"Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Your Country" John F. Kennedy

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On January 20, 1961 when President John F. Kennedy gave his famous inaugural address, he make this famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."  I liked that particular line in his address.  Many people have referenced that quote from Kennedy on a number of occasions.  Even though I didn't approve of Kennedy's womanizing, there are some things that I like about the former president.  I believe he probably was the last best Democratic president America ever had.  By no means was he perfect.  He made mistakes.  However, I believed he loved America and I believe he tried to encourage Americans to volunteer and serve their country.  He desired for America to be no. 1.  He desired for America to be the country that other nations in this world could look up to.  Back in 1961, he told Congress that he had a desire for America to send the first man to the moon before the end of the decade.  America fulfilled that promised on July 20, 1969.  He reduced taxes on the American people.  He started the Peace Corps in 1961.  He didn't run around all over the world like President Obama apologizing for America.  He didn't apologize for America's feats.  The spirit that America had then I wish was prevalent in America today.  However, when you estimate the size of the rally held in Washington, D.C. this past Saturday, are still some Americans that are willing to volunteer their time to make America a great country. 

In today's America, there are an increasing group of Americans who uphold this entitlement mentality.  There are some that believe that government owes them a living.  There are some families who've lived on welfare for the past few generations.  In the last 15 or so years, America has went from being a nation of producers to a nation of consumers.  That's tragic.  We can't thrive as a country economically when we don't produce our own goods.  It will haunt us one day down the road.  We've lost that frontier spirit we once had when this country first began.  When I consider all the luxuries we possess at our disposal I recognize how truly blessed we are as a country.  God's been good to us.  When you survey the country from east to west from north to south, you have to wonder in amazement how great this country is.  There's been copious amounts of labor performed to build this country.  We've had generations who have built America.  It's taken a lot of time and sacrifice to produce what we have today.  We had generations of people who were willing to blaze trails so generations like ours could reap the benefits of all their labors.  What's tragic in our society is we've become lazy.  We're an ungrateful people.  We've taken for granted the price that was paid in generations past.  Today we are complacement when it comes to serving and contributing to this country.  We have a responsibility to contribute to this country.  God's placed us here in this world for a reason.  God's allowed us the opportunity to labor.  We owe a debt of gratitude to past generations. 

We as Americans must recognize freedom isn't cheap.  Freedom is costly.  We've become so complacement and forgotten our history.  We've forgotten about those that lost their lives on the battlefield for us to enjoy our freedoms today.  There is plenty we can involve ourselves with in this nation.  Every generation has that responsibility to contribute their part.  There are opportunities that we can involve ourselves in.  I want to publicly thank those that have sacrificed and contributed their part in making America a great country.