Dear Editor:

The United States of America has been a beacon of freedom and democracy throughout the world. In less than 240 years this nation has set the example as a place where opportunity is for all and every citizen is equal in the eyes of the law. Oh yes, we certainly have our shortcomings and we have made mistakes as those who are constantly critical of the U.S. would be quick to point out. Compare those short comings to all the good and positive things that have come from America and there is overwhelming evidence of great contributions to the world.

Prior to the advent of the United States late in the 18th century, tyrannies and dictatorships were the rule. Even in so-called benevolent dictatorships people were not truly free and the law treated some differently from others based on their wealth or influence. Freedom was very much a relative thing. Most of the freedoms that we take for granted were not available to the average person in Europe, Asia or Africa. Our First Amendment rights concerning free speech, assembly, press and religion were deprived most people. Only those in power could exercise those freedoms and then only as long as they did not offend whoever sat in the position of supreme power. Power was truly king.

Consider Hitler, Stalin, Mao and even Saddam Hussein. Who kept them in check or disrupted their power-hungry plans? Now, consider Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong Il. Think about Al Quaeda and radical Islam. What would these tyrants or terrorist organizations do with nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction? What kind of world would the future hold if they had their way?

What is the value of the United States? What does a democratic republic bring to the world? Our founding fathers made a radical change in culture and society. They returned power to where it belongs – with the people. What would the world be like without the United States? Its contributions are nothing short of miraculous. People all over the world want to come to America. Why? Because it is different! Its free enterprise and capitalist system based on individual freedom and individual responsibility has flourished. It is the envy of the world. And some might say it has been the savior of the world.

No socialist, fascist dictatorship would permit the kind of freedoms we here in America take for granted. And yet, we have a government and an administration that wants to “fundamentally change it.” They believe that We the People are not intelligent enough to govern our own lives. They want to see a benevolent burocracy guide our everyday existence. They believe the concept of individual freedom and personal responsibility has taken us in the wrong direction.

Think about it. The population of the United States is about 0.43 percent (less than one half of 1 percent) of the world’s population. We have become the example and in some cases the freedom guardian for the other 6.9 billion people in the world. We are that shining city on the hill that others seek to emulate. It is essential that we keep our nation strong and free. We can not permit it to be run by a small elite socialist, fascist government determined to destroy America so it can be rebuilt without freedom and without God.

Ford McLain

South Lewis Street, LaGrange