In this crazy, upside down world in which we live, it’s almost as if successful people are supposed to apologize for being successful.  It’s time for that to end. Communism and Socialism have been great failures, (just ask the Chinese) and although Capitalism sometimes runs off the tracks, it allows for the highest levels of achievement. It’s time for those who whine and complain, to join the ranks of the Americans who recognize that the American Dream is Alive and Well but does still require Hard Work and Dedication.  There are more jobs in fields like Healthcare, Engineering and Technology, than applicants to fill those positions. So trade schools, colleges and universities need to be steering their students in directions that will allow them to pay back their student loans in their lifetimes, as well as to achieve some level of financial success. Over are the days when one could major in Philosophy or Political Science and still be able to make a living even if one decided not to teach.  A college or master’s degree was simply a credential and then you could decide what you actually wanted to do with the rest of your life.

It’s time for the ridicule of President Obama and Hillary Clinton to end regarding their speaking engagement fees. If they or any other politician, educator or citizen, can lecture and earn $400k, more power to them.  Since when has this country attempted to embarrass and bring down those who are able to leverage their success.  THAT IS UN-AMERICAN.  And if that is something that truly, fundamentally irks or eats at you, you are probably living in the wrong country.

We as a society should not look to drag successful people down the ladder of success but rather, aim to join them on that ladder.  Misery loves company is not a way to govern or a philosophy of how to rise up people to a better standard of life.  People should be asked to and be expected to achieve excellence, not be given subsidies and hand outs, simply because they exist.  That is the true path to mediocrity.  To clarify, we as a civilized nation are obligated to help those citizens who truly need the help but all others need to put in their effort in order to better their own lives.

In closing, the reason President Trump won and Republicans control all three branches of government is because many of the Democratic policies are not what most Americans seek.  Most of the Unites States are not California, New York or Washington.  Americans who believe in the message of Make American Great Again, seek Opportunity, not hand outs.  AMERICA IS NOT EUROPE!  Anderson Cooper did a fascinating interview with a family in a poor coal mining town in Virginia and asked this couple what they wanted from this President and his administration.  They responded, “We don’t want handouts. We want jobs and the ability to pay for the things we want and need”.  There is a very important distinction between their vision and the “Everything should be provided for free vision” of Bernie Sanders.  We are not Socialists but if there ever is a time we head down that path, the American Dream truly will be Dead!