Our America

So there's been a lot of talk lately about how some people "want my country back" and how Obama is destroying the "real" America and so on. To which I ask, "What America is that?" When did the US reach its pinnacle of American-ness that you yearn to return to? When were these good old days? It seems like these people have a view of America as a land of opportunity; a place where anyone with gumption can work hard and raise themselves up by their bootstraps, so long as the pesky government doesn't get in their way. But when was that American Dream ever truly a reality for all Americans? Since women and minorities didn't have even remotely equal rights in this country until the last 40 or so years, the good old days have to be fairly recent (and, by the way, gays and lesbians still don't have equal rights). So when in the last four decades were the good old days? I'm guessing that the Tea Partiers and their ilk would point to the 1980s. Ah, yes, Reagan years were the ultimate era of governmental restraint and personal freedoms! Those halcyon days! News flash, folks: taxes were HIGHER under Reagan. That's right! Obama, the tax-and-spend-socialist-America-destroying-anti-Christ would have to RAISE TAXES in order to equal those under Saint Ronnie.

But the American Dream is a beautiful dream. I believe in the American Dream, and I believe that it starts with opportunity. No amount of gumption or work ethic in the world is going to do you any good if you don't have an opportunity to apply them. Opportunity comes from high-quality public education available to everyone. Opportunity comes from freedom from being exploited. Opportunity comes from a reliable and safe infrastructure of roads, utilities and telecommunications. I'm happy to pay my fair share to ensure these opportunities for every American, even the ones who don't look or live like me.

For all their rhetoric of being in touch with the "real America" and the "heartland", the Tea Partiers seem to have a pretty low opinion of actual Americans. They seem to think that a strong infrastructure and a robust social safety net will lure Americans into complacency and dependence on the government. They seem to think that Americans are inherently lazy. I couldn't disagree more. I believe in American innovation, and I believe that it is strengthened, not hampered, by the sense of security which comes from knowing that if you fail, you will have the opportunity to try again. From knowing that even in the face of an medical emergency or the whims of Wall Street or a natural disaster you will have a chance to rise up again. I hope I never have to use this country's social safety net, but I am awfully glad it's there and I am glad to pay for it.

Ultimately, I believe in the greatness of our country and the ideals upon which it was founded. I believe that together we can put those ideals more strongly into practice. The government, elected and held accountable by the people, is our biggest, best and strongest tool to that end. Together we can create an America where every American is free to dream and strive and work and grow and create and reach for the American Dream in whatever way appeals to them, secure in the knowledge that should failure or misfortune befall them, their basic needs would be provided for. Imagine the world we could create then!