American Economics of Progress

Can our country recover from our current economic woes? For some, they are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. For others, life is still a struggle. Either way, the constant fear remains forefront on the hearts of so many people: what if something else happens to our economy?

Let’s take a step back. How did we get here in the first place? We gave our jobs and our industries away. We literally outsourced our wealth. For the sake of “progress,” we closed down factories and shipped commerce overseas. We provided customer service by hiring people to answer phones in distant lands. We improved efficiency by lowering standards of quality. Having a job became a privilege rather than an American right, and those that succeeded in life were seen as having the means to “share” their wealth. We created colleges that taught our young people to fall in line rather than to ask questions, and we built up a work atmosphere of mediocrity. Harsh words, perhaps, but tell me, are they not true?

The simple truth is that if we want a strong economy, we must build one. There is no easy way out. Americans must start rebuilding what “progress” has destroyed. We need factories, we need small business, we need local banks, and we need local communities to stand together and to pull our American work ethic out of the ground where it is buried. Remember when being polite was mandatory and you did not have to teach customer service? Remember when hard work equaled efficiency? Remember when raises were given based on merit rather than government mandate?

What happened to our America? Who took it from us and how do we get it back? In reality, we gave it away. As our freedoms, commerce, and communities were taken from us –for progress- we did nothing. We bowed our heads and hoped that the changes would not affect us. Now, years later, we are reaping the rewards of our silence.

Yet, there can be hope, but hope takes action. It takes you believing in America. Are you willing to step up and be counted? We can rebuild our country. We can make America strong again. We can stop being progressive long enough to create real progress, the kind of progress that creates jobs, creates community, and will bring back a sense of pride in a day’s hard work. We must stop thinking that the Government and bailouts to large corporations will fix anything. Did the bailout help you? Did it save your neighbor’s house from foreclosure? In the end, we must learn to hold ourselves accountable for our own success or failure. We have been lazy for too long; now, we must go back to work. We must move to rebuild both our broken political system and our devastated economy. It will be hard, it will be stressful, and yes, you will have to sacrifice. But is it worth it to you? Can you look into the eyes of your children and tell them that you will do nothing to save their country and to protect their future? Your inaction says it all. So get up and challenge yourself to protect and to serve. Show your kids that America is still a country for the people and by the people. Teach them by example that hard work and sacrifice creates more progress then outsourcing and government handouts. Be a shining light, a beacon of hope, for your lost countryman. If you don’t who will?