America First: Make America Great Again?

                 America first?

    Those in the self-proclaimed, self-congratulating, self-pleasuring intelligentsia recoil in horror at that xenophobic, almost barbaric phrase.

                But what does it symbolize? What does it truly entail? What does it actually mean…for the United States and the world?

                Make America Great Again. Another controversial statement mocked by the left. But, why? I’m an America Firster, but I believe France should put France first, England should put England first, Poland should put Poland first, etc. And what could possibly be wrong with any country trying to make itself great…whether again or for the first time? (As long as that doesn’t mean conquering other nations by military force).

                Putting one’s country first doesn’t mean one wants to bomb other countries or that one even dislikes them. Most of us who believe in putting America first, in terms of practical policy, also appreciate and respect virtually all other country’s people and cultures, if not their governments. We can usually work with them, and call many of them friends. We greatly value alliances such as NATO. We even encourage cultural exchanges and dialogue with current or potential foes.

                However, when push comes to shove, governments exist to put their own citizen’s well-being first, to provide for the national defense. Otherwise, there would be no need for them. They would, in fact, be moot or counterproductive. Chaos and ennui would result.

                This should not be a revolutionary concept.

                But it is, because the American Founders believed governments should be instituted only to protect and defend their citizens, and allow their unfettered pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. Not to micromanage every aspect of their lives and punish, enslave or kill them if they interfere with the goals of their betters in the ruling polity. To the Founders, putting America first did not mean telling other countries what to do, did not mean getting involved in unnecessary foreign entanglements, but did mean never letting other nations dictate or control American policy or actions, as supported by its citizens. In this way, putting America first was also best for the world at large, or at least to any independent, freedom-loving people.

                Thus, when a “leader” such as Barack Obama enters the political arena and declares his intention to “fundamentally” change the country, or a Hillary Clinton calls her fellow citizens who might have the temerity to vote for her opponent “deplorables,” something is wrong. They are arrogant, bizarre, destructive anomalies in what used to be a government of, by- and for- the people.

                So, let’s make America great again.

    And, to those of you in other countries: here’s hoping you honestly have the same hopes for your nation, too.