Americans have the chance to “begin the world all over again” Thomas Paine, 1737 – 1809, Common Sense
As I reported in my last blog, I have been reading the relatively new book, “Still the Best Hope: why the world needs American Values to triumph” by Dennis Prager. His thesis is that there are three competing ideologies for the allegiance of humankind: Islamist, Leftist and American and, furthermore, that these three ideologies are incompatible. Any one of them succeeds at the expense of the other two. He identifies the American Trinity of Values as Liberty, In God We Trust, and E Pluribus Unum.
These three expressions appear on all American coins.
- Liberty
- Liberty is the essence of the American idea
- Liberty necessitates small government
- The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen
i) Moral character begins with taking responsibility for oneself
ii) Reliance on the state creates a sense of entitlement
iii) The smaller the government, the more the individual is needed
- In God We Trust
- We are “endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights …”
- Judeo-Christian Values, not Judeo-Christian Theology
i) People are not basically good
ii) God-based morality
iii) Holiness – we are not like other animals
iv) Hate evil
v) Material well-being is one of many values
- E Pluribus Unum – From Many One
- Nationalism – the opposite of multiculturalism
- American Exceptionalism – the U.S. is qualitatively different from other nations
- America is Good – not perfect but good in comparison with other nations
The above values are selected and abbreviated from Mr. Prager’s complete list, to most accurately reflect my own views. I strongly identify with these values which characterize America and its unique role in the world. We are the strongest, freest and wealthiest nation the world has ever known. For everyone’s sake let’s keep it that way!
It Does Not Add Up 