Reflections on a year gone by
It’s dark and quiet at my house right now. Alabama just won the Cotton Bowl with a shutout. My wife and I watched the ball drop in New York, and I have less than an hour to put forth any last minute thoughts for 2015.
This one isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. This year has been tough. Period.
Honestly, I’ve had my fill of all the fighting and anger. It’s tiring.
I’m a conservative guy who loves his family, thinks free markets really do work and believes we need to do a better job at loving each other.
Yes, I know that might seem like a strange combination, but give me a minute to explain.
While I don’t like the liberal solution of promising people more government stuff to improve their lives, I’m not interested in defending the capitalist who doesn’t care about his or her community.
It’s more than opposing cronyism.
I believe that people who profit from free markets in a nation like America ought to take care of their employees, ensure that they’re caring for the environment and show people that a free marketplace really can produce better outcomes for the average person.
It boils down to this: Do the right thing at the right time for the right reasons. We need more people in politics who understand how to do that instead of religiously adhering to partisan talking points.
I’m not interested in hunting RINOs or blasting our president who is about to leave office. That’s not productive.
As I sit here in the darkness of my living room, I’m struck with the reality that we need patriots. They aren’t simply people who agree with our perspectives; they’re the kind of leaders and voices who are willing to sacrifice their own convenience, income and political expediency to ensure that America is a beacon of opportunity for generations to come.
I think about people like my friend, Major David Lasseter, who risked life and limb in Iraq to keep us safe. I’m moved by Gunnery Sergeant Ivan Ponce about to leave behind his family while deployed. They believe in the greatness of America and so do their many brothers and sisters in arms.
It’s time we do the same.
Yeah, we’re going to argue. We’re definitely going to disagree. That’s always the challenge for free people.
But it doesn’t mean we can’t treat each other well. It doesn’t mean we can’t try to build our future together.
I could make you mad. Trust me; it isn’t hard. I could throw some bombs at the political left or post some diatribe about how awful it is to be alive today in America. I’m not interested in taunting those who disagree with me, and I actually think our country is pretty amazing. For as much as I write about our political class, I’m more interested in the rest of us. I wonder if we’ll be able to see past the media haze and rhetorical war to rally around the concept of building a more perfect union.
My sons might be beasts when they’re awake, but I look at them asleep in bed, and they’re angels. I want them to have a future. I want them to be free, but I want them to have hearts that care deeply for their fellow man.
In the coming year, we have too much at stake to be petty. It’s more than an election year; it’s a chance to change our stars. Together, we can chart a better course. We can look out for each other a little more, be more tolerant of our differences, and build a better tomorrow.
That’s a tall order, but I’m willing to be the optimist. Here’s to a happy, healthy and productive 2016!
