The Founding Fathers’ Vision Of Freedom: Balancing Individual Liberty And Communal Values
All Americans share a fundamental set of values that reflect the intent of the Founding Fathers.
At the core of these values is the belief that every man and woman is born free and with equal rights and chance to achieve in society.
Beyond this, though, the Founding Fathers were aware that liberty comes with certain responsibilities — namely, to uphold communal values such as family, religion, and patriotism.
Additionally, they believed that no one ruler should ever have absolute power in America; instead, it must be diffused and shared amongst all citizens.
Nowadays, this holds true – with all Americans subscribing two key notions: individual liberty combined with communal values.
In other words, each American has the freedom to thrive while also belonging to a community that works together to keep democracy alive.
It’s clear that our attitudes today remain strongly shaped by what our founding fathers set out for us centuries ago.
A Culture Of Empathy Is Necessary For A Fairer And More Equitable Society
America is facing a crisis of empathy.
Everywhere you look, we are focusing on ways to differentiate and separate ourselves from each other.
The Republican party promotes an ownership society that tells citizens “You’re on your own” instead of “We’re all in this together.” This attitude reflects the lack of empathy American citizens are currently feeling towards their fellow citizens.
Sadly, it is those who are already most vulnerable in our society that suffer the most due to this lack of empathy.
Would Americans accept the state of inner-city schools if they had to imagine their own children attending them? Would CEOs even consider cutting back health care benefits for employees if they thought about how it impacted their own wages? Politicians fight so passionately over every issue, but what if more effort was taken to consider the valid points being made by the opposing side?
Many issues affecting our democracy and weakening members in our society could be solved if more people took time to consider what it would feel like to be in someone else’s shoes first.
To create a better democracy and open politics up for all weaker members in society, Americans must make an effort to adopt and practice a larger sense of empathy and ask one another often, “How would this make you feel?”
The Challenges Of Political Campaigns: Money, Interest Groups, And Media Influence
Politics in the United States are heavily influenced by money, interest groups, and the media – three forces that have a strong grip on our government.
In order to succeed in a political campaign, politicians have to have financial backing from wealthy individuals and corporations.
They also need to attract special interest groups such as labor unions for Democrats and big business and the NRA for Republicans.
Finally, they must satisfy the needs of the media in order to be able to reach their audiences.
The requirements to appease these three influences leads to a restriction of interaction with those outside the top 1% of income distribution, ties politicians closer to their donors, forces them to allow their agendas infiltrated by interest group interests, and encourages them to abandon civility and honesty in favor of disagreement for more exposure.
As a result, simple absolute truths rather than consensus appear as reality across all platforms.
In order to combat this extreme influence done by powerful special interest groups and the media we could mandate public funding for campaigns whilst providing free TV and radio time.
The “Winner-Take-All” Economy: How Globalization Represents A Growing Threat To The American Worker
The challenges of the globalized economy are mainly shouldered by ordinary workers.
They experience the brunt of layoffs, automation, and manual labor while companies prioritize profits over protecting their employees’ benefit and health care programs.
Globalization has been beneficial to many societies in terms of economic growth.
However, on an individual level, American workers haven’t seen any major improvement in their median wage since 1971 – a whopping zero-increase in 30 years!
This is caused by the ongoing competition generated by foreign products available worldwide, as well as the ‘winner-takes-all’ mentality that prevails once American companies succeed.
To keep shareholders happy, American companies tend to make hard financial decisions which often involve outsourcing labor or investing in cost-saving measures instead of providing better living standards for their employees.
Sadly enough, this means there won’t be any wealth for those at the bottom despite a swell of profits for those at the top.
How An Ownership Society Can Endanger The American Dream
Americans are hard-working people, and recognize the value of work.
In order for capitalism to remain viable and to ensure everyone has the opportunity to achieve prosperity through their efforts, it is necessary to create a social safety net that ensures risks and benefits are spread equally throughout society.
This includes a securely funded social security system, an effective tax code that does not disproportionately burden poorer households, and mechanisms for providing adequate healthcare coverage for all American families.
Unfortunately, recent Republican policies seem to ignore this reality and instead opt for cutting social security payments, reducing healthcare coverage options and offering tax cuts geared towards wealthier households.
Such a system reinforces inequality in our society by privileging those at the top of the income ladder while leaving middle-class and lower-income individuals further behind economically.
It also ignores the importance of consent from those most affected by such policies if we wish our capitalist system to remain viable for generations to come.
To achieve true equity in our economy requires creating a more equitable tax code as well as funding programs that support working families regardless of their financial status.
Only then will everyone be able to share in both the risks and rewards of capitalism.
Religion Can Still Play An Important Role In A Pluralistic Society
Faith plays a key role in America’s diverse society.
In a country where every religious tradition and nonbelief is represented, it’s important to acknowledge the power that faith holds and talk about what its role should be within society.
Reason and faith are different ways of thinking.
For example, when arguing for a cause, it’s not enough to just cite the teachings of one’s church – principles need to be formulated in a way that can be understood by all members of society regardless of their beliefs or lack thereof.
At the same time, religion helps us remember and affirm values like honesty, sympathy and discipline which Americans from all walks of life share.
And in addition to providing guidance on moral issues, religious institutions play an active role in trying to solve some of our most pressing problems.
Churches provide crucial services such as daycare centers for families who need assistance and senior centers for the elderly.
They also mobilize members against cuts in social programs and growing inequality among American citizens.
Faith truly plays a key role helping Americans come together despite their differences, to face the issues they must face together as one nation.
Americans Should Embrace A Multi-Ethnic Future And Work To Combat Socioeconomic Inequality For All
The path to true equality can only be reached by mandating nondiscriminatory laws and offering educational scholarships.
By 2025, whites will no longer be a majority in America.
This means that it’s in our best interest to create an environment where minority groups have access to the same opportunities as whites.
This is core tenant of The Constitution and is necessary for America greatness: All citizens must be treated equally.
We have already seen progress when it comes to economic equality after the last few generations; black poverty has been nearly cut in half and the size of the black middle class continues to grow.
However, blacks and Latinos are still underrepresented in corporate boardrooms and politics with wages that are usually only 75 percent what their white counterparts make if they are able to get a job at all.
To address this disparity, nondiscriminatory laws need to be enforced so that preference isn’t given based on race when it comes to employment, housing or loans.
Additionally, more educational scholarships should be available for people regardless of their race so they have a chance to reach successful heights even if they come from a poor background.
Finally, there needs to be more emphasis on social justice issues such as wage stagnation, pension security and ensuring our public schools offer students the necessary skills for success in the 21st century economy.
It’s through these steps that true equality can finally be achieved in America.
It Is Possible To Transform The Lives Of Inner-City Residents Through Education And Opportunity
Inner-city neighborhoods are often characterized by poverty and crime, making it easy to assume that the struggle of their citizens is unsolvable.
However, there are ways to address these problems with education and equal opportunities.
Many of the issues in such neighborhoods stem from a lack of access to quality education.
Kids growing up in inner-city communities often have fewer resources compared to their peers, including a substandard education and a lack of health care services.
This results in an increased likelihood that they may become teenage mothers or criminals.
One way to begin addressing this issue is encouraging teenage girls to finish high school – not only giving them an education, but also providing them with guidance on healthier options than parenting at an early age.
Additionally, providing access to pre-school programs may bring disadvantaged children onto an equal playing field with those born into wealthier environments.
Furthermore, many people mistakenly believe that young men living in poor inner cities turn to drug dealing as the only option for income; however, most of them would take legal jobs if given the chance – assuming they had proper resources such as medical care and educational opportunities available earlier in life.
Overall, providing people born into poverty with equal opportunities can help break the cycle of despair caused by systematic disadvantages present from birth.
Equal job prospects among youths can lead to more structured lives full of dignity and purpose rather than crime.
Making Parenting Easier: How To Revive American Family Values
America needs to recognize that the structure of the family-unit has changed and adjust accordingly.
Marriage rates have dropped, more kids are growing up without their biological fathers and parents don’t have as much time with their children due to two breadwinners being necessary in most households, often requiring both spouses to work full-time.
This means it’s become much harder to be a good parent.
Higher quality pre-schools, after-school programs and summer schools need to be accessible to all children, so that parents don’t need to worry about their children’s education if they can’t spend as much time with them.
Children raised by single mothers who may not have the financial resources for higher quality schooling are especially vulnerable to being trapped in a cycle of poverty, teenage motherhood and crime.
Everyone should have access to good education regardless of family circumstances.
This is why policies need to be put into place that make good parenting easier through better school programs and greater support for parents – so families across America can keep an eye on their values despite changing times.
The False Promise Of The Republican’S ‘Ownership Society’: Equality Is Key To A Flourishing Free Market
The concept of an ownership society, where the market was left to operate on its own without governmental regulation, fails to recognize the complexity of our economy and the need for ensuring that everyone has the same opportunity for success through their own efforts.
Without government intervention to ensure equity and fairness in terms of distribution of economic resources, different layers of society would form – where some people become wealthy while most others struggle just to make ends meet.
It’s necessary for the government to step in and regulate the free market if it is going to be truly vibrant and have a chance of providing equal opportunities for all individuals.
Only when people have a fair shot at increasing their economic standing through their own hard work will they be able to contribute positively towards creating a thriving free market.
The financial crash of 1929 is one such reminder where we saw how government regulation was ultimately necessary for structuring a social contract between employers and employees.
In short, a vibrant free market needs governmental regulation in order to create equal opportunities for everyone.
Otherwise we run the risk of creating a socioeconomic system in which only those born with financial wealth have real chances at succeeding economically.
America Needs To Invest In Education To Build A Stronger Free Market
To become more competitive, America must make a strong investment in education, science and technology.
This is the only way for it to create a vibrant free market in which great companies can develop innovative products and succeed.
In order for this free market to work, the government must lay the right infrastructure and ensure that people have access to high-quality public education so they can get ahead through their own efforts.
With our current state of affairs, with high-school dropout rates being at an all-time high, college fees continuously rising and inner-city schools stuck in a cycle of hopelessness— Congress has made it both harder and more expensive for students to pursue higher education.
Rather than producing more lawyers in hope of becoming competitive, America needs more engineers and better teachers if it wants to continue developing innovative companies like Google.
To do so, it must fund research programs, invest into its educational system further and provide training for scientists and engineers.
It is only through these investments that we will be able to become an economy that is truly able to compete in the global stage.
Investing In 21St Century Energy Sources And Higher Fuel Efficiency Is The Key To Achieving American Energy Independence
The US is more dependent on foreign oil than ever before, making it vulnerable to terrorists who can target external oil fields.
Additionally, America spends over 800 million dollars a day on foreign oil, much of which helps to prop up unstable regimes.
To become energy-independent and free itself of this vulnerability, America needs to invest in alternative energy sources and higher fuel efficiency standards.
China already has higher standards than the US when it comes to fuel efficiency, so investing in more efficient cars is an obvious way to reduce consumption and become more self-sufficient.
It’s also important to recognize that the only way to real energy independence is through investing in cleaner 21st century energy sources such as solar, wind and hydroelectric power instead of subsidizing oil companies with record profits.
These measures can create thousands of new jobs in the US and help create new industries for the 21st century.
In The 21St Century, America Needs To Rethink Its Foreign Policy For An Increasingly Ideological World
In the 21st century, America’s foreign policy needs to shift its focus in order to face the challenges posed by militant groups and ideologies.
U.S.
government strategies used during the Cold War are no longer effective against modern threats.
The war on Iraq has exemplified this point: Unilateral action may have generated disastrous results – in terms of economic costs and casualties – without achieving the desired outcome.
This serves as a reminder that military interventions are not the best approach when it comes to dealing with ideological forces.
Instead, America must engage in a “battle of ideas” with these ideologies that stand in contrast of American values such as democracy and liberty.
This engagement can only be successful if America leads by example and showcases its commitment to these values; detaining suspects without trial is certainly incompatible with such commitment.
Where military intervention is inevitable, multilateral rather than unilateral actions should be preferred – as was done during the First Gulf War – as they reduce anti-American sentiment and lower costs for Americans.
Therefore, America’s 21st century foreign policy must focus on the current global battle of ideas and rely more on multilateral action if it wants to be effectively protect both its ideals and citizens from external threats.
Wrap Up
The Audacity of Hope book makes a clear statement on the status of America and how to reinvigorate it.
The message presented is that all Americans have fundamental values and an understanding of social justice, healthy economy and foreign policy, which can help us tackle issues more effectively.
In short, achieving greater equality in society can be done through nondiscriminatory laws, better education for inner-city neighborhoods, greater emphasis on faith in a diverse society, support for parents with a changing family structure and social security.
As for the economy, focus should be shifted towards investing in education and science/tech as well as developing alternative energy sources and higher fuel-efficiency standards – all this enabling America to become more competitive.
Lastly, 21st century foreign policy must look into global battles of ideas while leaning towards multilateral action.
