McCarthyNYC Manifesto

Folks,

I believe that America is at a tipping point. While we are still the greatest nation on Earth, the current economic and cultural crisis has placed us in jeopardy of becoming either; 1. a superpower without confidence, unsure of its role in the world, 2. a second tier power, eclipsed by China, echoing the dénouement of past empires Greece/Ancient Roman/Britain, or worse yet, 3. a modern Sodom and Gomorrah, lost in the eyes of the world and lost in the eyes of God. (greatest nation on earth comment must always be inserted before any criticism to avoid being lumped in with the America-Last crowd)

The blog “McCarthynyc” is an American manifesto offering a set of principles to navigate the problems surrounding health care, housing, immigration, education, entitlement programs, and others that imperil this great nation. Personally, I am a Reagan Democrat with a libertarian streak. I detest one-issue zealotry (Israel, Abortion, Cuba) as well as poverty pimping (Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al et Al). With these political underpinnings disclosed, I will each week write about one of the vexing issues facing the nation and suggest a solution that is neither steeped in conservative nor liberal dogma, neither red nor blue slanted, neither traditional nor social progressive based. I’d like to think that I am a part of the post-political party era where voter's allegiances are highly mobile and solutions trump ideology.

Yes, America is special, but NOT because God arbitrarily chose to shed its grace on us. It’s because our founding fathers, educated in England/France, crafted a terrific legal and economic system based on the rule of law seasoned with a healthy suspicion of authority. We then invited every risk taker, square peg, religious outcast, and different thinker from around the world to donate their energy to our cast-free capitalist-driven democracy and make a life in the land safely ensconced between two oceans.

On January 20th, most Americans, Democrats and Republicans, will watch the inauguration of the first African-American President with the pride of seeing how far America has come in race relations. But once the soirees end and the parade route is swept, the new administration will face enormous challenges on January 21st. Solving these issues are critical to maintaining America premiere position worldwide. Although I disagree with the pessimists who believe that the American century ended on December 31, 1999, if we are to extend the American century into the 21st Century, we must solve problems, and in the process, expose the cowards, thieves and political prostitutes who are weakening the nation with their disingenuous self-dealing.

In my first issue to be posted shortly, I will lay out the current immigration debate and propose a solution that revitalizes immigration while maintaining homeland security.

In summary, America can remain the greatest nation on earth if we take on the difficult issues; if we fight politicians who put re-election ahead of country; if we expose those who exploit the fears of the vulnerable; if we have the discipline to shun those whose behavior is shameful. For America to remain great, we must again do the kind of hard work that originally made us great. If we do that, we will continue to receive God's grace. Expecting divine providence to solve our problems is not a plan.