© 2017 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. Talk show host Dennis Prager was
asked: What’s the biggest danger to America? He said, “We have not passed on
what it means to be an American to this generation.”
Our country was founded because British
leaders acted oppressively. The English King and his Parliament changed the
course of history for the entire world by planting the seeds of rebellion in a
society strong enough to resist and wise enough to construct a lasting
representative republic. There were no free countries when Americans revolted.
The King and his advisors were
arrogant and ignorant, two traits that infest oppressive governments. A
reasonable British government would not have inspired rebellion and I would be
drinking tea while writing my columns instead of coffee.
Americans hold three American ideas:
the presumptions of innocence, commerce and freedom. But these presumptions are
under attack in our country and not taught in schools as often as they were
when I was young. They are some of the reasons that America is the shining
light of liberty. Or was.
As to innocence, we are supposed to
assume those accused of a crime are innocent unless convicted in a court of
law. The media has lead an assault on that presumption. There really is no
longer this presumption.
As to commerce, except where the
government has made winners, our rich have gotten so by public free exchange
where both parties walked away happy. Steve Jobs became rich by anticipating
what we wanted, not because the government poured money into his pocket.
Our country became a great example
for all of the world because of our principle that a willing buyer and a
willing seller, both happy with the outcome are the cornerstones of our nation.
Little by little over the last one hundred years the government has intruded and
we no longer have free markets.
Finally, American freedom is the
ability of citizens to not have to do what they do not want to do so long as it
does not harm someone else. However, our government lives to impose its will
upon Americans. I pray we retain enough freedom to teach our children what
freedom means along with the other two presumptions.
The great question for us geezers
and geezerettes is how to teach something to the young people that isn’t prominently
on display in our country. It is tough to do but must be done. It isn’t just
restoring Civics to the public-school classrooms, we must change some of the narratives.
One is the country is basically unfair.
While the founding of this country
involved men who kept slaves we are long past that and we should not reject the
good with the bad. The men who put their lives, their possessions and their
sacred honor on the line so we could be free were magnificent
And the Constitution is unique to
our nation even though it has been under assault for a hundred years. We must
teach these uniquely American ideas to our young people.
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