Patriotism

Patriotism is something this country has been lacking recently. Everyone would rather criticize than support. They would rather blame problems on those who have nothing to do with it because it is easier than researching the issue. The only time the country will stand together is in times of crisis. There are those who would deface our flag. Those who do not know the pledge of allegiance or choose to ignore it. Those who will not sing the national anthem.

These are the people who demonstrate and write articles criticizing the military and it's leaders even though it is that military and the individuals within it who fight to protect the freedoms that allow them their free speech and right to demonstrate. These are the people who criticize those who are in power even though they were elected to hold those positions by the people themselves. These are the people who do not understand that there is no one man who is responsible for everything in the government.

They are the ones who believe the problem with the economy is blamed on our leaders when those who are responsible have freely admitted fault through lack of action. People would rather lay down arms and stop protecting our citizens and helping other countries because the road is long and difficult. They would rather allow those who hate this country to run rampant and possibly destroy our allies on their way to attacking us. They do not understand that in order to have peace you must be strong enough to defend it. These people are a testament to the fact that it is easier to criticize than it is to help.

I am not optimistic for the next four years. Today I voted. I did not vote one way or another because of race or religious beliefs or political party. I voted for the person I believe can do the best job for our country. Unfortunately I do not believe the best man will win. Certain people in the country do vote because of political party and believe one party is better than the others. Personally I believe that there is a need for balance. If one faction has more power than another, it will not bode well for the country. The constitution was written to provide checks and balances, but if one political party holds the majority of the positions in our country, who will be there to check them and make sure everything is balanced.

I am not optimistic about our immediate future. Yes we will see some good things come about the next couple of years because of policies put into effect by our current administration, but then "change" is coming. Campaign promises of "change" by a man who is too worried about being politically correct than about doing what is most important for our country. Empty promises. Unfortunately this "change" is not what the people will expect. The good news is our government was established to eliminate any chance of tyranny. Our president cannot make all of the decisions, but I will support the next president and all of the decisions that he does make because that is the patriotic thing to do.

Our president is the leader of our great country. Our Commander in Chief. He is the one who is elected by the people to hold that office and do what is necessary to protect this country and to make it a better place. He is the one who has to make the tough decisions for the greater good. He is not alone however. The government is set up to support him and check him and make sure his decisions are balanced. No matter who holds this office I will choose to be patriotic and support our president no matter who he is. He will be elected by the vote of the citizens who reside in this country and even if I voted for the other guy he will always have my support until the last day of his term. We must support our leaders and if we have a chance to make a difference that will be a benefit to our country we must take that chance.

Even though people complain now and demonstrate against our president, I think it will only get worse after the election. I just hope people can look back on these days and remember how good we had it and learn from their mistakes.