A Nation?

Sponsored by: Patriot Home Funding

Mirriam-Webster's dictionary defines a nation as "a community of people, often sharing common descent, language, culture, or traditions, typically inhabiting a specific territory and united under one government."

At the core of this is the acceptance of a common set of facts, absolute truths that are accepted by an overwhelming majority if not all of its citizens. Without that basis of accepted, absolute truths, reasonable discourse becomes difficult if not impossible, and the nation becomes defined not by its agreements, commonality, and unity, but by its divisions and disagreements.

In 1976, when we celebrated our bi-centennial, about 90% of Americans identified as Christian. Now that number is about 67%.

In 1976, the foreign-born population of the US was 6%. Now, it is about 16%.

In 1976, about 10% of the population received either welfare, food stamps, or unemployment compensation. Now that number is about 35%.

In 1976, the federal budget was $349 billion. Now it is $7.4 trillion, of which about 25% is deficit spending.

In 1976, the federal debt was $629 billion. Today, it is about $39 trillion.

In 1976, there were about 6 million illegal aliens in the US. Now, there are an estimated 22 million, and I bet the actual number is at least 50% higher.

In 1976, the US shifted from a net exporter of goods and services to a net importer, primarily due to energy imports at the time. Now, the trade deficit is about $54 billion, which is down over 25% since President Trump was inaugurated.

In 1976, two thirds of adults in the US were married. Now that number is about 47%.

In 1976, the "illegitimate" birth rate was about 15%. Now it is about 40%.

Finally, in 1976 there were 262,833 prisoners in the US. Now that number is about 1.9 million, a sevenfold increase.

When the US was founded, which is universally accepted as the Declaration of Independence, the founders accepted a common set of facts, among them that the purpose of government is to protect the natural rights of the individual, and to secure our unalienable rights- specifically life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It was understood and accepted that the legitimacy of the government was derived from the consent of the people, not the other way around. In other words, the government existed for the benefit of the people, not the rulers.

No less than 51 of the 55 constitutional convention delegates were affiliated with and regular attendees of Christian churches. Almost the entire population at the time of our founding identified as Christian. Now that number is about 63%.

One of the founders and our fourth president, James Madison, wrote that the US constitution required a virtuous and moral citizenry to sustain self-governance, and that it was designed only for people with ethical discipline, and that without civic virtue, the republic risked descending into instability.

Do we as a nation have a universally accepted faith, a commonly accepted set of ethics that the people and especially the government actually practice? Is there such a thing as an American culture anymore? Are we as a nation united around and acknowledge a set of absolute truths? Is the government of, by, and for the people or is it of, by, and for the powerful? Does the government serve the people or itself and the monied interests? Are we governed or ruled? Is there one set of rules for the powerful and connected and another set for the proletariat?

When a government can't act and enact legislation to address issues that 70-80+ % of Americans support across party lines, you can't say that the government is governing in the best interests nor at the consent of the governed. When the government exists and is used to protect illegalities, specifically illegal immigration and illegal employment, is that a government of, by, and for the people? Is that government demonstrating Madison's civic virtue? When our representatives can set up organizations to launder our tax dollars to preferred constituencies through foreign organizations and governments, when it protects and enriches itself by fraud, and can engage in insider trading that is illegal for the common man, is that a legitimate government?

Today, 66% of democrats have a favorable view of socialism, and 54% actually prefer socialism. Just 42% of democrats and 51% of independents now favor capitalism. Less than 50% of democrats are in favor of private property ownership and 83% of democrats support wealth redistribution. Combine those views with a total disregard of citizenship and immigration laws, an activist judiciary which includes lawfare, and actual tyranny like what we experienced during COVID, how can anybody logically conclude that the democrat party is anything but an anti-American socialist party? And that a large portion of our elected republican representatives are okay with it, because the actions- or lack thereof- belie their words and support that conclusion.

The disconnect between the political parties, the lack of common ground except as it relates to their own private interests, is bad enough; but when there is a philosophical difference between socialism and capitalism, of self governance and rule of the elite, when a majority of a major political party communicates an opposition to our founding principles and actively campaigns and governs in opposition to those principles, can that nation survive?

Can a nation without a common culture survive? Can a nation whose public opinion is shaped by lies and propaganda survive? And can a nation that is too dumb, fat, and distracted to actually demand adherence to and protect the system of governance and economics that has made it the greatest nation in the history of the world, actually survive?

What would our founders think? What would the greatest generation think? What would all the patriots whose blood was shed to give us the gift of freedom think? And most importantly, what do YOU think? What are YOU willing to do? Does it mean enough meet and exceed the intensity and desire of those who wish the worst for us? Is the gift worth saving and keeping? Do YOU believe it is?

What we have witnessed recently in the halls of our federal legislature and democrat dominated state houses tells us that they do not, so they must be replaced for the good of the people, on both sides of the aisle but especially on the left side. The question is will the people actually do it? Are we the people willing to sacrifice as much for our nation as our president has? That fight starts now and we'll find out the first week in November if the American dream is loved enough to be saved because the other side will never stop trying to destroy it.

And going forward, will we actually be one nation united?