By LC Stone
America —
We have strayed too far from what our Founding Fathers intended for this nation: a limited government by the people and for the people, not one that burdens us but enables the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.
Yet today we see that in many places we’ve chosen false security over liberty—as evidenced by the recent election in New York City, where a self-described democratic socialist was chosen as mayor. This victory marks a clear shift: rather than protecting individual rights and freedoms, the state becomes the grantor of all outcomes. A stark shift from American ideals. A stark difference from Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech.
We must return to reason and logic in order to unite—to see truth the same, to use truth as our north star regardless of what agenda it fits. We must anchor our minds in understanding unalienable rights: what they are and what they are not. Healthcare is not a right! Why? Because it infringes on individual liberty. Programs requiring the services of others to fulfil an entitlement are not rights. Lies must be dispelled as quickly as our bodies reject poison.
We should question and remain skeptical of those whose logic and actions shift with the political winds. Those who say one thing years past, and switch during an election year. Trust your gut. Take their words at face value and ask: Is what’s being presented ethical? Just? Legal? Constitutional? Biblical? If not—cast it aside swiftly, without hesitation.
Before we can move forward and heal a divided nation, we must find common ground. But what is that common ground? How do we get there? Are we too far off track to ever come back together? What is our other option? How does this end? Is it acceptable to simply give up, to stop fighting for unity, healing, and course-correction?
Progress must mean building upon the foundation our country was founded on—not forging an entirely new path that discards logic, reason, and historical truths, or tramples the rights that should never be infringed upon. Liberty means equal rights governed by just laws.
Additionally, the actions of a few do not determine the character of the many. Does the action of one police officer make all officers racist or corrupt? Do the actions of a few bad actors represent the masses? Why fall so quickly? Have Americans today become so lost that we’ve surrendered our minds to that of sheep—guided and quickly turned by media and pundits acting as false shepherds, driving the herd into a false shelter of “safety” during a storm? Leave your echo-chamber and seek truth.
Have we truly lost our ability to reason, to think logically and critically, to draw our own conclusions? How did we go from a country united so strongly after 9/11 to one so deeply divided now? Perhaps it’s because we focus more on what divides us than what binds us. Have we forgotten our country’s motto? E Pluribus Unum. Have we forgotten that it is “In God We Trust”? Where are you placing your trust nowadays?
Have we been conditioned to default into a victimhood mentality built on lies? Systemic racism — what does that really mean in 2025? Show the specific laws or policies in action today that discriminate purely based on race or ethnicity. Bring them to the table and debate them with logic, reason, and objectivity so we can strike them down and move forward together.
Since when does one’s skin color define a person more than their acts, words, ethics, and morals? Since when did the spirit of the American people—a people who fought wars based on the principle of freedom and the God-given right to pursue it—default to a mentality of victimhood? So much so that they accept lies of perceived oppression that cripple their ability to fight for themselves, their families, to work hard, and to make an honest living purely through grit and effort? Where is the desire for excellence?
Have we forgotten that this country was built on the lives of Americans who embraced grit, tenacity, and a high work ethic? We must return to the eternally true principles on which we laid our foundation. We must study the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Understanding it is the Constitution that encircles, secures, and protects the words written in our declaration to a king 249 years ago. We must understand the proper role of government. We must teach these principles at all times. Anchor ourselves to them—they are our compass to mend the separation between us.
We must be a people of reason and truth. And above all, we must be courageous—willing to lead with courage and discipline to change ourselves first. Otherwise, this great American nation and its freedoms will slowly sink into memory, leaving behind only regret—regret that we lost our way and failed to act when we still could. The time to heal and move forward together, toward prosperity and happiness, is now.
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