Have Americans Forgotten about God, Country and Family?

By John Cole

Our country has become increasingly divided and our priorities skewed.  America is no longer considered the greatest country in the world.  We seem to have forgotten about God, country and family.   Many Americans have replaced God with greed.  We are no longer government of the people, by the people, for the people but a government run by special interest groups and money.  

As a country we spend more money on defense than the top seven world defense budgets combined, yet one in seven Americans live in poverty.  Working Americans are finding it more and more difficult to make ends meet while the top one percent sees their profits soar.  We are the only developed nation in the world without a universal health care system and our educational system is failing.  

As citizens need to take back control of our country.   We need to elect competent officials who are willing to do what is best for the country and not their party or special interests groups.   This book was written to hopefully educate and provide some insight on ways of getting our country back on track. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Cole
• Release date: Jun 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9780692908662

Book preview

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book first and foremost to my father, John M Cole, Sr., who always encouraged and supported me.  My father, who was a World War II and Korean War veteran, always taught me to stand up and fight for what is right and to always respect and treat others as you would want them to treat you.  My father never talked about his experiences during the war but after his death several veterans told me of how they owed their lives to my father’s bravery during the war.  He was a man of strong values, who loved his family and life in general.  My father is a true hero and patriot who loved and fought for our great country and its freedoms.  He will always be in my heart and I miss him.

To my mother Yvette Cole, with her strong faith, positive attitude toward life, strong family values, who always sees the good in everyone and has always been there for those in need. She lived through the hell of the Nazi occupation of Alsace, France during WWII, and survived while seeing most of her close friends and family killed by the Nazi’s.  Her wisdom, positive attitude, strong Catholic faith and love for life is an inspiration.  Thank you mom for all your support and love!

To my children Jonathan, Kathryn, Abigail and Joseph who I love with all my heart.  I want to thank them for their love and support in writing this book. They have brought great joy in my life and have helped me through some of the toughest times in my life.

And finally, to Catherine Ensor, a hard working lady who always puts others before herself.  She has been a big part of my life and a big inspiration in writing this book. 

CONTENTS

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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I would like to thank my brother and his wife, Gerald and Kelli Cole, for sharing their experiences and thoughts which assisted me in writing this book.  I also would like to thank all the hard working Americans I have met throughout my travels across this great country and through my government service.  Thank you all for sharing your experiences, thoughts and opinions which assisted in completing this book. 

Introduction

Whatever happened to the philosophy of God, Country, and Family?  They appeared to have slowly deteriorated in our way of thinking as a country and people.  It seems God is no longer a part of our lives and the moral fabric on which our country was founded continues to deteriorate.  Many of us claim to be Christian yet continue to promote policies detrimental to the less fortunate.  As far as Country we have seemed to have lost our nationalism and patriotism to greed, money, and selfishness.  Our beloved country once was noted for being a country of great opportunity, but that too has diminished.  We have forgotten the meaning and importance of family.  Some Americans have replaced God, Country, and Family with Greed, Selfishness and Self Servitude.

Over the past several decades our country has become more and more politically, socially and economically divided causing a dysfunctional system of government.  The philosophies of our two main political parties, Republican Party and Democratic Party have morphed into two very different extremist parties; this is partially due to extremist movements within each of these parties.  Most Republicans push for an agenda of less government intervention, less spending, less social programs and more defense spending, while most Democrats push for an agenda of more government intervention, more social programs, and less defense spending.  Both parties continue to be influenced by the extreme factions within their parties causing an increase in the political, social and economic division within our country.  Moreover, our government is becoming a government run by special interests groups and greed and no longer a government for the people and by the people. 

Both Republicans and Democrats catering to the extreme factions within their parties continue to refuse to budge or compromise on major issues, afraid they will offend the individuals or organizations that provide them financial support.  Both parties have legitimate concerns although their concerns are self-centered and not necessarily for the good of the country. For the most part, they agree on some of the overall issues plaguing our political and economic system but are unable or unwilling to compromise on how to fix them mainly due to pressures from special interest groups.  That being said, both parties seem to agree somewhat that government spending could be decreased by eliminating wasteful or useless programs:

by decreasing programs and responsibilities which overlap within various departments/agencies,

And, overhauling our cumbersome tax system making it easier to understand and more importantly fair. 

The problem is neither party can agree or simply refuse to compromise on how or where to start this process without upsetting their special interest groups or wealthy contributors. 

Most Americans want to have a functional government, one that not only looks out for what is best for the country but also for its citizens.  On the whole, Americans are very patriotic, believe in the values which are country was founded and want to continue upholding those values.  Most Americans are working hard to make ends meet and still want to believe or at least hope the American dream still exists.  Unfortunately, in the past several decades the average working American has found it harder to make ends meet and have seen our countries values diminish due to greed and selfishness of a few. 

Many Americans have lost their jobs or have seen their income decrease due to corporate downsizing or outsourcing jobs overseas while their basic expenses have increased.  Others have lost a considerable amount of money in their pensions and savings due to the Great Recession and the collapse of