Today America celebrates its 235th birthday in its quintessential ways: parades, baseball, barbecues, music, and fireworks. Much of it is deserved for most citizens. As America tries to climb from the recession, it's time to toast and remember what makes America so great: its commitment to ideals, especially in the Declaration of Independence; its strong and deep tradition of liberty; its entrepreneurial and hard-working people; its diverse and growing ethos; and its continued status as an economic and cultural titan in the world. The founding generation would have been proud.
But America today faces many challenges that may threaten its very identity. Namely, they include prominent issues such as the national debt and deficit, the prospect of a generation of jobless and unskilled laborers, and divisive debates about immigration. But equally important is the erosion of liberties and civil protections of the less powerful and consumers, which our Supreme Court continues to ignore. Some of those issues are pressing but America faced them before and did not succumb. And from my observations of its peoples and enterprises, they remain resilient and true to their principles. I remain confident that America and its people will rise up to the challenge, and ensure that America will continue to be great in the years to come.
Happy Fourth of July from Boston, MA!
Monday 4 July 2011
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