Andrew Cuomo - A Historian You're Not!!

Gov. Cuomo, A Historian You Obviously Are Not
The View from the Middle

Just when I think politicians can’t show themselves to be more despicable, self-interested, narcissistic and feebleminded, along comes Governor Andrew Cuomo to demonstrate that there is no limit to their depravity and stupidity. In a speech on Wednesday, Cuomo actually said that, “(America) was never that great”. Wow! Actually, Michelle Obama said something similar back in 2008 when it became clear that her husband was going to be the Democratic nominee for President. She actually said, “For the first time in my life, I am proud of my country.” Some have restated her comment to say that, “she was never proud of her country” until her husband became the apparent nominee. Personally, I think that is actually a fair interpretation of her words.

As you would guess, I strongly disagree with both Cuomo and Michelle Obama. Let me just walk you through a few reasons why I believe this is not only the greatest country on earth today, but the greatest country that has ever existed.

Slavery was a cruel and tragic practice that started on this continent in 1619, and which our country inherited in 1776 when we declared our independence from Britain. I think, however, that it was no accident that the brilliant Thomas Jefferson put the words, “all men are created equal” in our Declaration of Independence. He knew that while it was not possible to correct that horrible custom that day, he used that opportunity to begin the corrective process.

We, as a country, have struggled to rectify that situation. We have fought a Civil War over this issue. We’ve overcome Jim Crow laws and even continue to battle against prejudice and discrimination today, but we have made tremendous progress. The first black members of Congress were not elected until 1870, and there were only three. Even by 1964, the year of civil rights legislation, there were only four African Americans in Congress. Today we have 51 black members in Congress and in 2008 we elected our first African American as President. While I disagree with Barack Obama on most policy stances, I am proud of our country for electing him. Michelle, I do agree with you in that sense, but it’s not the first thing our country has done that has made me proud.

I also believe that America’s ingenuity is amazing. It was The United States that began the Panama Canal in 1904 under Teddy Roosevelt, continued it under William Taft and completed it in 1914 under Woodrow Wilson. At the time it was arguably the most challenging engineering project the world had ever seen. Since this 51-mile-long canal has connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans it has literally saved ships millions of miles of hazardous and costly travel and vastly improved trade for North and South America as well as for China and Japan.

And what might be more astonishing than the canal was America’s determination to win the race to space. John Kennedy announced in 1962 that The United States would put a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth before the decade was out. Of course, we all remember now that we did land Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon in 1969 and returned them safely to earth. I am extremely proud of this country’s dogged determination and imagination.

And how can you not be proud of the resourcefulness and bravery of the American military. Not only did we defeat the most powerful force in the world during the Revolutionary War, but we did it a second time in The War of 1812. Then, more than 600,000 men gave their lives to insure the freedom of all men in The United States during the Civil War. And let’s not forget that a similar number of soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice to save Europe during World Wars I and II. Even in wars that were less popular like Vietnam and the Iraq War, I am amazed and proud of the bravery and even nobility of our soldiers.

It was the wisdom of our Founding Fathers to limit our federal government and to unleash the power of the American people through individual liberty, personal responsibility and free markets that has made America what it is today. The United States is the most powerful and influential country in the world. Our 20 trillion-dollar economy is the largest in the world. It represents 25% of the world’s total economy despite that fact that we represent less than 5% of the world’s population, and our military is the strongest in the world. In 2017, our $700 billion defense budget represented over 40% of global military spending. I am proud and comforted by our capability and can’t imagine the state of world peace and prosperity if any other country would replace us as leader in these categories.

This article would become a book if I were to go on and talk about every amazing aspect of this country that I am proud of. The impact of capitalism on global poverty, for example, is absolutely astonishing. Capitalism, the bedrock of our economic system, has lifted more people out of poverty than any other economic or governmental system in the history of the world. I take pride in the system and the impact that it has had for good here and around the world.

To Andrew Cuomo I would say – take your blinders off, read a book and just apologize to the people of New York and the entire United States. Then, go someplace where you can feel more comfortable and prouder. There are millions of people around the world who would gladly take your place. In fact, thousands of people risk their lives every year to get here. That alone should tell you how great this country is. If expense is an issue, I will personally volunteer to buy you a one way ticket to any country in the world that will accept you.