While the jihadists continue to ravage the Middle East (astoundingly unslowed by tough-sounding speeches) our decapitated economy creeps along. When the unemployment rate is “improved” by way of folks giving up their search for a job, it’s good to see people still pursuing their dreams.

When I was in Bemidji, MN teaching the Genealogy of the Constitution, I had the pleasure of attending a community day held by a local “big corporation,” big relative to Bemidji, MN.  This corporation is family owned and operated.  Built upon an innovative idea, a dream of a son made a reality. The realization of that dream has improved the lives of many in this community.  It has made the operation of large excavators safer and more efficient.  Without this corporation, life for many would be very different.

Freedom of thought combined with a Liberty to dream and then ACT upon those dreams is one of the reasons why America is exceptional.  We have much to be Thankful for. Government didn’t build this.  Families willing to sacrifice and work toward their dreams built this.

In a day when it is popular to attack anything with the name corporation on it and to belittle anything that comes close to a profit motive, we must remember that corporations are made up of people.  Those people decide to be ethical or to be corrupt, to be greedy or to be generous.  Innovation driven by the desire to improve your own life and the lives of those you care for, be that family, community or nation has lifted millions out of poverty.  Without this engine, government alone is powerless to sustain a thriving population.  So let’s make sure we are identifying the right terms and the right targets before we attack the very ideas that have fundamentally transformed the world for the better.

We need to remember that we are a nation built upon freedom and morality; the very building blocks of Liberty.  When men, not corporations, become immoral the end result is always the same…oppression.

Samuel Adams said;

“…when People are universally ignorant, and debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own weight without the Aid of foreign Invaders.”

Doing away with business, profit, or capitalism does nothing to address the moral failings of the people who abuse these ideas.  We should work to restore the principles that make America great, not undermine them. More innovation.  Less government intrusion.  More personal responsibility.  Less government regulation.  Capitalism is not the problem and government is certainly not the solution. What we need are moral people who still believe in American ideals. We need Americans who will continue to pursue their dream and not quit. And wouldn’t it be nice to have leadership that shared the same dream. The dream to build, not the dream to tear down. That was the dream of MY father.