Motivation Monday and 4th of July ~ Celebrate Red, White and Blue!

July 2, 2012 - PRLog -- Today is another Monday as we begin the “dog days of summer” and many families are on vacation this week enjoying the summer sun.   America is having a heat wave and in two days we celebrate Independence Day.
What will you do for Independence Day?  Many Americans still love to fly the flag and wear red, white and blue.  Many families will celebrate with parades, bar-b-ques and fireworks, but what does it all mean?
I was recently told by my staff that someone said they assumed that my “Motivate America” web site (www.MotivateAmerica.us ) was some kind of “Republican” web site.”  When they asked why they thought so, the person said, it was because of the red, white and blue theme.
In another interesting story, I have a friend that held a fundraiser at her home as she has many times before for a Democratic candidate.  She decorated her home with The American Flag and a patriotic theme.  As she walked around the party, she heard two women speaking about how “inappropriate” the theme was and didn’t she realize that “red, white and blue” is Republican.
As President of Motivate America, Inc., I am proud to promote patriotism and motivation.  Patriotism is what created America and has made it free and strong for 236 years.  There are millions of Americans that have bled and died for these colors and for the symbol of our great nation, The American Flag.
Several years ago I created “I Am America, a patriot for change a part of the solution.”  I created that campaign and apparel, because I felt like America was being driven apart and losing a sense of itself.  We were losing the point.  Red, white and blue isn’t a Republican thing nor a Democrat thing, it’s an American thing!
As I write this Motivation Monday column, I ask every person that reads it to truly think about what Independence Day stands for.  What does it mean to you? As we look for our “greater selves” and strive to be the best people that we can be, how do we see and really feel about our country?  How do we feel about the colors that represent us around the world and represent freedom that so many people fight and die for.
I am a first generation American.  Both of my parents immigrated from Ireland in the 1950’s, legally, and would tell us, “this is the greatest country in the world.”  I grew up believing that, because my parents chose to come to America with nothing and they knew almost nobody and they made it work.
In recent months and years our political system has continued to divide us.  “We have become a nation divided, not UNITED.”  The level of accusations and threats and intimidation are unacceptable.  People used to know that you do not discuss politics and religion in polite conversation.  Today, people isolate those that do not have the same “belief system” as them and their friends.  People that have one set of beliefs argue for acceptance and understanding and yet if someone disagrees with them there is no “acceptance” or “understanding” of why their beliefs may be different.  There is just confrontation and accusation.  That is not why or how America was created.
Political discourse is intended to be calm and intelligent.  Political discourse is understanding that we are not all the same, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t believe in many of the same things.  We have become a society that focuses on what we hold to be different opposed to those things that we hold that are the same.  A nation divided will fall and I fear that we are a nation divided that will fall if we do not refocus our energies.
Independence Day is about celebrating our “freedom” and yet we have a government and “police state” that continues to take away our “freedoms.”  And, because we have become so “divided” we cannot come together in order to tell our government to stop taking away our “freedoms.”
Regardless if you are a Democrat or a Republican or any other political belief in America, you must be able to see that our “freedoms” are being taken away, both on a Federal and local level.  Our governments, locally and nationally have become so large that they have increased our national debt to the point that we can no longer even pay the interest on our $19 trillion in debt.  And yet everyone that is paid by our tax dollars somehow “deserves” increases at taxpayer expense.
For every shop owner, entrepreneur, sole proprietor and business that does not get paid by the taxpayers, what are you going to do?  Your “Independence” and “Freedoms” are being stolen from you.  Soon, you will not be able to determine who you hire, how many people you hire, what insurance you use and what you offer your employees.  There are so many local laws and rules that you will not be able to determine how to run your business in order to make money, because the local people that work for over bloated governments must justify themselves and thereby must prohibit you from working and making a living and charge ridiculous fines and fees to pay for themselves.
For every American that works for any form of Government.  Please just ask yourself the simple question; where is the money coming from to pay me?  If you are a part of any organization that is paid by tax dollars, where is your shame? Where is your conscience? Those that are “double dipping” on pensions and asking for more money.  Those that are asking for money as schools are being closed and our kids are having programs cut.  Look around at your neighbors that have lost their jobs and it’s not 9%, it’s more like 16% and ask yourself, how can I ask taxpayers and my neighbors to pay more taxes to pay me when these people are going to lose their homes and people have to close their family owned businesses?  How can those that are living off taxpayer dollars continue to believe in “socialized medicine” and the “socialization” of America, but not care about their fellow neighbors who try to make a living in the local store on Main Street, USA?
As we have thousands of parades this week on Main Streets all across America, ask the small store owners how they feel about this.  Ask them if they have had enough with increased taxes.  Ask the soldiers and people that have fought for the red, white and blue if they were fighting for “freedom,” “Independence” and “patriotism” or for “socialism.”
This is The United States of America and Independence Day stands for freedom!   We celebrate that freedom as the shining example of democracy and freedom around the world and many millions have fought for that kind of freedom.  
Why then, as a nation, are we allowing “socialist policies” and “left leaning” politicians and organizations to bring us further in debt as more and more people are being employed by the government and we, the taxpayers of America are responsible for paying the tab?
This isn’t a “Republican thing,” nor a “Democrat thing.”  This is an American thing! And we must come together and fight for a common cause, because our freedoms and independence are being taken from us, little by little.
Happy Motivation Monday.  Wishing all a Happy 4th of July, Independence Day and God Bless America!