Maybe I’m too young to remember when we voted to move to a diverse cultural society. I thought that our culture was pretty good and we were constantly improving it. But someone someplace decided that our culture was not good enough and decided to make our country a multi-culture society.
The old culture was based on Judeo-Christian principles like hard work and love of country. It seemed like a good one but I guess not worthy enough. We welcomed people from all over the world and provided an environment where they could move through society if they were willing to work for it. Some say it is not true, but where else can people move from the bottom of the economics ladder to the top?
Not true? It certainly is true as many of our millionaires’ parents came to this country not even speaking English but embraced the opportunities. They worked hard, took to the American culture, maybe sent the children to college to provide them a better life. Yes, there were groups that were discriminated against. The Irish, the Chinese and others but by hard work they moved up in society and today stand as equals to all.
However, there were at least two groups that didn’t move up much, that of course were the kids of former slaves and Hispanic people. Yes that was mostly caused by the culture at that time. They did not get the education to move from labor jobs to more skilled positions. Also they were discriminated against and in many places they could not get a good job even if they were skilled. After World War two, that changed.
The veterans of the war fought alongside the people they may have never encountered before and their attitudes began to change. By the 60s the shift was in full gear. Later we even gave preferential rights to those that had been discriminated against providing jobs and education. Still there were some left behind but the opportunities still are there.
A second change in the underlying society was underway. The change started in the schools where progressive teachers begin to teach that America was bad to the core and had to be changed. This was going on simultaneously with the change in preferential rights in business and the schools. Essentially, two huge forces were at work to change our country, one current and one for the future.
The current change provided jobs for those who had the willingness to work and learn. This resulted in upward mobility for many. Those left behind were caught in a trap of a losing culture and they had no guides to lead them to the other side. Those being taught in school learned that America and Capitalism was the devil and unfortunately many believed it. Their new culture was “We all share what is yours is mine.”
The new culture is “I deserve everything I want” and” I do not have to work for it.” Drugs are cool and good, Jobs are for suckers and we need revolution to change things. Although this started long before his time, one of the first new Prophets was Obama and his “fundamental change this country.” Many of the young and Progressives flocked to his call. He did make many fundamental changes like the police are the bad guys killing black people for no reason. If you are successful in business you are the bad guy and of course “you did not build the business by yourself.” As a final touch he brought into this country so many “Refugees” that they overwhelmed the system for assimilation. Thus new cultures were forming and some cheered for multi-culture society even though some were completely foreign from our original culture/society.
Somehow many of the heartland people awoke and by their votes defeated the east and west coast. The progressives hate the new president because he has stopped giving away America’s wealth and supports law and order. The power brokers hate him because he has taken away their right to power. The college progressives hate him because he is rolling back their progressive ideas.
Has President Trump any friends or supporters left? Does anyone want to preserve our social, culture and political systems that made America great or do we see that culture swept away and replaced with some unknown culture, cultures or even socialism. We will see in November, but it will take the heartland people to stand up and vote once again.
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I guess Mike spends way too much time watching Trump News. Progressive teachers are anti American? What garbage! Your problem is that the old white guys, who have never gotten over the 1960’s and equal rights, are now threatened by many more people from different countries, religions, and ethnicities. These new arrivals are actually assimilating very rapidly, even to the extent of running for political offices. This scares the hell out of Mike. He still thinks that white males are entitled to be the heads of companies, elected officials, and should always be looking down on minorities. Life was great for the old white guys back in the 1950’s. They could discriminate on who they would allow to rent their apartments. They never had to work hard as they were entitled to get the promotions. Minorities and women were not a threat. Besides, they thought, women and minorities would never take their jobs because they were not God’s chosen people. Times changed, for the better, in the 60’s. Now women and minorities are leading corporations, are doctors and lawyers, and, yes, teachers.
Teachers are like anyone else in this country. They love our country and are working hard to make it a better country. However, we now have a President who hates the freedom of the press, who hates teachers, would rather befriend dictators, who now calls our closest friends the enemy, and is so unglued about the coming indictments that he is literally going crazy in front of our very eyes. For someone who claims to be innocent of any crimes, he sure doth protest a bit too much.
Mike, you should get out of Mesquite and see the world. It is full of wonderful places and wonderful people. Your fear is unfounded. People around the world are just like you. They work hard to feed their families, they love their countries, and they love traveling. Have you been to the Vegas strip lately? The world is shrinking. You can now fly non stop to anyplace in the world. Who knows, maybe some day we can live up to the John Lennon song “Imagine”. We can only hope.
Mr. Petrillo;
I have read a vast majority of your replies. It is evident you are a devout Socialist Democrat, You perpetually express the negativeity of the USA and it’s constitutional standards and present rule of law. You obviously are a very UNHAPPY man in this USA. It is also obvious you strongly support the teachings of the colleges that teach America is not the land of opportunity, but is the land of great mistakes and would be better off as a SOCIALISTIC FORM of GOVERNMENT.The poor student has very high collage loans ( That will need to be paid back, BY some one else when becoming a socialistic country. ( Poor abused children). (Where is the money coming from???)
This is way TOO MUCH B.S. and YOU certainly can’t believe in it. If YOU do, I don’t and can not respect any of your values as a true patriot of this wonderful country.
I rest my case. You are obviously one of the Old White Guys that I described. You who want to MAGA. I believe that the US has never been greater right now. However, given another few years of a treasonous President, we will be regressing to the point we will become a fascist nation. I am proud to be a liberal. Any progress we made as a nation was due to liberals. Remember, they had one great idea – the Declaration of Independence. We liberals are the ones who serve our country and do not chicken out like Mr. Bone Spurs. I hope your read the opinion piece today from Admiral McRaven. He speaks for the vast majority in this country who view our President as unfit for the Office of the President.
Petrillo is stirring the pot of disinformation and spewing the talking points of the extreme far Delusional left. Put this “entity” on IGNORE Doug cause I don’t know what bathroom it uses or if they have made one for that yet. OH shout I let my white privilege show… sorry … NOT!
Thanks for the post Mike it’s right on.
Well thought out and well said Mike Young. Progressive, liberal socialists like David Petrillo represent the real threat to this country. The Obama’s were two of the most racist people ever, by playing the race card on everything. They created hatred and racial tensions in so many areas – where preciously “color blindness” was the desired outcome (seeing people as people, and not as black, white, brown, red or yellow).
Generations of immigrants came here to become Americans and live/love the American Dream. As Mike Young points out, most come here now expecting to be given everything without earning it – or becoming Americans. They want to keep their own flags (and burn ours) and cry things like “white supremacy” when they don’t get their own way in everything. The “no borders, no walls, no USA at all” rally cry by the progressive, liberal socialists is indicative of the lunacy of these people – and the threat they really are to America (and to all truly patriotic Americans that love this great country).
David Pertillo, are you seriously suggesting others should leave Mesquite? Really? You have been asked to please take your narrow views and leave this city by myself and others many, many times. Why are you still here? Are you waiting for us to take up a collection to buy your house and pay your way out of here? Or is stirring the pot and insulting people the only joy you have left in life? Please David, take some of that “disposable income” you like to brag about and spread your wings and fly away. And please, when it turns cold in the mid west in a few months, do not come home to roost like all the birds do.
I don’t agree with much of what you write but I would like to push back on just your claim that President Obama “did make many fundamental changes like the police are the bad guys killing black people for no reason” and on John Burrow’s statement that Barack and Michelle Obama ‘were two of the most racist people ever.” President Obama did admit that he had regrets for his comments about the Henry Louis Gates Jr. arrest. He then brought the parties together for a “beer summit” to discuss errors made on all sides and to make it a “teachable moment.” He made his position and opinions on race inequality in our criminal justice system clear in his speech at the memorial for the officers killed in Dallas. He said: 1) “Race relations have improved dramatically in my lifetime.” 2) “The overwhelming majority of police officers do an incredibly hard and dangerous job fairly and professionally.” 3) “If you’re black, you’re more likely to be pulled over or searched or arrested …” 4). Blacks are “… more likely to get longer sentences …” and 5) Blacks are “more likely to get the death penalty for the same crime” than whites. If these facts spoken by President Obama cause people to believe that “the police are the bad guys killing black people for no reason” or that “The Obama’s were two of the most racist people ever” then I believe you have a problem, not with Obama, but with the truth.
Since 2009, Obama’s Justice Department had opened an unprecedented number of civil-rights investigations of police departments using only accusations with almost no facts. The Sanford, Florida, police department, was investigated after the shooting of Trayvon Martin, even though George Zimmerman, was not even a police officer. Many police departments are shackled with costly and crippling consent decrees. In February 2016, the Justice Department sued the City of Ferguson after that city asked to revise a consent decree that the Feds were trying to force on it. Justice had found Ferguson’s police department guilty of racism without ever taking into account the city’s racial crime rates. The Justice dept. works for the President.
Just ask any police dept. if the felt and support from Obama. I think you will find almost all feel totally unsupported and even attacked. In Ferguson, Mo., when a second round of rioting was about to start after the non-indictment of Officer Wilson, Obama said to the police in advance: “I also appeal to the law-enforcement officials in Ferguson and the region to show care and restraint in managing peaceful protests that may occur…”, (They were hardly peaceful). “They need to work with the community, not against the community,” (this certainly implys that the police are not working for the community) “the vast majority who just want their voices heard around legitimate issues in terms of how communities and law enforcement interact.” No support for the police here.
It is true that black people are arrested for more crimes then white folks but did you consider that they just might be committing more crimes?
Mike, your rhetoric sounds just like the people in Spike Lee’s excellent movie “Blackklansman”. What next, Obama was born in Kenya? Did you know that Trump’s MAGA is similar to the Klan’s “America First”? I Thought our country was finally leaning to respect all peoples. Not so. We have a racist in the White House which has emboldened the racists in our community. I will not sit back and not say anything when racists talk about losing their “culture”. David Duke talked just like that in the movie. I urge you to go see the movie before you write another column.