American Leadership: Americans Should Take Responsibility for their Country

It seems that every presidential election we hear the same line: " America needs a leader." We are told that we need someone to take our country in the right direction. This is said by every candidate who follows it up with, "And I'm that leader."

The problem with this statement is that it tells us our problems are small enough that it will only take one man to steer the ship in the right direction. Our problems are bigger than this. And the biggest problem is that we have stopped demanding accountability from our government.

There was a time in this country when Americans scrutinized the actions of the government. We used to be intolerant of corruption, now we accept it as an inevitability. Where did this apathy come from? When did we stop asking for the truth and begin believing the lies? How is one man going to ring us back to our senses? When will we feel the consequences of our inaction? These are questions that we must start asking ourselves. America is not in this situation because of the actions of one person, administration, or political party. America is in this situation because of the people who were willing to allow this situation to happen. The people who were too busy caught up in petty partisan bickering to stop and look at the whole picture. And the people who were too lazy or apathetic to pay attention to the actions of their government. We must take action to effect change.

Thomas Jefferson once said " If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed ". To this end, we must start to look at the world the way it is. The cable news networks are without a doubt spun. They are a business like anything else, and sell the right product for their markets. There are no perfect men, even if there are perfect ideas. The thought that one side is always right and the other is always wrong leads us in circles where nothing is accomplished but waste. Americans must unite against ignorance. When our officials act immorally, we must hold them accountable regardless of their political affiliations. Our government is broken, and politicians are lining their pockets with little regard for the plight of the common American. This can be changed, but not by one man, and especially not by one man that is already a part of the broken system.

If America continues on the path it's on we will be economically finished. Our dollar is devaluating every day on world currency markets, and the trend will continue. Our country has lost legitimacy and respect on the world stage, and this trend will continue. No Child Left Behind has destroyed our education system, and the Patriot Act has destroyed the bill of rights. How long will we wait for a leader to fix our problems, before we realize that we have to fix these problems ourselves.