Our America in Crisis
Wrote Victor Davis Hanson, the brilliant pro-America author and critic, who is now very concerned about what he sees happening to our traditionally great nation: “We are in the midst of one of the most radical revolutions in American history,” believes Hanson. “Every aspect of American life and culture is under assault, including the very processes by which we govern ourselves, and the manner in which we live. The result is an America that is unrecognizable from what it was a mere decade ago.” And you’ll recall, it was well over a decade ago when then-presidential candidate Mr. Obama spoke of his desire for “the fundamental transformation of America.” It seems enough of America’s voters, without stopping to consider the real implications, apparently thought that sounded like a swell idea and voted him into office for not just one, but two terms. And now today, within what some observers are calling Mr. Obama’s “third term” (!), his protégé, Mr. Biden, is more fully revealing and implementing that proposed ‘transformation,’ and in ways that make it increasingly hard for patriotic Americans to recognize their own country.
In his very recent article “Ten Ways American Culture and Way of Life is Under Assault,” Hanson lays out the ten serious problem areas that are eroding and weakening us: Free Expression, Weaponization of Justice, Attack on the Supreme Court, Media-Democrat Fusion, Destruction of Common Law, Erosion of the Military, The Sexes, Race Not Class, Debt, and Universities. It is an insightful collection of challenges to the America we thought we knew, and I highly recommend it to you (citation below).
Truth be told (and that, by no means is a political given), there is a great deal of destruction going on today in our America, so much so that it’s hard to know where to begin (and stop). It is mostly the Democrat-Progressive-elitist centered and pushed actions that are tarnishing what most Americans desired for our country. Several of our largest cities are losing residents and businesses due to seemingly unstoppable crime, and much of it major. Democrat mayors seem philosophically opposed or flat-out afraid to do anything meaningful to stop the rampant crime, while philosophically-entangled prosecutors have made it all the worse with absurd ‘no cash bail’ policies, turning criminals back out into their community streets to, in a number of cases, do still more crime. Coupled with that ridiculous anti-citizen move, peaking a couple of years ago, to actually ‘defund the police’ has clearly added to the mayhem, as officers have understandably retired or simply left for more sane communities and departments, and, no surprise, recruiting their replacements is extremely challenging, meaning less and less safety and security for citizens.
Inflation, brought on by rampant federal borrowing, money printing, and over the top spending, both at home and abroad (Ukraine, and others), is nowhere near under control, regardless of what’s being told to us by government and their media mouthpieces. Home and auto borrowing interest rates are predicted to continue climbing as long as a potential recession continues to be a possibility. And on the subject of borrowing, personal credit card debt for individual Americans has now hit a total of $1-trillion for the first time in our history. That is a direct result of inflationary pressure making most everything we need more expensive, coupled with way too many Americans claiming to be living pay-check-to-paycheck each month. Enormous pressure on our citizens to stay ahead of monthly bills, not to mention those credit card debt minimum payments required each month. There are even those having to tap into their 401(K) accounts to make ends meet, which is clearly not the intent of those accounts meant purely to support future retirement needs (with the virtual elimination of company pensions, a retirement nest egg staple from the past).
Wrapping up the economic issue, according to a recent poll, 73% of Americans “view the economy as worse compared to 5-years ago.” Clearly, whatever this government is doing to right-size the economy, so-called “Bidenomics”(i.e., Spendenomics) is not working. Way, way too much spending by the Biden administration, with way too little Congressional push-back, has left both our national debt, and now personal debt, in precarious positions. With clear impact on our national viability and security, along with month-after-month escalating financial pressures on working Americans. Concluded the Wall Street Journal editors: “The latest budget figures show that they (i.e., president & congress) are breaking peacetime non-crisis records for spending and deficit. And there is no respite in sight.” And it gets worse. Mr. Biden is currently requesting additional billions from the House, consisting this time of $24-billion in defense and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. For comparison, additionally in that request is only $4-billion for “border immigration and combating fentanyl,” a mere 1/6th of the funds for our extremely serious border issues with the vast majority of the request, as indicated, going toward our already heavily-funded assistance, in the mega-billions, for Ukraine.
And that brings us to the nation-weakening, and let’s call it what it is, fundamentally stupid policy from this administration to encourage and allow the illegal importation of millions of foreign migrants, entering our country with likely too little scrutiny regarding past crime and future terrorism potential, the latter being the biggest worry for our future. Billions of dollars will go, and continue to go, to the maintenance of these foreign entrants, whether they become workers here or not. The cost of upkeep for these people is enormous. And the free-flow entry of these illegals will not stop until there is an administration change. Fingers crossed (of the America-loving voters) for such a change in 2024. If you needed further convincing of this administration’s anti-America policies, look no further than its rampant destruction of our southern border by permitting the continuing flood of illegals permitted to enter our nation, for the unspoken real purpose of one day becoming Democrat voters, after years of financial handouts, which is the fervent hope and plan of the progressive elites, who, as a result of limitless largesse, envision future unending Liberal Democrat power under one-party control. This total erosion of border control will plague our nation, economically, culturally, and safety/security-wise for generations to come. And this stark reminder: America is now the only nation in the world that has an open border! Not a fact to be desired for countless reasons.
So, then, a non-exclusive listing of what ails us at present: Rampant crime, threatening the very viability of at least a couple of our major cities; Illegal migrants allowed, encouraged even, to flood our nation; Liberalized college students graduating with seeming inability or desire for real work (mental or manual) and an academically-implanted distain, even hatred, for this incredible nation they’ve been fortunate enough to be born within; Once the most powerful military in the world now hampered by lack of adequate funding, lack of strong support from this administration, and the remaining dark shadow of that disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, all now hampering sufficient military recruiting to maintain adequate force strength; Foolish and expensive reliance on “green” pipedreams, rather than encouraging the return to fossil fuel national self-sufficiency, shown to be possible and desirable, as it was under the previous administration; Over emphasis on sex matters, including often invented/encouraged gender confusion, imposed on children at too young of an age, too often with insufficient parental involvement; Lack of apparent diplomatic strength and positioning in preparation for the warlike threats posed by hostile nations like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran; Rampant, uncontrollable federal spending impacting both domestic inflation and the future solvency and security of our nation; Homelessness in America has now risen to an estimated 600,000 U.S. citizens, citizens in extreme need, being largely ignored by our governments, while ample money is somehow available for housing, food, etc. for millions of illegal migrants, the political priority over our own citizens who must go without; Suicide is now on the rise, as nearly 50,000 Americans took their lives in 2022, “the largest suicide rate since World War II,” with our veterans now ending their lives at a rate 57% higher than other Americans; And, then, we wonder, will our 2024 elections be free of politically-directed fraud, giving us the legitimate free and fair elections Americans want and deserve?
Just a non-exclusive litany of the significant problems facing our nation, much of which have either been initiated or encouraged by this current administration, with an absence of America First policies and backbone from the top, and the lack of adequate, meaningful opposition from the current minority party (plenty of rhetoric but lack of decisive action).
And, added to our worry list, a couple of future items the Progressives hope to accomplish, while they still can, before this regrettable and damaging administration is hopefully replaced in 2024. A major wish for Democrats, and a major concern for Republicans, would be the move to grant statehood to the eternally Democrat-heavy District of Columbia. This goes along with the open southern border as a means of adding future voters to insure everlasting Democrat control of our nation. There is also talk of attempting to “pack” the Supreme Court by increasing the number of members, with liberal justices, of course. The D.C. statehood may be the more likely major push in the months remaining, but keep an eye on both of these strong pro-liberal, pro-power-and-control, Democrat desires.
Today, there sems to be an abundance of concern, perhaps even fear, out there among our populace. Another day, another dose of negative news, truth to be told from what’s left of the reality media, while the administration’s connected-at-the-hip media voices assure us that happy days are here again. As but one example of caring public concern was voiced by an Alabama mother of two sons in their twenties when she told a recent Fox News audience what we all know and feel: “It’s not 1988 anymore. We have to realize that the economy has changed,” as she expresses very real concern for the future employment world her young adult children are facing. In a recent University of Chicago poll, “nearly a quarter of Americans find the American Dream is now out of reach.” Among other factors, this feeling comes mostly from the current level of inflation out of step, feel some, with wages. The Alabama mother concluded her thoughts on the current economic situation with: “Yes, I understand. Struggling is a part of life. We all struggled. But there’s a difference between struggling and drowning.”
The only real positive right now seems to be the fact that the vast majority of American citizens still love and support our exceptional country and are grateful for the opportunities made available to them. What’s needed, then, to get our America back on track is for Republicans, and common-sense Democrats, to continually stay alert and then continually voice their concerns and preferences to their respective representatives in Congress, with hopes that we can at least manage to get both inflation and the bankrupting federal spending under at least some control.
Well, we began this journey with the wisdom of Victor Davis Hanson, so it’s appropriate to conclude with his more positive thoughts and wishes, as well. Wrote he: “Most know what needs to be done, but few will tell the truth. Balance the budget. Return to legal-only immigration. Insist on racial unity. Curb the administrative state. Enforce the rule of law, (etc.) In other words, restore what until recently made America the strongest, most prosperous, and freest nation in the world. And quit undoing all the great good that eight generations of prior Americans bequeathed to us.”
With much needed continuing prayer and a national chorus of concerned voices, along with decisive action from America-supporting politicians, hopefully we can, in fact, figure out how to, in due time, and free of looming international strife, restore our country to its past position of both domestic and international credibility, respect, and positive goodness. Get us out from under the word “crisis,” and return our America to its rightful position of boundless opportunity, exhibited strength, positive power, and national pride.
(Fact Sources: American culture and way of life under assault, NYPost.com, Victor Davis Hanson, 8-7-23; Americans Sour on Bidenomics, breitbart.com, Hannah Bleau, 8-9-23; No respite in sight via The Wall Street Journal, editor, 8-9-23; Ukraine spending vs. stopping fentanyl via foxnews.com, Brandon Gillespie, 8-11-23; Alabama mother’s concerns via foxnews.com, Madeline Coggins, 8-8-23; How America Kills Its Own via jewishworldreview, Dan McCarthy 8-15-23; Who will say No More to the current madness? via jewishworldreview.com, Victor Davis Hanson, 8-11-23).