By Christopher Reid
As I read the news each day, I realize that one of the major themes is a deep pessimism about America’s future, regardless of where you end up on the political spectrum. I understand why people feel this way, the divisions in this country seem insurmountable, and watching the acrimony in DC it looks like a “united” states isn’t possible. Yet, even though there are many things to be concerned about, I still believe America’s best days are in front of her. Our nation has overcome so many challenges and every generation has had problems that seemed impossible to surmount. Yet the one thing that has united this country is that our people have believed that our best days are yet to come. During WWII, it seemed impossible to combat the advancement at the axis powers. Our military was ranked 17th place in terms of its military might, and the German army seemed unstoppable. Yet in a few short years, the military went from 17th to number 1 and we succeeded where other nations had failed. My grandfather, an army officer in WWII, used to tell me stories of how superior the German military was when we began the war.
Their war machine had conquered most of Europe and England was on the brink of collapse. There was a never in a time in world history, that the outcome of civilization rested so much on whether America could find a way to win . The great depression had caused political turmoil prior to WWII, but even in our weakened state we found a way to put our difference aside and meet the challenges together. At the end of the 1970s, we were facing a USSR that was advancing all over the globe. There was a political school of thought that discouraged showing strength to Soviet aggression, and in this time American again wondered what the future would look like. Ronald Reagan became president not simply because Carter was so weak, but because Americans wanted a leader who would not back down when challenged, nor would we accept a future for the world where so many people would never know freedom. President Reagan realized that the USSR was not as strong as people thought, and built up our military to such a level the USSR economically collapsed under the weight of trying to keep up with us. Reagan was once asked what his strategy was to win the cold war and he simply answered “we win, they lose”.
In 1991, the Soviet Union finally collapsed and the Reagan doctrine of peace through strength was shown to be correct. The challenges we face as a nation may seem overwhelming. We are 20 trillion dollars in debt, and militarily we face an enemy in ISIS that knows no restraint nor recognizes no sovereign boundary. China is on the rise and the partisan tension in this country is at a level we have not seen since the civil war. Yet, history has taught us that our country finds a way to succeed, and therefore we will meet these challenges and unite as a nation once more. I think God has richly shed his grace on America and we should never give in to the idea that the challenges before us our too great for us to meet. Only God knows the future, but regardless of what we see on the news, we should not lose hope in our future. What unites us is greater than that which divides us and accepting failure is not in the DNA of our people. America though imperfect has always been a shining city on the hill and even if we lose our way for a time, we shall find it once more.
Mr. Reid is general practice attorney in Birmingham Alabama. He has worked for Republican leadership in the United State House of Representatives in Washington, DC, and was a health policy advisor to the Governor of Alabama. You can contact him by email at chris.reid@reidlawalabama.com or by phone at 205-913-7406. A description of his practice areas is available at www.reidlawalabama.com.
