On this Independence Day, I am proud to be an American. Even with all of the issues we have in this country, it’s truly great to live in a place where we can settle the majority of our disputes in court and at the ballot box, instead of at the end of a gun.
But it’s time to realize that the United States is at a great point of transition, and it’s up to us in the here and now to see it through. Most of the infrastructure that forms the backbone of our economy? It is the legacy of Americans from the mid- 20th century… they built our interstate system with their hands. So far we are not contributing to that legacy… instead we sit back and hope that it will “hold out” through a divisive, stagnant federal government. But stagnation is not the American way. As our nation grows more diverse, and our infrastructure falls away, it’s time for us to take up the banner and create the America we want, instead of just settling for what others left us. We will be a more diverse nation, we will reach a new level in the continuing struggle for Civil Rights, and we must build a 21st century infrastructure.
On this Independence Day, we celebrate what Americans (all immigrants by the way) did to create this nation. We honor their deeds as an important part of our past. But I believe this day is just as much about our future. Let’s be the nation that we know we can be… that we are called to be. It’s time to be the New America.
