I remember clearly the Bicentennial celebration the United States had in 1976 when I was 15 years old and lived in a New York City suburb. It was a typical city suburb you would see in a movie and at the time I gave no thought to having a factory right on the corner of my block. One of my vivid memories was the fire hydrant right in front of my home and it being painted red white and blue for the celebration of 200 years of American freedom. One of the childhood games I remember involved seeing who could stand on the top of the fire hydrant (one foot) and balance themselves the longest. It was not really a game but more like something done in boredom. Looking back on those days I remember the price of pizza going up to a cost of fifty cents a slice at Tommy's pizzeria and my swearing to never have another slice because the price became too high.
I remember my father being so upset with the price of oil being so high and complaining how he could not afford to pay for the heating oil and fuel for the family car. I look back and see that my father worried about things that we, as a nation still worry about today. I recall how Dad griped about how much tax was being taken from his paycheck and how the cost of everything was outrageous. To this day I remember my father commenting during the opening scene of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Most may remember that scene during the opening credits where Mary Tyler Moore looked at meat in the supermarket and tossed it back in disgust when she saw the price. Dad would always say "Ain't that the truth" as if it were part of the script. I recall how my Dad would be upset when I left the loaf of bread on the counter open and allowed it to become stale. I recall how I would waste a bit of this or of that and how he would talk to me about how rough he had it way back when.
Today I live in Florida and as a nation we are still dealing with every issue. We are still complaining about high prices and we still cry about the oil issue. I now have a car that costs a small fortune to fill up and a house that I complain about the price to keep it cool. I went shopping today for the small gathering we will have for Independence Day and look at the receipt and realize I may need to work two jobs to pay the bills. The price of food has rocketed and just this morning I scolded my teenage son for leaving the bread open. As I chided my son of how bad it was getting I flashed back to the time I had spent with my Dad. I realized that we as a nation have always had the issues and the problems and today is no different. I always hear about how we are in the declining days of America and I could not disagree more.
America is not perfect and it will always be dealing with issues and we may not ever get it right. One thing I do know is that with all of her flaws and all of her problems America is my home. I, as a citizen know that I am part of something that is so much larger than me. One thing I do know is that because of the actions my Father took during World War II and seeing my son in the Navy that we as a nation will be alright. We have a group of young military personnel that are always on call that are there right now ensuring our freedom. You may not agree with all of the policies and you may not even like the military but you can't help thanking the individual for what they do. Without those young men and women in uniform the United States would not be celebrating anymore birthdays.
Without the military our nation would not be as great and as you grill your burger take a moment and say a quiet prayer. Take a moment and thank the individual that makes up our line of defense. Even with our non-existent fuel policy, our high taxes, our old tax laws, our crooked politicians, we need to take a moment and not blame our boys and girls that serve the flag. Those who do serve do so at the pleasure of the President and that President answers to you and to me. As this election in November grows close do not choose to not make a choice. Do not think that either choice for office is so bad you will stay home. As my father would say, "if you stay home then don't complain about what you get'. As the election nears listen, learn and choose the candidate that will do the best job. Learn and educate yourself so our grand children can stand on a red, white and blue fire hydrant in 2076. That is the least we can do for them.
While our Soldiers and Airman and Marines and Sailors give their time and some their lives the least you could do is vote for who you think will be best. Your choice for President does not have to be perfect because our system is not perfect. You need to vote so those that serve will know that those who are protected are at least worth protecting.
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