Proud to be an American this Fourth of July

Proud to be an American

I Won the Birth Lottery: Born in the USA

I love the Fourth of July. When I was a child, all the children paraded down the main boulevard carrying American flags following soldiers and marching bands. After the parade, we ate candy, ice cream, and hot dogs. We competed in foot races with medals awarded to the winners. I was never fast and never won a medal, although I excelled at ice cream consumption.

I have fond memories of those days and it’s still special to me today. I’m reminded on July 4th to thank God that my father, with his empty pockets and a strong back, pulled up his Southern Italian roots and left his family to come to America. I am truly honored to have won the birth lottery by being born in a country such as ours:

  • A country that’s welcomed millions of immigrants throughout our history; Irish fleeing famine, Chinese fleeing economic chaos, and others from every corner of the globe – an endless list of people escaping corruption, crime, poverty, and oppression.
  • A country whose people are the most charitable in the world according to the Almanac of American Philanthropy, giving $400 billion in 2017.
  • A country where there is more economic opportunity for women and minorities than anywhere in the world.
  • A country with the highest living standards and greatest numbers of black entrepreneurs and millionaires.
  • A country where homosexuals can live openly without being imprisoned, stoned, or murdered as they regularly are in other countries.
  • A country which, through the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine, rebuilt the economies of France and Germany after the devastation of World War II.
  • A country that has fought more wars, suffered more casualties and expended more capital to free more people than any other country in history.
  • A country that always rushes in with food, medicine, supplies, expertise, and money for every natural disaster anywhere on earth.
  • A country with a set of liberty-guaranteeing founding documents that are unique in the history of the world.
  • A country that has provided more money, medicine, training, volunteers, and supplies to the peoples of the African continent than any other.

I could fill this newsletter with the accomplishments of this great country of ours and the stories of people that have prospered in it. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer of my countrymen or women that seem to share this view. I hear too few Americans voicing their patriotism and love for America. I am especially disheartened to hear our politicians denigrating American traditions and making statements like “America was never great” and “I’ve never been proud of America.” I’ll freely admit that we’ve not always acted properly throughout our long history, but we’re largely open and critical of ourselves for those failings.

While we should admit to those failings, it should not diminish our love of country and the honor it deserves on the Fourth of July. I hope on this Fourth, you’ll join me in honoring America, proudly displaying your patriotism and love for this wonderful country of ours.

P.S. – Our free giveaway this issue is a pocket US Constitution and I am personally donating $10 to the James Madison Center for Free Speech for every copy we send.