Of Fish

There are three different types of fish in the world, and of the kind that inhabit ponds, creeks, streams , and lakes, this can be said:

First are the surface dwellers, such as carp. Carp tend to stay in shallow water, and their diet consists mainly of whatever falls upon the surface of the water.

Second are the mid-dwellers, such as bass. Bass, for the most part, like to stay at about the mid-way point in their eco-system. While they may not eat as often as Carp, the meals are more substantive in that it is quality over quantity; they get better choices of food.

Finally, there are the bottom dwellers, such as catfish. Generally speaking, catfish get a bum rap as being scavengers; the reality is not that they eat anything, but quite literally everything, rooting around until they have satisfied their appetites. Catfish are complete in the sense that they take in everything, sift through it and remove desireable from undesireable, digest it, and gain nutrients from it.

Is Reparation the Answer?

Duncan S. Jackson

Political Science 1101

Garey Wood

Reaction Paper I

Is Reparation the Answer?

            Should our present-day government be made to atone for the sins of its fathers? Would

paying a debt of reparations to the descendants of slaves rectify—or at the very least, ease—the

enmity that exists between blacks and whites in modern American society? This paper will

explore and attempt to answer these questions through historical, ethical, theological, and socio-

economic analysis while presenting ideas as well as alternatives for a potential and mutually-

acceptable conclusion to a debate that has caused perhaps just as much damage to race relations

as the act of slave ownership itself.

            Slavery as we know it today did not begin in the United States of America, nor is its roots

deeply embedded in the Caribbean. When the majority of us think of slavery’s origins we think

back to Biblical days, when the Hebrew were the captive servants of the Egyptian Empire; Rabbi

Barry Dov Lerner, who employs the use of the Targum Yonatan (Targum being the Arabic

translation of the Bible, and Yonatan being the Arabic translation of Jonathan. The Targum

Yonatan is revered with the same esteem as the Torah) in historically and theologically

substantiating this period of enslavement, states that Jews were subservient to their Egyptian

masters for a period of two hundred ten to two hundred thirty years before gaining their freedom

(Judiasm.about.com).

Slavery in its modern context—that is, the enslavement of African peoples—was not an

institution the likes of which can be attributed to American agrarian colonialists; quite the

contrary. Slavery had already been established in much of Europe before the colonization of

North America, with Europeans making frequent trips to the Caribbean where the plantation

model had long been established (slaveryinamerica.org). By what means had slaves been taken

to the Caribbean? Can the Dutch and other Europeans be held solely responsible for the advent

of modern slavery? Responsible to an extent, yes, but sole responsibility should not rest on their

shoulders alone as until the early to mid-sixteen hundreds, the only slavery that existed in the

American colonies was that of indentured servitude.

The Ivory Coast of Africa was rich in literal human resources, and what the Europeans

did not take, those of the Caribbean did. However, as hostilities continued to grow between the

myriad of chieftains who made up the tribes and their lands’ invaders, bargains were struck and

alliances made where the chieftains would profit handsomely from the sale of their own people;

when this became a questionable practice within the tribe, chieftains often pitted their warriors

against neighboring tribes, kidnapping men, women, and children alike and selling them in their

clansmen’s stead to their fair-skinned business associates. In a Cable News Network (CNN)

report filed October 20, 1995, Akosua Perbi of the University of Ghana, West Africa stated, “It

was the Africans themselves who were enslaving their fellow Africans, sending them to the

[Ivory] coast to be shipped out.”

“It was the Africans themselves who were enslaving their fellow Africans […].” Can this

truly be, and if so, does this shift slavery’s blame from white European settlers to the ancestors

of the enslaved? In a perfect world, by all rights and means, it should. This is not to say that this

fact completely exonerates the Europeans or American colonists of the time from any wrong-

doing in empowering the continuation of the institution of slavery, but one must recognize that—

even four hundred years ago—the law of supply and demand was employed as efficiently as it

ever had, thus African-Americans from every period in our nation’s history must acknowledge

that it was their forebears who kept the wheels well lubricated during this period of human

trafficking. Is such a concept feasible? Again, in a perfect world…

As a majority, blacks seem to not care about statistics or facts or anything that contradicts

their belief that whites are solely responsible for all hardships in the black community. I say “as a

majority” because I took it upon myself to poll two hundred economically-diverse African-

Americans concerning the issue of reparations, and while I was a bit surprised at the results

collected, overall the sentiment I had so prejudicially expected rang true time and time again,

affirming the general consensus of said community. The questions were presented as close-

ended—soliciting a yes or no response only—yet many felt the need to justify their responses

with commentary, none of which will make its way into this paper (for how am I to remain

emotionally detached if I allow and react to such?). I will add this, though: Elisabeth Noelle-

Neumann’s advent of the Spiral of Silence was witnessed firsthand on more than one occasion

by this survey taker as three different persons asked if their answers could be amended to reflect

their true feelings (all three wished to change their response from “yay” to “nay”).

The question posed to the first one hundred African-Americans was Do you feel our

government today owes a debt of reparations to the descendants of slaves? Of black males

surveyed, thirty-nine answered yes while eleven answered no; of black females surveyed, thirty-

two answered yes while eighteen answered no. With the next one hundred economically-diverse

African-Americans polled, I utilized a lead-in question designed to make them analyze their

decisions prior to making them: If it was found out today that your grandfather kidnapped,

robbed, and murdered my grandfather, should you be made to pay for his crime? One-hundred

percent of those surveyed answered no. When the question of reparations was next asked, the

results were as follows: Of black males polled, twenty said yes, while fourteen said no; of black

females polled, thirty answered yes while thirty-six answered no.

Seventy-one percent of those in the first poll believe something is owed to them for the

horrors their ancestors were made to endure, while twenty-nine percent feel that what happened

lo, those many centuries past either cannot be rectified, or just plain should not. The second

group was evenly split in their thinking, yet the same sentiments regarding reparations remained.

Overall, 60.5% feel payment in some fashion is due them while 39.5% feel it is time for

everyone to finally let go and move on with their (our) lives.

As this country and its inhabitants were not the architects of slavery, nor African-

Americans the first to be enslaved, why is such emphasis placed on reparations owed them by

our government? In speaking with Rabbi Elbez of Temple Israel located in Valdosta, Georgia, I

have come to understand certain parallels and divergences where black and Hebrew enslavement

are concerned. The Hebrew were enslaved for approximately two hundred thirty years while

blacks suffered for about two hundred forty-five. Though not an exact number can be given,

Rabbi Elbez stated that it is believed by scholars of both the Torah and the Bible that over a

million Jews perished during the period of their enslavement, as opposed to thousands—perhaps

even tens of thousands—of African-Americans. If this is the case then why did the Hebrew

people never seek reparations from the Egyptians?

“It is quite simple,” Joel Baum, Torah scholar, told me in a phone interview from his

home in Lake Charles, Louisiana. “Our faith in God and our belief in self-reliance have

propelled us through the ages. God is capable of many great things: just look at our exodus. He

expects for us to take responsibility for ourselves, to persevere even in times of great sorrow. Our

enslavement in Egypt, our near extermination in the Nazi death camps…We will never ask for

payment for the atrocities through which we were made to suffer. It is not a matter of pride, but

self-reliance.” In defense of the Hebrew, they have not.

If a people who have suffered since time immemorial can adopt an attitude such as this

then why is it so difficult for African-Americans to do the same? Even with removing theology

from the equation, Mr. Baum stressed the importance of self-reliance in his people reestablishing

their rightful place in society time and again. Can the African-American community follow this

lead to prosperity? Any rational being could answer this affirmatively. The question now,

however, is Will they?

It must be acknowledged that belief in the Judeo-Christian God, religion, theology—call

it what you will—cannot be removed from this equation so simply as it was the driving force

behind the high spirits of the Hebrew people; African-Americans, for the most part, relied on

Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Was their faith misplaced? Only if we feel the ends

did not justify the means. Should African-Americans of this time have unquestioningly put all

their faith in the Biblical God? More specifically, should they have bent their wills to a being in

whom so very few actually believed? Early slaves were “Daylight Christians” in that their only

recognition of their masters’ God was practiced for his benefit; although Christianity was being

taught, Obeah was still maintained and practiced.

Obeah, a form of worship that includes medicine men, witch doctors, sorcery, ritualistic

dance, animal sacrifice, and inducing one into a trance-like state, is the religion early African

peoples brought with them from their country of origin; voodoo still exists today in many

Caribbean communities worldwide. By the mid-seventeen hundreds, as slave traders and

missionaries alike began trekking deeper into Africa’s jungles, small pockets of Muslims were

encountered, and it was believed that these people became “Daylight Christians” as well

(guyana.org) once they were brought to America

Even when shown how wrong a thing can be, it is extremely difficult for one to accept

this and let go of their (perceived) archaic way of thinking. Whites were not just demanding that

their slaves give up their old religious beliefs and adopt this new thing called Christianity, but

they were forcing blacks to believe in a God who apparently did not give a damn about them. In

their ignorance and arrogance, whites taught their slaves that God was responsible for creating a

race of evil beings such as them, as was punishment for Cain for killing his brother Abel, or as

Noah’s cursing of Ham, or even God’s disgust over the attempt at erecting the Tower of Babel

(epubs.utah.edu). As an African-American, how could one be asked to place complete and utter

faith in a being spoken about with such reverence if he would so willingly condemn his own

people to such a state? The slaves could not, thus their reason for not completely embracing

Christianity. According to Andrew Pace’s paper African-American Evangelical Development,

there was no real turn toward Christianity in the black community until the onset of the Civil

War, when it was estimated that approximately one million blacks had converted to the

unofficial religion of the country.

Was this it; that one defining moment when the faith of the people shone bright enough to

deliver them from their earthly bonds? Did self-reliance—taking a weapon in hand and fighting

for their own freedom—strengthen the resolve of the oppressed African-American people? Why

did they resist as long as they had; did none of them ever listen to or read a poem from Phillis

Wheatley, who viewed her capture, sale, and servitude as a “mercy” God had bestowed upon

her? One has only to read Ms. Wheatley’s poem On Being Brought from Africa to America to see

that hers was not a voice of reason, but more the result of years of psychological abuse, the end

result of which being a complete brainwashing that she in turn embraced as divine truth.

In its entirety the poem reads:

‘Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land,

 Taught my benighted soul to understand

 That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too:

 Once I redemption never sought nor knew.

 Some view our sable race with a scornful eye,

 “Their color is a diabolical dye.”

 Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,

 May be refin’d, and join the Angelic train.

Privileged, refined, and a member of polite New England society—as much as any slave

could be accepted, that is—Phillis Wheatley learned Latin and Greek, wrote poetry in honor of

and personally met with President George Washington, and was hailed in England as one of the

finest poet laureates ever to emerge from our fledgling country. She was spared the horrors that

her kinspeople were made to endure in the South, those that Frederick Douglass intimated with

such articulation and Harriet Beecher Stowe hinted at in her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In many

ways Wheatley was the worst kind of slave in that she represented the trophy, the “they can be

civilized” model that applied to so very few; slaves were bought, sold, and meant for hard labor;

so very few would ever enjoy the life Wheatley had been exposed to. This just goes to reaffirm

the mentality of the white Christians: Wheatley is convinced that her people’s existence is the

result of the mark of Cain, yet her faith allows for the possibility of redemption. Was it divine

providence that put an end to slavery in America? Does continued faith in the Judeo-Christian

God, along with a purposeful sense of self-reliance, guide today’s African-American, or has it

become more an issue of no faith, no self-reliance, no self-pride, and simply a feeling of

entitlement brought on by years of social program abuses?

My research seems to suggest that what is wanted (demanded? Expected?) most is not so

much compensation for a moral or ethical wrong, but a handout, a free ride that will guarantee

minimal output for minimal expectations. Allow me to play Devil’s advocate on this issue. We

as a country cannot simply say reparations should be paid and make it so without entertaining the

host of possible consequences that would surely rise from such a decision; walking through this

door would definitely open many others, such as How should reparations be paid? By cash

settlement, and if so, then How much and to whom? Should we tender payment to the oldest

surviving descendant of slaves and allow him or her to disperse the monies to his or her

remaining family? How about a free college education? Again, for whom? All surviving

members of slave forebears, or just the oldest surviving member? One African-American per

generation? Should the United States Government allow for an indefinite period of non-tax,

much the way we do with Native Americans, or do we offer a stipend or lump-sum payment

much the way we did in 1988 when we compensated Asian-Americans in general and the

Japanese more specifically with $1.6 billion when paying reparations for forcing them into

internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Of course, one must acknowledge that the

beneficiaries of these monies were the actual persons who had been held and not their ancestors,

so regardless of what can be decided,  is there any one definitive way to initiate such an

undertaking for the African-American community without economically crippling ourselves in

the process; furthermore, have reparations of a sort not already been implemented?

The period of Reconstruction, which took place in the South after the Civil War, aside,

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal was introduced with the hope of assisting disadvantaged

peoples during what has been termed this country’s Great Depression. In the nineteen-sixties, did

John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson not introduce social programs to compliment and

further uplift the economically disadvantaged? Institutions such as the Department of Health and

Human Services (DHS, HHS); Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD);

Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS, DFaCS); Aid to Families and Dependent

Children (AFDC); Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF); and even Affirmative

Action have all served to meet this end, although one must acknowledge that of all the programs

listed above Affirmative Action stands alone in being specifically designed for minorities. The

others, though initially geared toward poor whites, have since seen increasingly larger

percentages of minorities benefitting year after year; it is understood that whites provide the

overall higher number due to the fact that over seventy-one percent of the U.S. population is

deemed non-Hispanic white (www.census.gov).

That being said—in this regard—have we as a country done enough in the payment of

reparations? Should we consider the choices outlined in the previous two paragraphs? “It would

devastate us,” Brian Williams, Macro-/Microeconomics instructor at Wiregrass Georgia

Technical College, told me when I posed the possibility of lump-sum reparation payment to the

descendants of African slaves. While Mr. Williams agreed that the money received would help

stimulate the economy insomuch as retail businesses and new entrepreneurial endeavors are

concerned, overall the damage it would contribute to our national debt would be the likes from

which we would never recover.

[...] Department Head of Psychology at [...] had

this to say in regards to the psychological impact payment of reparations would have on race

relations: “I feel many whites would resent the payment of reparations to blacks. As far as that

goes, I feel a good percentage of blacks would be uncomfortable with receiving a payment of

reparations.” Moreover, Mr. Young believes that “society has provided opportunities for success

that were not available in the past” that have ensured the attainment of goals to those African-

Americans driven to strive for excellence.

Michelle Gardner, Instructor of Sociology at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, holds

a similar view on the topic of reparations and how it would affect race relations. Mrs. Gardner

feels that only those who are motivated by greed are they who continuously churn the pot of hate

and inequality; this is a two-sided blade, however, in that if reparations were paid then some

whites would exhibit a racially-motivated outrage, resulting in more division between the races.

“When all is said and done, at least as the payment of reparations is concerned, we would be

opening Pandora’s box,” she told me. When asked if there was anything our country could or

should do in response to this sensitive issue, Mrs. Gardner responded, “Any apology we could

give at this juncture would be perceived as not sincere, not valid. In 2012 Affirmative Action is

not something that helps from a perspective of reparations or even in serving in its other purpose

of strengthening race relations, but hurts as it provides a token representative that is required by

law to be employed. Social programs are the equivalent of throwing African-Americans a bone

in an attempt to appease the masses. This is nothing more than promoting the reliance on such

programs instead of promoting reliance upon one’s self.”

            When all is said and done we are still faced with the questions Should our government be

held responsible for paying a debt of reparations to the descendants of African-American slaves,

and if so, how much? There is no simple yes or no answer, just as any argument in favor of one

over the other could aptly serve to justify either. I tend to agree with Michelle Gardner in that an

apology now would be too little, too late—and much misplaced—just as I agree with every other

truth my research has uncovered, and the truths these have in turn inspired. It is not a defeatist

attitude that now guides my fingers, or my heart for that matter, but one borne of the perpetual

hope that time will settle this matter for us. Generations will come and go before the issue of

reparations is laid to rest; hopefully, by that time, racism will be as well.

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References Cited

Bisnauth, Dale. http://www.guyana.org/features/guyanastory/chapter28.html

Web. February 8, 2012.

Davis, Ronald L. F. http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/hs_es_overview.htm

Web. February 7, 2012.

Lerner, Barry Dov, Rabbi. http://judaism.about.com/od/passove1/f/slaveegypt.htm

Web. February 7, 2012.

Streiker, Gary. October 20, 1995. http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9510/ghana_slavery/

Web. February 6, 2012.

Wheatley, Phillis. 1768. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-being-brought-from-africa-to

           

February 14, 2012.

Neumann, Elisabeth Noelle. http://www.masscommtheory.com/category/theory/spiral-of-silence

1984. February 6, 2012.

Williams, Brian. Personal Interview. February 6, 2012.

Baum, Joel. Telephone Interview.  February 7, 2012.

Rabbi Elbez. Telephone Interview. February 7, 2012.

Gardner, Michelle. Personal Interview. February 14, 2012.

On Immigration, Unemployment, and Reigniting the Flame of Pride that Should Burn within All Americans

Duncan S. Jackson

Political Science 1101

Garey Wood

Reaction Paper II

On Immigration, Unemployment, and Reigniting the Flame of Pride that Should Burn within All

Americans

            As national political debates became more heated in 2011 many of the issues under

discussion—and the repercussions of said—could be seen on the state and local level; of those,

immigration and unemployment seemed to remain at the forefront of every person’s concerns as

the probability of universal healthcare continued to loom on the horizon. While proposals from

every viewpoint have been and continue to be offered on how to best deal with these problems

individually, I propose the problem(s) are congruent, should be approached as such, and in

finding a solution this country’s residents could once again ignite the flame of national pride that

should burn within the breast of every proud American.

            Illegal immigration has been a serious problem in the United States for scores of years, if

not downright centuries. Recent information from Brietbart.com confirms that, according to the

PEW Hispanic Center’s review of 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data, an estimated 850,000 people

—mostly Hispanic in origin—illegally enter this country every year, even though attempted

justification of this fact comes in the form of many who view this from a standpoint of They are

not crossing our borders; our borders have crossed them. Some complain about Homeland

Security’s inability to curtail this (executive power given to Border Patrol would be a step in the

right direction), yet at the same time many welcome these illegals, stating with much pride and

enthusiasm, “They do the jobs we don’t want to do.” Should the fact that one is unrepentantly

lazy be reason enough to continue to allow the flow of illegals into our country? It would seem

that the longer we allow this to happen, the stronger the sentiment becomes.

            According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.com), the following numbers reflect the

current state of unemployment in our country: as of January, 2012 the national unemployment

rate was 8.3% in a country whose population teeters on 309 million (census.gov), while closer to

home Georgia’s numbers, as of December, 2011, reflect 9.7% (bls.com) in a population of just

under 10 million (census.gov). With unemployment rates this high, one must wonder how

approximately twenty-five million able-bodied U.S. citizens on the national level and roughly

one million Georgians feel they have the right to complain when they so willingly turn their

backs on honest labor for an honest wage.

            As alluded to earlier, an epidemic of laziness—coupled with an overall growing sense of

entitlement where social programs is concerned—allows for justification in not re-entering the

workforce as one believes he or she is deserving of the benefits of said programs due to time

spent in previous employment as well as taxes paid over the years in support of these programs.

Familiesusa.org states that “More than fifty-eight million [Americans] rely on Medicaid […],”

while abcnews.go.com reveals that 45.753 million people on the national level and 1.4 million in

Georgia receive food stamps.

Although “there are more than 1,800 federally-supported subsidy programs, losses to […]

taxpayers from fraud, abuse, and other types of improper payments are in the ballpark of one

hundred billion dollars or more” annually (downsizinggovernment.org); of these, the most

abused are: Medicare; Medicaid; housing programs; student aid; and farm subsidies. It is

important to point out that the most costly abuses come from the white collar sector, that is to

say, professionals deemed responsible enough to care for these institutions but who succumb to

the temptation of making the easy dollar—or hundreds of millions, as it were. This is but a small

percentage of those guilty of abuse, however, thus shall we concentrate on those who make up

the larger part.

A former supervisor of mine used to say, “Good enough should never be good enough.”

Since hearing those words for the first time in 1994 they have become a part of my ever-evolving

philosophy on life, yet there are those to whom these very same words have been spoken but the

true meaning not embraced; the motivation it was meant to inspire, nonexistent. Apathy takes

root when one begins to rationalize that less is better; less in this regard being defined as more

reliance on others (social programs, etc.) and less on oneself. Is there a quick fix to this? Can we

convince people that good enough should never be good enough, that self-reliance and self-pride

go hand-in-hand, that good morals and strong character are worthy traits to pass from one

generation to the next, that we are a nation that has the ability to rise from the ashes of a beaten

and weathered economic downfall like a phoenix reborn to once again claim our place as “[…]

that shining city upon the hill.,” of which President Ronald Wilson Reagan spoke? We can, and

in instituting the following I believe we will.

Legaldictionary.com defines illegal immigrant as “An alien (non-citizen) who has

entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date

of a visa.” This is what our country endures to the tune of 850,000 people per year. Illegal means

unlawful, and since this immigration is unlawful the United States Government has an obligation

to its legal citizens to stamp out that which is counter-productive to the overall wellbeing of our

nation as a whole. So what will become of the jobs these illegal aliens perform on a daily basis?

Their exodus will surely leave a surplus of vacancies, most of which will be in farming and

landscaping, but these vacancies can be readily filled with the unemployed. I understand that

many will not want to give up what benefits they currently enjoy from social programs, yet for

this particular five-year program to work they will not have need to; that is to say, not

immediately. Able-bodied Americans: those coasting on unemployment benefits, welfare,

TANF, or other social programs are whom I wish to target. There is absolutely no reason these

people cannot assume the roles in the workplace which are currently filled by illegal immigrants.

Upon whose shoulders will it fall to declare who is able-bodied and who is not? To be

sure, any and all who receive unemployment must be considered able-bodied as part of their

weekly certification process is to truthfully state they are able and actively seeking employment.

Insomuch as recipients of social program benefits are concerned, there has been talk of monthly

drug screenings for these individuals; it just goes to reason that any money spent screening for

illegal drugs could be spent assessing one’s overall health, and if the individual is deemed

healthy enough to work then he or she should be made to fill the void left by the now-deported

illegal immigrant.

Unemployment or social program benefits to these people would not be immediately

terminated, for it should be the sincere desire of our government to ensure the success of each

individual, to make each more economically viable in his or her own right. What I would

propose is a grace period of perhaps twelve months in which each person entering the workforce

would see a reduction of their benefits by just twenty-five percent—surely the wages earned

would more than make up for this small loss—and at the end of the twelve-month grace period

each would continue to receive reduced benefits as they became more self-sufficient. Year two

would see another twenty-five percent reduction in benefits; year three would see the beginning

of payment for social program benefits, such as fifty dollars per month for Medicaid, or one

hundred dollars per month for two hundred dollars in food stamps. Year four would see a further

reduction in benefits, and by year five, everyone should be self-sufficient.

The success of this five-year plan relies on the individual adhering to policy and

procedure, true, but it must also rely upon the government’s inflexibility to said policies and

procedures; if it is determined an able-bodied individual leaves the workforce—this is not to say

discontinues working altogether as he or she may find more suitable employment elsewhere and

transfer to said—then his or her benefits would be stopped immediately and not be reactivated

until re-entering the workforce; reactivation would not begin the process anew, but would begin

at the termination point.

A program such as this should not be viewed as beneficial to just those on social

programs or unemployment, but the thousands of felons released from our prisons every year as

well. Generally speaking, felons have two strikes against them when attempting to reintegrate

themselves into society; which are (1) lack of education, and (2) their record as a felon. Allowing

these individuals to participate in this program would assist in making this class of people self-

reliant as well, and perhaps the need to return to a life of crime because their options have

remained limited for so long would become nonexistent. Additionally, good conduct and service

could be awarded in that if an ex-convict were to remain gainfully employed for a consecutive

two-year period then his or her right to vote could be reinstated.

In theory all these factors have the potential to ensure the success of the program, making

Americans self-reliant while taking a huge financial burden off the shoulders of our government,

but we must look beyond the surface to see what we as individuals and we as a people would

truly gain. Overall, the need for our country to institute a universal healthcare program would

become nonexistent as reliance on social programs would increasingly wane with our new-found

autonomy; furthermore, I honestly feel that our most ubiquitous bane at this juncture in our

nation’s history is the lack of pride we have in our country and ourselves.

My personal, empirical observations since 9/11 have shown me that the American people

can come together as one, that we as a nation can rise together and face tyranny not out of fear,

but more a sense of duty to ourselves and our country. Since that time, however, I have seen

many commercial enterprises proudly state “We support our troops” not out of some supposed

sense of national pride, but because it is good for business. Now, just ten-and-a-half years

removed from the bombing of the World Trade Center, what I see is a country of 9/10ers, that is

to say, a nation of complacent beings more worried over the problems in their lives than finding

a solution to their problems, and the country’s as well.

The time to pull ourselves from the primordial ooze of insouciance has come. We must

hold ourselves accountable for our present, and teach our children to prepare for their future.

Pride in oneself as an American and in America itself must be reignited, and I believe that

through hard work, self-reliance, and exercising good moral judgment—all of which we must

pass on to the next generation—we as a people can once again stand proud as the leaders of the

free world.

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