Story about American patriosm
To understand American patriotism, go talk to a Cuban or Haitian immigrant in Miami and prepare yourself to be shocked and schooled.
I was a lily white 22 yr old from the suburbs, raised in a Republican voting family, when I moved to Miami. I had no idea how lucky I was to be born an American, to be born to live free, and to appreciate the treasures of America, and how capitalism is the fundamental underpinning of our society.
I owe the Cubans, Haitians, and others, in Miami a debt of gratitude for a fresh look on how wonderful America truly is. I took for granted our stable banking system. Try growing up in a country where people bury their money/valuables for protection or where hyperinflation ruins a lifetime of savings.
The American judiciary, although imperfect, is the best legal system in the world. Ever heard of the Tonton Macoute? Stories of survival shook me to my core. That empty look in their eyes, oh no, their pain never goes away.
Our contract law and general lack of corruption promotes fairness and reliability in business. A man from Bolivia told me he figured it cost him about 30% extra in corrupt payoffs to deliver his goods to port for export. THINK about what it would cost us in America with that kind of corruption.
American grocery stores, our roads, our clothing, and yes, even our environmental policy makes America great and better than other countries. Many of you will remember the public service announcement with the Indian crying or Smokey the Bear talking about forest fires. We didn’t realize it then, but Americans don’t liter. Citizens of other countries DO liter.
As Americans, we wake up in the morning, flip the tap, and clean water pours out – not that way in other countries. To this day, in 2018, I deal with a multi-million dollar manufacturer in India who can only run for 4 hours a day because of brown-outs. Our electrical and power grid is extraordinary in the USA. We don’t think about it. We come home from work and reach into the frig for a cold beer, which is always there.
Education? In the USA, we complain incessantly about the quality of education (mostly because we WANT to maintain high quality). Heck, as Americans we complain so much about education we even build private schools as options. Other countries are still at the level of the one room school house and lucky if they have 20yr old textbooks…., to share.
Our military? Well, easy to say, our military is feared and respected all over the world. I’ve seen the reaction of foreign nationals when a US Navy ship steams into port. They ALL stop, look, and point.
Oh yes, living in Miami and traveling extensively in South America was a real eye-opener for this little girl. It changed my perspective completely and I grew up. Now, I understand why the USA is lauded and revered. As Americans we go about our daily lives and in the blur of our activity, we take for granted our systems, work-ethic, and our riches. We should complain a whole lot less.
In 1988, I took a man to go and vote with me. His health was failing and he was pretty much alone. He still lived by himself and nursed his lemon/lime trees. So, I gave him a ride. He was 86 years old and a Cuban exile. He recently became an American citizen and very much wanted to vote. He was a prominent engineer in his own country and became something of a grandfather to me. I adored him. At the polls that day, he was beaming and shuffled his notes. He researched every ordinance we were voting on and we discussed them endlessly. I breezed into the voting booth as did he.
When he came out, he was crying….
That strong and brilliant man, who had been through so much, lost family members to Communists and illness, was crying….., because he could vote, in America.
For the rest of my days, I will NEVER miss a vote. I will remember him and his overwhelming appreciation for our country. He taught me a new love for my own country.
We should all treasure our ability to vote and remember how lucky we are to be born as Americans.