America: The Land of the Free & Brave

I read an interesting article a few weeks ago from a recent CNN poll saying that 75% of American’s are upset, angry and/or scared over the direction our nation going. There is a lot of negative media out there right now and public anxiety over our economic situation. And I have to readily admit; even though I am relatively financially secure the recent economic worries have me scared about things that I would otherwise ignore. Is my job stable? Do I have enough in savings to support my family if I lost my job? What if inflation continues rising like it has at 6%? Will my wage increase with inflation? The questions are endless and I often find myself frustrated and sometimes even shouting back at the morning news. I’m frustrated that when I graduated college, all the lenders I wanted to consolidate with had closed their doors in the misted of the credit crunch. I’m frustrated that my student loans are due, but the suppressed job market has kept me from getting a job in my field. Yet, in the same breath I am proud and thankful to be an American. Because while we have our problems from time to time and we seem to be constantly arguing about something amongst ourselves, at the risk of sounding cliché I still believe America is the best nation in the world. And above all else, I think the American people are what make America such an amazing nation. I’d like to give you some examples of how amazing America is and how amazing the American people truly are…

1. As individuals we give more to developing nations than any other country or countries’ people. Even in 2003, less than two years after the US was attacked by foreign terrorists, the American people send $62 billion overseas through non-profit organizations and other international aid organizations. Not to mention the $51 billion of US private capital that flows to foreign countries through foreign direct investments and net capital. (This creates jobs, economic growth, and solutions to poverty for millions.) Furthermore, American’s obsession with accountability and effectiveness often means that our aid & support is some of the most quality aid provided according to a study by the Index of Global Philanthropy. Another Washington research group found that US giving exceeded $95.5 billion in 2005. And what’s more the US government gives more in foreign aid than any other county per our Gross National Index. ($23.5 Billion in 2005) http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication_details&id=3712
http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/May/20070524165115zjsredna0.2997553.html

2. America is the largest cultural mixing pot. Yes, there are always going to be enclaves of different ethnic groups and stereotypes among every ethnicity, but on the whole we are an accepting and understanding nation. I would point to our counterparts in Europe and the many problems they are having with terrorism as an example of the openness Americans have in comparison. The immigration laws in much of Europe are much stronger than our own regulations making it much harder to immigrate. Also, many European cultures are not as open or accepting as the overall American perspective. This has made it hard for many European immigrants to integrate into European societies. This in turn leaves many ethnicities feeling discriminated against and ostracized; leaving fertile ground for terrorism and other extreme actions. The events following September 11th, 2001 are evidence of this. As London has seen domestic terrorism on the rise and an increasingly frustrated Muslim populist, America has enjoyed a great degree of peace. Proof positive that American’s acceptance of other cultures is much better than our European counterparts!
I think this openness and appreciate for other cultures is also evident in the American promise for freedom of religion. America has thriving, stagnant, and dying religious establishments, each according to the ability of its members to present a persuasive case. In some parts of America, there is a different form of religion on every block. While the comedians throw around jokes about every religion, we accept them all as part of the freedom of American choice. This brings me to my favorite American trait…

3. America is a nation of equal rights and freedoms. In any capitalist nation there will be vast socioeconomic differences and equal opportunities is not something the American system has been able to conquer yet. However, every man/women/child has the same rights and freedoms just for being an American. As a woman, I have the right to go to college, get a degree and work in any position I can dream of….and if someone tries to deny me those rights I can sue them!! (Mock us if you will, but some of our past and present civil rights lawyers have made it into my list of heroes right along with war veterans and political leaders…take for example Barrack Obama!!) The American legal system can be slow, arduous and at times seemingly backward, but it works. It works so well, other countries send their legal experts to learn from us. Those problems that do exist have a way of working themselves out over time and the US code of laws have been constantly evolving with the American people since its birth. As our needs change, so do the laws. Nevertheless, our rights and freedoms stay firmly routed in the American constitution where they continue to be the foundational strength of our great nation.

4. Our willingness to protect our rights and the rights of others. During the past 2008 Olympics in Beijing Americans traveled hundreds of miles and risked Chinese prisons just to protest the human rights conditions in China. As I’m writing this Californians are standing in traffic to protest proposition 8 which banned gay marriage. In all of these protest there existed people who had/have nothing to gain from protesting. They risk their clean records and sometimes more just to stand up for the rights of others. The best example I can give of service to others and our great nation is our veterans. Who had little to gain from joining a war and everything to lose but fought for America so that we could keep the rights and freedoms we aspire to as Americans. I raise my hat to those men and women who served our country and continue to serve abroad and at home. Their willingness to serve their country is a sign that American’s are willing to stand up for the freedoms and liberties we appreciate everyday. That is every sense of the word America is worth fighting for. A new hero of mine today is a man named Anthony Acevedo who I read about in a CNN article. Our veterans of old wars are dwindling and we already have new veterans in the making, but what many of us forget is the shear sacrifice with which they serve and why. The lessons we have to gain from them are endless and the stories they have to share are priceless. To often wars are grim and not many want to remember them, but veterans have more to tell than horror stories. They can tell you about the people they met, the families they saved, the country that supported them and how the American dream is touching lives beyond it’s borders.

5. Strong Civic Responsibility. America has always had different ways of showing our civic pride and patriotism. In the 60’s it was your civic duty to rebel against the status quo and smoke a joint. Today, civic responsibility takes a variety of forms; educating yourself on which candidate to vote, volunteering for a community clean-up day, or simply pledging to recycle more. American’s have proven time and time again that they believe anyone can make a difference and indeed people do every day. What I valued most in my adolescence and still today is the freedom to question our government and hold them accountable for their actions. It is our right and duty as American’s to question how our government works and why, to ask those hard and sometimes laborious questions. Our leaders and politicians are held accountable every election and through the checks and balances our system has setup. . In college one of my professors gave me a sticker with the iconic Uncle Sam pointing at you with an American flag in the background that said “Your Government Needs YOU to Question Everything.” I took that saying seriously then and still do today…it is the American way. We may not agree with everything our government does, but it’s our duty to speak out because the American government is only a reflection of what we ask it to do. Senator Ted Stevens may disagree, but our nominated and elected officials are all accountable to someone and the someones are always held accountable to the American people. We have a long list of indictments and congressional oversight commissions to prove it! 