This is still a country in which most people not only take responsibility for themselves but also help others around them on a voluntary basis.  When there is flooding or fire or other destruction, people rely on their insurance, their own efforts, other people in their communities and family members.  Earlier this year, a small tornado passed close by my office, knocking down large trees and doing serious damage to some  houses.  I was amazed at how quickly people had the debris cleaned up and the houses repaired, despite the cold weather.  In Louisville, we have the Crusade for Children, to which average citizens give generously.  People volunteer to feed and house homeless people and poor people, to tutor children, to coach sports teams, to minister to prisoners, to serve on boards, and on and on.  We have numerous churches and community groups and associations in which people join together to share their faith, to enjoy their hobbies, and to help others.  We know how to work together and have not lost the joy that comes from helping other people.

We also respect people who are different from us, including respecting their right to own property, to earn a living, to speak freely, to raise their children, and to practice their religion, as long as they also respect our right to do the same.  This allows us to benefit from the efforts and talents of a wide variety of people from many different backgrounds.  (Unfortunately, some of us have carried this tolerance and compassion too far, wanting to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants or being willing to cater to people who want to destroy our culture and rule of law and who do not respect our rights in return.  But the basic American instinct of tolerance and respect for others still is good.)

We still have a Constitution and a rule of law that largely respect property rights and protect us from tyrants and from arbitrary attack.  The recent Supreme Court decision that confirms our right to keep guns for self-defense is cause for some amount of comfort, as is the fact that many Americans have enough backbone and take enough responsibility for their own safety that they will keep guns for self-defense and will stand up for what is right regardless of what any court says.  (It was the unwillingness of people to obey the tyrants that finally caused the Soviet Union to fall.)

We still have many people who are willing to volunteer for the military to defend our country.  We still have many people who understand that our basic human rights come from our creator, not from some government bureaucrat.  We still have many people who work hard, take responsibility for themselves and their families, and teach their children good moral values.

We still have entrepreneurs and business people who are willing to take great risks, to create businesses and jobs and provide goods and services that benefit so many people. 

If only we all would remember what has made this country great and if we appreciated these blessings more, perhaps fewer of us would be suckered in by the politicians who want to destroy the basic fiber of the country, promising to beat up on the “evil” businessmen for us, to give us something for nothing, like “free” medical care or a “free” education, or to “take care” of us so we don’t have to worry our pretty little heads about taking care of ourselves.