Friends of democracy, the current state of our great nation allows my voice to be silent no more. Like the fates that have plagued other great empires throughout time, our land seems on a collision course with destiny. If our proud founding fathers were to look upon us today what would they think? Would they see a people who unite against a common enemy, a people that when faced with immense adversity knuckle up and prepare to fight for what is theirs? Would they speak with reverence toward what our country has become? I fear now more than ever that their reflection would be filled with disgust and chagrin. We must rectify the chivalry, camaraderie, and respect that once were present from sea to shining sea. America gravely needs a return to greatness. Why not start now?

America is at a difficult time in our history. Government has ceased to be the institution that ensured liberties for our people. It has turned into a symbol of corruption and hate. Such importance has been put on political affiliation that we forget what would be best for our country. Once we as friends, neighbors, and countrymen realize that we will have to put aside differences to fix our country, it is then we will be better off. We spend much too long attempting to sway others to our political party which causes many to lose focus of the overall goal of being “One Nation.” While I am certainly not asinine enough to expect an immediate turnaround, though working as one nation, we shall succeed. As to the national debt, this challenge will be even more difficult to overcome. Not only will we have to work together, we also need to focus on a way to lower our debt while staying a world power. Do not lose hope. This is not the time to view ourselves as a lost cause. It is now that we must muster every last ounce of our being “to ensure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity!”

Freedom over Oppression is what is at stake here in our home. Sectionalism was a driving factor in the Civil War and if we do not act soon then we will digress to 1860s America. Our sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln, said,” A Nation divided against itself cannot stand.” This is the same man whose number one goal was to preserve the Nation that our fore fathers had given their lives to establish. As long ago as the mid nineteenth century, our nation’s leaders knew how important staying together would be. This is what I propose. I propose that the citizens of the United States of America look past their differences to rise up and get America working again. I propose that we not put such emphasis on political affiliation that gets so cut throat. I propose that we start to view one another as Americans no matter what the circumstance. I propose that we return to being a nation that leads in foreign aid when it is needed. I propose that Theodore Roosevelt’s military strategy of “speak softly and carry a big stick” be returned. In this I believe. In this we can succeed. This is the American way.
Many would agree that America needs to change something. Others may not agree. They may say that our country is fine the way it is. To these people I will ask them to open their eyes to what is happening in front of them. Our country is still great; however, we can do better. We have the means to bring our country out of debt. No one has said that this would be easy. It is ideals such as determination that makes our country great. The American spirit is about constantly striving to be better. Once our country becomes complacent, which it is too close for comfort now, then it is when we fail. Then it is that we have lost the vision of our Founding Fathers. Then it is that we have let down every soldier who has died for their country. Then it is that America will be doomed.

The United States of America; to some it is a country, to some it is a world power, to many it is a beacon of hope. To me the United States of America is home. It is now my fellow Americans that we get the opportunity. The opportunity to better the nation of freedom, the opportunity to unite, and the opportunity to be the change we want to see in our country. I bid you to think about my ideas and in the words of the late President John F. Kennedy, I implore you to “Ask not what your country can do for you, but instead ask what you can do for your country.”