Be Thankful for America
We’re living in a wonderful time in which there are a great many things to be thankful for.
President Donald Trump promised yesterday at a rally in Florida that he won’t allow the “radical Left” to change the name of that uniquely American holiday, Thanksgiving. “People have different ideas why it shouldn’t be call Thanksgiving,” Trump observed. “But everybody in this room, I know, loves the name Thanksgiving. And we’re not changing [it],” he stated to a round of cheers.
Obviously, there’s no legitimate reason to change Thanksgiving’s name, as we Americans have much to be thankful for. This year marks the 398th year since those first Pilgrims came together with their Native American neighbors to feast and offer thanks to God for blessing and sustaining them through to their first harvest in the New World. How much more do we, living in this free, beautiful, strong, and most prosperous nation in the world, have reason to give thanks?
Take the opportunity this Thanksgiving to turn away from the rampant and unending cavalcade of negative news and look with fresh eyes on the mind-boggling abundance and blessings we all enjoy living in America. Honestly embrace the reality; it’s a great time to be alive.
Economically speaking, unemployment is at its lowest level since 1969. Hourly wages are up across the board by 5.6% since 2009, and full-time workers are earning 3% more this year than last. Poverty is down to the lowest rate since 2001, with the real poverty rate at 2.8%. These are all things to be thankful for.
And with all this abundance, Americans continue to lead the world in generosity. Last year, $427 billion was donated to charity, while 63 million Americans volunteered their time in helping others, totaling over eight billion hours of service.
While it might not appear to be so with all the media coverage, the rate of violent crime continues to decline and is down 51% since 1993. And less crime equates to fewer numbers of people in prison. The number of those incarcerated has decreased by 100,000 from 10 years ago.
Americans, believe it or not, are also healthier than ever. Since 2000, the number of those dying from cancer has decreased from 168 per 100,000 to 146 per 100,000. The number of Americans smoking is at its lowest level since 1965, and the infant mortality rate has dropped by 14% since 2007.
Finally, that taboo subject not to bring up while passing the mashed potatoes to your Uncle Lou: politics. Watching the news, one gets the sense that politics is all that matters, but the reality is that of the 327 million people living in the U.S. today, 99% of them didn’t bother watching the news yesterday. That’s a lot of people who realize there is much more to life than concerning themselves with the circus of Washington. We can all be thankful for that.
We here at The Patriot Post wish all our readers a Happy Thanksgiving!