Letter: Voters decide who works in Congress

To the editor:

I am increasingly concerned regarding the present moral and cultural character of our country. In many quarters, this nation appears to embrace an almost 60-year retreat from any sense of personal responsibility for one’s actions — as reflected in a widespread attitude of (unwarranted) self-esteem and entitlement. This mindset somehow seems to justify a combination of greed, ignorance and expectation previously unknown — at least by our founding fathers.

This worry goes beyond an elected president (and Congress) seemingly disconnected from a national history once built on a culture of honesty, prudence and self-reliance. My larger concern is an electorate ignorant of our history, our Constitution, and that Constitution’s guarantees, constraints, and limits on the absolute power of a central (federal) government.

For reasons incomprehensible to me, the majority of Americans seems to have put in place a federal administration that disparages initiative, freedom of individual and economic choice (the true strength of our nation), and freedom of religious expression. Moreover, foreign leaders — including our allies — seem increasingly confused and distrustful regarding our intentions and our resolve in dealing with critically important international political and security issues.

Our nation has surely made its share of mistakes, but we do remain a beacon of hope for a world that arguably has made more mistakes than we have. I urge American voters to think very hard about those fellow citizens we send to represent us in Congress and in the White House.

The unique 200-plus year history of this great nation demands nothing less. The guiding rule remains — we average Americans know better than anyone else what our dreams and aspirations are, and we should never let anyone in national elected office force us to believe otherwise.

Government must be our servant, not our master. Let’s make sure it ends up that way.

David A. Nealy

Greenwood