Starting Over:

I was thinking about America yesterday and wondering what it is that seems to make America different from almost every other country in the world. Part of that difference is America’s ability to start over. Part of starting over is a desire to do things right this time. When America was founded the basic goal of the founders was to make a new country that had better policies than did Mother England. England of course did not see things quite the same way and so a revolutionary war followed.

The difference between a revolution and a rebellion is that no one ever heard of a successful rebellion. America was to learn this lesson all too well in the years 1860 to 1865. The American Civil war was the second great change and attempt at remaking America. In the process some of America was left behind and to this day there remain thoughts and traditions that continue to haunt America.

Early in the Twentieth Century the seeds of a new liberalism were planted by the first of the Roosevelt’s. Teddy Roosevelt responded to what he sensed correctly as the winds of change blowing across America. American workers desired a greater share of the wealth of America. Some would say they had no right to this. Some would also say that the Black American slave also had no right to expect freedom. Indeed much of the same mind set is shared by the people who oppose trade unionism and those that oppose civil liberties. Trade unionism propelled the American worker into the American middle class. Indeed it can be argued that there would be no middle class with out the unions.

Time has passed and the tides of fortune have again shifted. America must again change herself. Getting a grip on what changes need to be made and how to make those changes will occupy America for at least the next 20 years. How well we select the faltering first steps down this new path will be closely watched by the rest of the world. Our 232nd birthday was yesterday. I think it is past time for America to act in a more mature fashion. Don’t you?