Not a political post

Let’s make America great again…

There have been more politicians than you can shake a stick at over the decades, including our current president, that have used some version of this as their battle cry to rally Americans. We all know that we want America to be great again, but what is it that we’re really asking for? What will it take for America to be great? Are we looking for low unemployment, high wages, stock markets on the rise, low interest rates or low housing costs? I don’t think any of that makes a difference. So just what is it that we’re after?

I think that deep down we all have a longing for the nostalgia of something that never really existed. That we’re looking for a place where Sherriff Taylor and Barney weren’t just policemen walking a beat, but kind, trustworthy pillars of the town who are able to keep all crime at bay without carrying a weapon. We want Marcus Welby to make house calls and keep each of our ailments and secrets to himself. We want him to hand us prescription drugs right out of his black bag and take a watermelon as payment. We want little girls in pigtails saying ‘Goodnight John Boy.” We’re looking for young lads that are willing to take out the trash and mow the neighbor’s lawn for a homemade cookie and a glass of milk. We’re looking for adults that help each other out through the tough times and throw bar-b-ques to celebrate each other’s victories. We want to have our religion back. Where we all go to church on Sunday and pray before each meal even in restaurants. We want to see children kneel at the foot of their beds and thank God for another day.  We want to pledge allegiance to the flag and have it mean more than just some words. We want drug stores to double as soda shops and barber shops to be where the quartet practices. Yes, we want hope, prosperity, kindness, honesty and freedom. But we don’t want to work for them. We want someone to hand it to us on a silver platter.

So there is always going to be a politicians telling us they will bring back ‘Main Street’… that they can make a ‘Great America’. But none of them can ever fulfill those promises.

Because small towns and Main Streets are not places to visit, they are a way of life. They are hidden inside each of us. So let’s search inside ourselves and pull them to the surface. Only through our action can we make America Great again.