Why is putting America first such a bad thing?  It seems more and more I see people bashing others for wanting America to be successful.  Again, what is wrong with that?

I get it.  Some people point to oppression of the country’s citizens as an example of what is wrong with America.  Usually they post those comments on social media, using their iPhone 7, while standing in line to get into a club, so they can spend their paychecks on alcohol and drugs, eating a $15 turkey sandwich and downloading the latest hot tunes from a streaming service.

One can certainly see how that would make some feel as if the government was out to get you.  Contrast that to refugees in Syria and other parts of the world, wondering if their children will starve, as their governments spend all their money on small arms and wage war against each other, while providing lavish living conditions for the country’s leaders.  After thinking about that, I find it kind of hard to see the oppression in the US, but I guess it’s because I’m not really oppressed.

Sure, I have to pay taxes, so I guess some call that oppression.  But when I ride from one state to another on the highway interstate system, and I see the police and fire stations, and utilities along the way, it appears at least some of my tax dollars are of benefit to me.  But much more than I receive is wasted by people who I helped elect to take care of my money, but isn’t that partially my fault?  I mean I actually voted to re-elect the same ones again and again.

Still when I see news coverage of impoverished cities in other parts of the world, with only a few dirt roads and little to no utilities, maybe being here isn’t quite as bad as I originally thought.

I understand, America is not perfect.  I am not allowed to have everything I could possibly want at no charge, so things could be improved.  But at least it’s not like those countries where things like food, medicine, and shelter cannot be purchased at any price.

America has a lot of issues, but when you look around at the rest of the world, America looks like a pretty good place.  No wonder why so many citizens of other nations give up their families and homelands to come here, legally and illegally, seeking better than what they had.

Does racism, homophobia, xenophobia and other transgressions against others based on their skin color, beliefs or lifestyles still exist in America?  Absolutely, and will likely continue to exist for generations to come.  And quite honestly, racists and all the others have a right to their own opinion, no matter how stupid, unenlightened, or horrendous we believe it to be.

And that very thing is what separates America from most other countries in the world today.  You don’t have to fear for your life if you disagree with the majority.  In many nations, criticizing the government will get you imprisoned, blaspheming the preferred religion will get you beheaded, and being LGBTQ could get you a life sentence or even beaten to death by your own family members.

That’s why the world needs America, to show that as mucked-up and divided as we are today, we still can live together in the same nation.  We can have free elections and we can protest the outcome of the elections.  And we can do it all over again in the next election.

People around the world just want to be able to live their lives and raise their families as they see fit.  America needs to succeed to prove that it can be done.