Patriotism

Who are the real patriots? Are they the ones that are currently saying we live in the best country in the world, or the ones that say we no longer live in the best country in the world? I think I fall into the second camp. That isn't to say I don't want us to be the best, it just says that I think we can do better.

While I want us to be the best and offer the best, I am convinced we can no longer say with conviction that we are the best. I don't want to see our athletes standing up shouting USA! USA! USA! I do want to see them win, but let's step back a bit and win with humility. Arrogance is what got us where we are today.

Let's take an introspective look and try to find those areas where we need improvement and work toward making those areas better. Reducing environmental impact (we contribute more than any other country to carbon dioxide in the environment), reducing our homeless population, education (especially in math, science, art and music), reducing AIDs and infectious STDs, reducing our over-populated prisons, etc. The list is long, and if we don't start now we will just be that much further behind the eight ball.

I am not a Socialist, but could we spread the wealth a little more freely and reduce our individual greed. I think what the haves need to understand is that everyone benefits when the wealth is spread. If we create a society of only haves and have nots, we head down an economic road similar to where we are now and I think we all recognize that isn't good.

We have lost our moral high ground. We aren't setting the right example for the rest of the world to follow and for that I am ashamed. We should want to be better than that and do better than that.

There is nothing, in my view, un-patriotic about thinking your country could be better. We wouldn't have the United States if people didn't think we could be better. While England may not have thought them patriotic, I am glad they stepped forward to risk everything. Without them stepping up trying to make things better, we may have ended up as Canada's 11th Province.

At least we'd have affordable health care!