Great Nations in Decline Don’t Die, They Turn into Something Else
I felt immune to aging, illness, and injury when I was young. I knew others who felt the same. Soon enough, we all learn that no one is indestructible or even close.
Not Invincible
The springtime of the nation, like the springtime of the young man or woman, can deceive one into thinking that this is how it will always be. Throughout history, some nations have risen to prominence in ways that made residents and onlookers believe such countries would continue forever. A typical Roman citizen probably concluded that Rome was indeed eternal, and 500 centuries of rule is impressive, but it ended.
France in the 17th and 18th centuries and Great Britain in the 19th and early 20th centuries both seemed to have eternal empires. In the early 1980s, Japan appeared to be invincible, certainly as an economic power. Then, its shifting demographics and loss of industry leadership became apparent.
The U.S. was considered a promising nation, and after World War I, its economic and military might began to take hold. After World War II, America became the premier power on Earth economically, militarily, technologically, socially, and entrepreneurially.
The list of American achievements from World War II to the end of the century is impressively long, and any decent student of history doesn't need to have the feats recounted here.
Veering Off Course
American heartiness seemingly is a thing of the past. We still have a great entrepreneurial and economic engine. We motor on, along with cracks in the foundation, seen by anyone who is observant.
Citizens have morphed into consumers. Our elected leaders appear more interested in generating personal wealth than in having the populace become wealthy.
Our freedoms increasingly are encroached upon. Sinister social indexing has taken hold. An errant word said 30 years ago, can come back to haunt you, and many of those in positions of influence are eager to have you canceled.
Slipping Several Notches
Our current president is among the least effective individuals who have ever held the office. Our standing around the world has declined. His mangling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, mismanagement of the situation in Ukraine, and equivocation regarding the Middle East prompts one to think that even more dire situations are forthcoming.
We've experienced an unprecedented invasion of our southern border. Half the country is either in denial about it or has no concern about it. The untold millions who've been allowed to rush to our gates will contribute little to the American economy or culture. They are akin to a ticking time bomb, a curse that will be far greater than most people can currently imagine.
Our great American cities are far less safe than they were three years ago, ten years ago, and 30 years ago. We have hordes of citizens who contribute little or nothing to the nation and feel entitled to an array of government benefits by virtue of their mere existence.
Nonsensical gender issues now predominate. American discourse has changed from looking towards the future, promoting prosperity for all, and empowering our youth to petty squabbles about who uses this pronoun or that. A large throng of Americans errantly ‘detect’ racism at every turn, have decided that white people are at the root of such evil, and regard people of color as eternal victims.
Degrading on Money Fronts
We are printing money at an insane rate with nothing backing it. There is no pretense that our national debt will ever be reduced. Now above $34 trillion in debt, the interest due is going to become crushing.
Cultural degradation reigns. So-called music predominates that glorifies drugs, prostitution, and all that is wrong with society.
Our young children are being taught to hate America, that they can be whatever gender they choose, and that solid academic achievement takes a backseat to self-esteem and entitlement.
We are headed down a slippery slope from which return increasingly seems hopeless. Sadly, we are losing our national identity and have no common purpose, no common goals, and no common vision.
The Fight for Our Lives
We on the Right must face the fight of our lives and increasingly every one of us knows it. The question is, will we rise to the occasion and overcome the ills that plague us at every turn?
No one is coming to save us. It is up to us to save ourselves and the generations that follow.
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