“Our choices may display our opinion, but God help us if they also reflect our character…"

November 7, 2006 the American public spoke, and the message was one of change. The result created a shift in power, movement to the left, a return to a Democratic controlled House of Representatives and the promise of Government involvement in every aspect of our lives. Seemingly gone is the American concept of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps,” and in its place exists a mood that your plight in life is not your fault. We are no longer responsible for our own decisions, but hapless individuals completely existing at the mercy of those whom rule the world.

We no longer teach our children that hard work will help them succeed, or that team work means not always being the focal point. Instead we invent excuses, and empower failure by creating attention deficit disorders and class envy via an “us versus them” mentality.

Deflating even our greatest heroes by denying their accomplishments as little more than luck, we have come to assume the Greatest Generation enjoyed success simply due to the time period. We no longer recognize a generation that transformed a landscape dotted with farms into a Super Power, instead we see through class envy glasses a group of people that acquired wealth with a lucky draw and a good flop.

The American conscious is quick to forget the price paid for success. The lives lain down on a beach with no name, or the marble crosses marking foreign soil forever inhabited by a G.I. Joe. America seemingly has forgotten the immigrants that came to this country with just the cloths on their backs, who with hard work, and a dedication to family quickly pulled themselves up to the middle class and beyond.

Ironic the transformation of immigrants into solid citizen continues today, and yet a cycle of inherited ignorance and perceived poverty prevails across this nation. In a Nation built upon the contributions of immigrants strangely there exists a consciousness that life is not fair, and thus mired in the mud of life I sit destined to go no further.

How strange the energy wasted to establish a minimum wage, as apposed to road mapping a way up. How strange that not only has America forgotten the marble tomb stones, but that not every life sacrificed is due to war. Two generations ago it was a given that parents sacrificed so that their children would succeed. A life spent stooped in a factory enable little Johnny to go to college. Johnny’s generation could then reach for the moon and beyond.

Instead, we have created a generation, or generations that look to others for help before first making the attempt themselves. It is only shy of a miracle that American babies haven’t evolved into a species born arms first, hands out.

Sadly, America has forgotten.

Why can’t America remember that it is okay to hold a belief so dear to your heart that you will lay down your very life to defend its morality?

Why can’t America remember that before success often must come delayed gratification? Or that America was once guided with a moral compass destined for greatness.

Blurred memories are not limited by social status, political party or geographical location. Nor is the ignorance that has seemingly gripped America restricted by religious beliefs, education levels or employment status. The disease killing this great nation is a self inflicted wound festering with the pompous attitude of self entitlement.

The disconnect between what is right and what is easy is killing this nation. Partnered with desires and a total ability loss in determining the difference between what is “wanted” and what is needed.

America needs a leader. No, America needs a generation to lead the way. A generation that is willing to make the tough choices, to sacrifice glory for sustained promise.

America needs a population that is willing to vote their conscious, guided by a moral compass rooted in the belief that the sum of our parts is greater than the individual.

America needs to become a land where freedom’s ring does not represent the right to do whatever, but the duty to do what is right!!!!