travel and communicate from coast-to-coast.
• Ask the millions of people around the world who have found enjoyment in our music, films, theater, and art.
• Ask the millions of Americans who enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world.

They will all say, "Yes, America was great." By the way, has anyone forgotten we were the first country to land on the moon (and still the only ones to do so 50 years later)? This little feat invigorated our country, not just educationally, but caused the creation of new technologies and jobs.

However, there is a difference between being great and being perfect. Even President Trump is well aware of our imperfections, as we all should be, but this shouldn't make us any less proud of our achievements. Thanks to our melting pot of multiple cultures, there is still a spirit of invention, innovation, creativity, and productivity. Over time though, we slipped and made it possible to ship jobs and companies overseas due to stifling government regulation and economics. We allowed others to dominate industries simply by enacting trade barriers against American products and services. All of this affected our GDP, the number of people on unemployment, our trade deficit, and the national debt, simply because we chose a policy of following as opposed to leading the free world.

The truth is, there are people who want us to be ashamed of our accomplishments, as they want to undermine the government and replace it with something new. This includes the media, academia, and the far left. The reality though is the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights have served us well for over 200 years and will continue to do so if we allow it. During his campaign, President Trump hit a nerve with people when he said, "Make America Great Again." Deep-down most Americans want to feel proud of our country and ourselves again, that we will do what is right to protect our country, that we can build superior products, do big things, and be a beacon of light; to prove the American experiment still works, despite those who would rather see us fail.

There are people who simply do not believe in American greatness and will go to any length to see it abolished. Let me give you one tiny example; like many of you, I have watched various presentations at the White House via a Facebook feed. Although most people comment on how they enjoy watching it, there is always a handful trying to malign the event. To illustrate, recently there was a Medal of Honor presentation given to a fallen airman posthumously, Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman. During the presentation, I looked at the number of people voting their pleasure of the event, whereby there were 5.3K who liked it, and 390 who laughed at it. I'm not sure why they laughed; perhaps because it was President Trump making the presentation, or maybe they think the Medal and Sgt. Chapman are a joke. Whatever the reason, it denotes hostility towards the country. It is this small group who, I am sure, doesn't believe America was great, but what they do not realize, most Americans do.

As we approach the midterm elections, this question of American greatness will occur again. The Democrats are playing with fire on this issue, which will be a key factor in turning independents away from voting for their party, and cause them to vote Republican.

Keep the Faith!

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Tim Bryce is a freelance writer residing in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Copyright © 2018 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.