As Americans look back on our country’s history, they should clearly see the wisdom of our forefathers who came up with the not so crazy idea that men could govern themselves. We should all be grateful to those who had the foresight to see the future of our country, although I’m sure there were some doubting Thomases at the time. These patriots took on the task of going up against the most powerful nation in the world, and because of their faith and love of freedom, America was born. I often think about the courage that was needed to break free of a monarchy whose military superiority was next to none on earth.
Since our independence, America has been a beacon of light for nations around the world, and we have encouraged them to also find freedom in self-government. We know from experience that freedom is not free, but it is better than the alternatives. We should also take time on this momentous day to remember the sacrifices made by those who served in our military and defended our country from all enemies, foreign or domestic, that sought to destroy our way of life.
I happen to be a history buff and remember the words of George Santayana, who wrote in 1905 that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Looking back on America’s history, one might think the worst of the wars we fought with the greatest loss of life would have been the Revolutionary War. The shock to many Americans is that the revolution cost the lives of a little over 25,000, with about one-third who died in battle and the rest dying of disease or being captured. The shocking truth is that the most costly war in terms of Americans who lost their lives was the Civil War, where over 620,000 died; in fact, the Civil War’s death toll is comparable to all other major wars combined. This deadliest of wars originated primarily as a result of the long-standing disagreement over the institution of slavery. Lincoln was elected president in 1860, and he declared he would do everything necessary to keep the United States united as one country. He was successful in the end, but at a great cost of American lives.
When I look at where we are today, and I see a country that is also very divided and ask myself, are we in the throes of a second civil war, and is President Trump the Lincoln of today, fighting to reunite our country which has been drifting further apart for the past three decades. I have often said in my writings that our country has been under siege since the Federal Government commandeered our education system. It was President Lyndon Johnson’s introduction of the Great Society in the 1960s that began the removal of Christianity from our education system as government became more involved.
In 1965, Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Assistance Act (ESEA), which funneled billions of dollars of federal funding to public schools across the country. Between 1966 and 2006, approximately $315.1 billion was spent on K-12 public schools, accounting for 10% of the expenditure of local school districts’ budgets. Unfortunately, along with all this funding came edicts from the federal government. It was President Jimmy Carter who expanded federal oversight greatly into local education, creating the Department of Education. President George H. W. Bush also gave a big boost to federal oversight when Education Secretary Lamar Alexander came up with the America 2000 plan, which was never implemented but contained many of the ideas of what would later be called Common Core. In 1993, President Clinton proposed his Goals 2000 Educate America Act. This included a provision for the National Education Standards and Improvement Council (NESIC), which was to recommend “voluntary” state and federal standards and promise money to the states for compliance with those standards.
Not to be without his contribution to federalizing our education system, it was President George W. Bush who signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It was the largest expansion of federal oversight into education in our history. It set a goal that by 2014, 100% of all K-12 students would be proficient in reading and math, requiring states to prove their progress or face penalties and cuts in federal funding. This program did nothing to improve teaching methods or remove underperforming teachers and has been called a failure by most educators.
It was the Obama administration that introduced Common Core Standards during the great housing recession of 2008 and 2009, when many states were struggling to meet commitments to their education system. It was Obama’s Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emmanuel who said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Cash-strapped states competed for $4.3 billion in education grants called the Race to the Top that came out in 2009, with the $831 billion stimulus package. In the end, 46 states would acquiesce to accepting Common Core without a fight.
It is said that reformers for progressive education have been trying for 50 years to impose their ideas on the American public, and it is through Common Core that these reformers seized the opportunity to bring the most radical destruction to our education system. While there has been strong resistance to this socialist experiment, Common Core is one of the most prolific programs that targets our most vulnerable and impressionable children in our government-run education system.
I look at the unrest in our most prestigious learning institutions and liberal Blue cities with their persistent violent protests, and often think to myself, is this America’s second revolution? Many students have been radicalized by the very education system we have created, and it should send a chill up every American’s spine. We all need to take stock that our country has been under attack through our education system for the past 60 years. If we are to turn things around, it is going to take the will of the people to support a president like Donald Trump, who sees the problems and has the courage to take action to fix them, regardless of the criticism he may receive. Trump has been one of the biggest critics of our federal Education Department and has issued an executive order for its demise. He has explained many times that we spend more money per pupil than any other nation in the world, yet we ranked 40th of those that were rated. Trump trusts parents to know what is best for their children.
When we look at our most populated cities, we find many of those who live and work there have been students of our progressive education system and cultured to think like socialists. These are the same people who took government money to get an education in Socialized Underwater Basket Weaving in hopes of getting a high-paying job and are now looking for student loan forgiveness. Many graduates of our most prestigious colleges are still working as barristers at Starbucks, looking for tips for pouring you a cup of coffee that costs ten bucks. Then there are those who call themselves the educated elite who occupy the Sanctuary Cities and consider themselves the pillars of their community. These are the same people who do not want the illegals returned to their countries of origin so they can clean their homes, cook for their families take care of their babies, and work for coolie wages.
Yes, folks I believe we are seeing what I consider to be a second revolution that is not being fought with guns and bullets but with hyperbole and syndicated propaganda. The question is will Trump be able to continue to win over enough support from those who are disenchanted with the failures of the left? Will he be able to reinvigorate our country back into the industrial powerhouse it once was? As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the menu laid out by Trump and his administration has something for everyone. No, the democrats are not going away any time soon, but they have been shoved into a corner facing the wall because of their failures in trying to make America into a nanny state. As they say, the people have spoken, and Trump has produced everything he said he would, which sticks in the craw of every Democrat. The left will not stop fighting, but for now, they have been neutralized to the point that even their propagandized Media Cronies are losing credibility, as we see CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC being cut loose from their parents to fend for themselves. I would not put it past the left that during the midterm election, they will revive the old ‘Push Granny off the Cliff’ Commercial to emphasize the cuts in Medicaid, which only affected those who should be working.
The Trump train has left the station, folks, and it is full speed ahead as America is well on its way to being Great Again. Let us all celebrate this Fourth of July and remember all those who sacrificed their lives to keep our country free. Let us also thank God for His protection of our great nation for 249 years and hope that we will continue to prosper under His protection for another 249 years.
“We Get the Government We Deserve”
