By Marty Hermanson
This is in response to the Henry Wade’s letter published on Aug. 16 titled “Where did you go, America?”
First, I want to thank Henry Wade for his 20 years of service to his country. Our U.S. military should always be respected for their dedication and commitment to our great country. I think Henry makes a lot of sense in the tone of this article. When I first read his opinions I thought he hit on some serious issues on how people treat each other in today’s world.
I agree with Mr. Wade when he says, “How did we get to a place where harsh words and angry rhetoric have replaced civil discourse and respectful disagreement?” In this respect I agree with Henry Wade’s views. The reason, I believe, is that people don’t respect each other and their beliefs as we used to in this country.
It used to be that there would be a respectful debate over issues ranging from politics to sports and afterwards both sides would walk away respecting each other even if the arguments weren’t resolved. Today, everything has become personal. If one side has a belief and the other side disagrees with them, then it become heated and even turns to violence. This country has become more divided and more emotional, and rational arguments are going away.
This I blame on the media as they continue to print false reports in the quest for ratings.
However, Mr. Wade then turns to political viewpoints when he says, “how does one Make America Great Again if one chooses to not include America in the process?” He also suggests the United Sates is dismissing a whole culture because they are different.
First racism does not have a place in our country, period. As long as the media keeps promoting racism then we will continue to see these “legal” protests in our country, and unfortunately that does not end well. As far as illegals entering our country, first it is illegal and second the President put a ‘temporary ban” on illegals from certain countries that have “ISIS” ties until we can get a handle on who is entering our country.
The political divide happened shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in when Democrat leaders said openly they will do everything they can to block all of the President’s agenda items. We have Maxine Waters calling for the President’s impeachment, and we even have Missouri State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal calling for the assassination of the President of the United States, which is a federal crime in itself. The Democrats are not giving this president a chance just because he won in 2016.
Instead of blaming their loss on everything under the sun and Russia, they should accept their loss because they had a very bad candidate.
Let’s look at what this President has done in six months of America First.
· The President signed an Executive Order implementing tough new lobbying standards for political employees including a five-year ban on lobbying and a lifetime ban on lobbying for foreign countries
· The President signed the “Buy American and Hire American” prioritizing the interests of American businesses and workers
· Dow Jones has averaged an increase of 17 percent since election day, hitting new highs 25 times this year.
· Since January, the economy added 863,000 new jobs, including 821,000 in the private sector.
· President Trump instituted tough immigration policies that have reduced illegal border crossings by 53 percent compared to same time last year.
· President Trump signed legislation allowing our veterans to receive care outside of the Veterans Affairs medical system, giving our veterans the care they deserve after they have sacrificed for our country.
· America First Foreign Policy and National Security: In his first six months the President has done the following:
· Worked with our partners and allies in the Middle East to defeat ISIS, leading to Iraqi forces recapturing Mosul
· After the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against civilians, President Trump authorized strikes against the airbase that launched the chemical attacks, demonstrating our national commitment to preventing further atrocities
These are just a few accomplishments that never get reported from the mainstream media. Instead, the media focuses on Russia.
I go back to Henry Wade’s article and wish he would have stayed on his initial point on “how we got to a place where harsh words and angry rhetoric have replaced civil discourse and respectful disagreement,” on which I agree with him. I have known Henry Wade for many years and consider him a friend. Even friends can disagree with each other.
We need to move forward as people and respect everyone one around us if we are going to be one nation, under God. We should adhere to the second commandment in the Bible; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self. To answer the initial question from Henry Wade, “Where did you go America,” I say we are still here. We still live in the greatest country in the world. God bless the readers of this article and God Bless America.
Marty Hermanson is the president of the Maricopa Republican Club.
