Jul 9, 2022 4 min read

The headline screams, “Record-Low 38% Extremely Proud to Be American.” The apocalypse is upon us – but wait. An additional 27% are “very” proud to be American, so the way I see it, that is 65% of our population that is really proud to be American and by extension proud of America. If you add in the 22% who say they are “moderately” proud, that only leaves 13% who say they are “only a little proud” (9%) or “not at all proud” (4%). This latter group gets nearly 100% of the totally biased media coverage.

It is apparently very fashionable these days, mostly among this 4% group, to denounce America in the vilest of terms. There are those who renounce Independence Day, say they will renounce their citizenship (please, follow through), burn our flag and disrespect this nation. They should be very thankful that they have been given the right to do those things by the very country they revile.

What is it that has triggered them? Many of them say it is the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson. They claim that women are no longer free. What do they know about women in places like Chad, Pakistan or Syria? Some say they are mad at Donald Trump. Apparently they didn’t like full employment, $2 gasoline, low inflation, a secure nation and full store shelves. Others say here we are in 2022 without basic civil and human rights. A bit overwrought. What do they know of Yemen, China, Iran or North Korea? As with many things, what is said and reality may differ. How about these people just grew up never having heard the word “no” or having to accept responsibility for anything? I’ll just toss this in by way of comparison – not one of these poor distressed and suffering people has mentioned anguish over burning cities, lawless mobs, mayors who refuse to uphold the law and pornography being taught to our children in school. Those are no problem because those are leftist flagship issues. They are not getting their way and they are acting out. Apparently distress is party based.

All that is mentioned are the actions of people, a relatively few people, not what America really is. They will come and go. Underneath, I really believe that there is still America the beautiful. I believe that there is still a preponderance of people with goodness and courage in their souls. I know there are still grand mountains, untouched deserts, forests, lakes and shining seas.

I saw it at the Fourth of July parade in the salutes of proud veterans when the flags passed by. Daily I see random acts of kindness. I see it in the dedication the elected officials who serve our townships and the volunteers who serve those in need. I know that the price of our greatness is carved in black stone and thousands of white crosses at Arlington National Cemetery and in the grave markers at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. I would like to meet the person who has never experienced a tear in their eye when Taps is played.

I admire the great industrial strength of this nation when I see the drill rigs and pipelines and the mighty factory complexes and rail yards. Who can but marvel at the amazing skyscrapers of our cities and the rivers of cement that connect them. But I marvel even more at the stores and shops that line the streets of tens of thousands of small towns across our great land. This is America.

I read the words of those brave men who brought this nation into existence – We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. This was true on July 4, 1776, and it is true today.

It distresses me when people say that they are not proud of America. They may not be happy with the actions of certain people or groups, but those are not the actions of America. People come and go. America is a resilient country. It has survived wars, natural disasters, political upheaval, corruption, financial distress and famine, but at its core, America and its people are resilient and they will survive.

Today we see polarized political parties fighting each other and themselves. We see diminishing trust in our electoral system. America will sort it out and we will survive, the better for it. We will do this because we are a strong people and a strong nation.

So Happy Birthday America. I am proud of you.

Dave Ball is chairman of the Washington County Republican Party.