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What a
Difference Three Decades Make
By Kate Burch
This morning, I watched a 3-minute video of a speech by Ronald Reagan
lauding the self-sacrifice of American veterans. It flooded me
with emotions of gratitude, admiration, national pride, grief,
awe. And nostalgia. A lot of nostalgia.
I miss the kind of leadership that inspires; that calls on us to be our
best selves and to thereby build an ever better nation and share in
growing prosperity. That expects that we will care for our
brothers and sisters, but that does not place the boot of big
government ever more heavily on our necks to take from us the fruits of
our labor for redistribution.
I read that our colleges are experiencing large increases in the
numbers of students who are in need of care for mental health
problems. When I was still working as a psychologist, and
regularly exposed to the professional literature, I read some alarming
things about the rising incidence of mental health problems in
adolescents, including depression and psychopathy. We read that,
for the first time, young Americans believe that they will not be as
successful or prosperous as their parents. And this is
aside from the groups of idle, mostly young, people who are throwing
rocks and setting fires in the streets. What is going on?
Barack Obama campaigned on a promise of “Hope and Change.” Excuse
me, but are we hearing much that inspires hope, much less confidence,
optimism, or pride? Change seems to be occurring with almost
dizzying rapidity, but is it the kind of change that supports and
fosters human flourishing and maintains the health and strength of our
nation?
It seems to me that the rhetoric from the current leadership is aimed
more toward inciting envy, resentment, and anger than encouraging
patriotism, pride, achievement, and virtue. And Mrs.
Clinton, with breathtaking cynicism, asks us to buy her populist
message while we learn more about her personal enrichment through
dealings that were almost certainly illegal and possibly
treasonous. This woman also says she stands for strong families,
while supporting and promoting abortion, infanticide (late-term
abortion,) homosexual “marriage,” and euthanasia.
I pray that a leader will emerge who believes in the greatness of our
country and our people. Someone with vision. Someone with a
plan. Someone with courage. Someone who will lead.
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