"Restoring America’s Greatness"
Achieving Excellence & Regaining the Competitive Edge in a Global Society
Why Is "Restoring America's Greatness" Critical
In spite of what many prominent news organizations, public and political figures have been touting, through 24/7 negative press regarding our country, America is irrefutably the greatest nation on earth and enviable leader of the world.
Even if you believe that America is losing its competitive edge, or that all that originally made our country great is deteriorating, hope is not lost! We can help Restore America’s Greatness by identifying the challenges facing our nation and taking meaningful action to successfully overcome them.
Why is America losing its competitive edge and what can we, as Americans,
do to stop our country’s decline and help restore America’s greatness?
First, let’s examine some of the serious problems facing our country:
- Political Instability
- Massive National Debt
- A Substandard, Failing Educational System
- Dysfunctional, or ‘broken’ family units
- Impoverished Citizens Lacking Adequate Health Care, Basics
- High Rates of Crime & Drug Abuse
- Lack of Effective Leadership, Integrity in Government
- According to the Congressional Budget Office, the U.S. is saddled with an $11 TRILLION debt, the largest in our nation’s history. Some of the causes include: war, natural disasters and excessive, irresponsible government spending. Our inability to balance the annual budget means that we are not able to reduce the debt or apply funds to programs that are vital to our nation’s success. Furthermore, we must question whether current expenditures are justifiable, that funds are being allocated with the best interests of our people in mind.
- Our educational system is not meeting the needs of many young Americans who will become the work force of our country and assume leadership positions in the future. Many adults, who have experienced that same system, are ill-prepared to help solve our big challenges and, in many cases, ill-prepared to even maintain themselves or their families. Because of globalization and technological developments, even those who are well-educated require new training.
- The family dynamics have changed. In this hectic world, parental time with children has diminished, and children are not being adequately nurtured, disciplined or motivated to achieve excellence and gain the competitive edge. A higher cost of living and more challenging economic times require both parents to earn an income, leaving them with less time to spend raising their children and help them become successful, productive members of society – our future leaders of America. A large percentage of children are also being raised by single parents, placing them in an even more challenging environment and at a greater risk for failure.
- Poverty remains a serious problem in our country, with many people having little to eat and no place to sleep. Many people cannot find employment and many cannot afford adequate health care. Additionally, we have a growing number of unmarried young mothers, many of whom must depend on welfare or charity to survive.
- Tragically, our nation’s high level of drug addiction results in big profits for powerful drug cartels and, more importantly, increased crime in the United States.
- Our government is plagued by corruption, absence of accountability, irresponsible and wasteful spending and complete disregard for the long term ramifications of its actions, the welfare of our nation’s tax-paying citizens and future of our country. Why are irresponsible or non-contributing organizations and individuals rewarded for poor behavior or decision making, while those who are ethical, work hard and pay taxes are punished and expected to pay the price?
The aforementioned issues do not represent the full litany of challenges, which Americans must address, but they illustrate some of the major challenges of our times, which cry out for solutions. Meeting these challenges is a matter of great importance to all of us because demands placed on us as a country have a dramatic effect on our standard of living and our quality of life, today and in the future.
These are highly complex issues, which are not subject to simple or short-term solutions, and no single act can resolve any of these challenges. Each person in our country must play a part in working toward a successful outcome. But this can only happen with a population that is prepared, both intellectually and morally, to deal with such difficult challenges.
We must restore confidence in Americans that they live in the best country in the world. Experience reveals that when we tackle challenges intensely, we can get the job done. We must take full advantage of the positive aspects of our lives, as well as our nation’s attributes.
The entrepreneurial spirit in our country has set a standard for economic development that makes us the envy of the world and our willingness to try new ideas, take risks and work hard for future benefits has been a major factor in America’s success. This spirit must be encouraged and supported if we are to effectively face and overcome the challenges of the 21st century.
We should enjoy the benefits of democracy and free enterprise, while simultaneously recognizing that we must participate in order for these processes to work. Because every person and every argument must be heard, the democratic process can be time-consuming and not very efficient, but there is still no better system for encouraging people to present and apply new ideas.
We must step back and re-examine our values, which will become standards of ethical conduct for current and future generations. Every American must commit to assuming responsibility for his or her decisions and realize that every act of kindness changes individuals and, eventually, society, forever.
We need a new approach to restore America’s greatness, and solve our nation’s challenges. We need to view achieving excellence and regaining the competitive edge as something to be desired and prized rather than something to be avoided. Excellence and competitiveness must be seen as a benefit, rather than a burden – something that is understood to be necessary, rather than discretionary.
To restore America’s greatness, we must ensure that all Americans are equipped and encouraged to reach their potential, and are prepared to assume their place and responsibility in solving individual challenges, as well as our nation’s challenges. It is only in this way that we can improve and maintain our standard of living and quality of life and, at the same time, re-establish our leadership in world affairs.
At both the legislative and educational public forum levels, open minds and cooperation will be required. Polarization, of educators, government officials and the public, inhibits growth and must be overcome. The result will be “Restoring America’s Greatness: Achieving Excellence and Regaining Our Competitive Edge in a Global Society.”
—Philip A. Schembra
By striving to become the best we can be, we can all effectively contribute toward Restoring America’s Greatness.
Hilton Head Island Performance Group, Inc. can help you or your organization achieve a happier and more successful life through its effective and affordable life learning planners and programs!
Contact HHIPG today to learn more!
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