Brad Pitt said in a movie a few years ago that ‘America is not a country, it’s a business.’ Unfortunately he is correct in 2015. Most importantly our founding fathers believed that America was an ideal; an experiment and a hope for the betterment of all men. This ideal nation was much more than a geographical location.

Our nation is at a crossroads today. The United States of America was the dream of a few truly good and forward thinking men. Their experiment is deteriorating because the men and women who inherited their dream fail to support the same ideals. Sadly the prediction of our second President, John Adams, is coming to fruition. He said: “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” They all stated the fact that capitalism can build an economy but eventually results in greed and self-aggrandizement leading to a plutocracy and income inequality.

Contrary to what one of our political parties may claim, America was founded on religious freedom and the belief that individual rights for all men were more important than the desires of the few. They foresaw a future when those in power would attempt to obtain even more power and rule as kings. They displayed their wisdom by the creation of our Constitution, signed and placed into law in 1789.

The nation of our fathers is under duress, and its future is in question. The 535 men and women who are intended to represent 330 million people lack the foresight, commitment, and intellect to move our nation forward. Their lack of a work ethic and concern for the great majority of our nation’s people is unforgiveable. The fact that they support racism, bigotry, misogyny, and religious bias contradict the intentions of our founding fathers.

The Constitution demands equal rights for all Americans. It does not give exception for the wealthiest among us, or religious extremists. It does not support one group, one special interest over another. The great men who created our nation confirmed that the rights of all men were equal and discrimination was unthinkable.

Our legislators in Washington today are more concerned with their own advancement than those of the majority. Profit, and the support of special interests have taken precedence over the needs of the many. Our government prepares for war, but lacks the primary concerns of Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and others who believed that the American people were the priority. They believed that the quality of life for all of the new nation’s citizens surpassed the ambitions of government.

If I haven’t captured your attention to this point, you will lack concern over the fact that the GOP seeks a destruction of American principles for the enhancement of their own careers and their owners, the one-percent. Four ‘pretend debates’ have proven that they have no concern for working Americans. They have become a ravaging hoard who would place millions of Americans in servitude. They seek to change laws and disallow millions of our citizens the right to vote. Their goal is a form of a dictatorship when they and the wealthiest of our citizens would rule the nation.

Our nation has become a country living in fear instead of hope and a dedication to the future. We have allowed the events of 9/11 to change our nation and render its existence based on weakness and a lack of unification. Extremists have eliminated sensible deliberation and compromise.

America is not indestructible. Abraham Lincoln stated the fact that we can become a failed experiment. He said: “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Photo Courtesy of Sean Winters

Author’s Page http://www.amazon.com/By-James-turnage/e/B00LOCJ2Z2