"The luckiest thing that ever happened.....

  to me was that I was born in America." That answer was given by Howard Schultz, who runs Starbucks, when he was asked if he was superstitious. It sounded like an answer someone who was born with a silver spoon in their mouth would say. Why wouldn't he say that? He is so wealthy that no member of his family will ever have to work again. I'm sure he has homes all over the world, nice cars and lives better than most of us ever will. He is probably just another example of the ultra rich who got that way by the hard work of other people who are paid far less, don't get health care or stock in the company. Except that he isn't. If you don't believe the American Dream is possible anymore than you don't know Howard Schultz.
  Howard grew up poor in a tough part of Brooklyn, New York. The housing project he lived wouldn't be featured in Better Homes and Gardens. Like a lot of kids in that situation he found sports a good way to stay out of trouble. He was good enough to get a football scholarship that allowed him to be the first family member to attend college. He packed his bags and headed to Northern Michigan University. I can only imagine the culture shock that came with that move.
  Northern Michigan University is located in the town of my birth, Marquette. It sits in the middle of the southern shore of Lake Superior and gets really cold in the winter. Fortunately the winter only last from October to April so he probably enjoyed the first three weeks of school every year. There are no 'mean streets' in Marquette unless you count the bars on First Street where Yoopers and Canadians might fight over their favorite hockey teams. Not exactly the Bloods and Crypts throwing down over a turf war. I'm sure the weather contributed greatly to his appreciation for coffee that served him well later in life.
  After graduation he kicked around a couple of jobs and ran into the owners of Starbucks. He ended up buying part of the company and the name Starbucks (They kept Peets Coffee&Tea) and changed the company. Even if you work part time you can get health insurance. You get stock options. They donate huge amounts of money to many different charitable groups. They seem to be a company that truly understands the American Dream that Howard Schultz represents. But how many more people still believe it?
  This post isn't meant to sing the praises of Starbucks. When I heard his quote the first thought that crossed my mind was if anyone else still felt that way. My generation grew up being taught about the greatness of America. There was a pride that we were the best country in the world. Not perfect, but we were pretty good. The war had ended in Vietnam and even though there was a growing number of people who thought we were an evil, imperialist nation, the number was still a small minority. To understand why we felt this way, you have to understand that the people teaching us were still part of the greatest generation. They had lived through WWII, part of the great depression and the cold war. Patriotism wasn't an ideology, it was a way of life brought about by experience. They had witnessed the rest of the world and realized that upon comparison, we were the greatest country on Earth. They were part of it, not a theory about it.
  For all the people who are under the age of thirty, what have they seen? The first Gulf War, 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Along with those events they have been told that it was all about oil, our religion, our freedom, our sins and a host of other reasons why we suck. I'm not saying we shouldn't have vigorous debate about our country but the drumbeat has been endless for decades. How about the hyper reaction of the other side of the spectrum? If you have ever listened to talk radio or some shows on Fox news you would be convinced that the half of the country who votes democrat wants to take us straight to Stalin like communism. Republicans want to starve kids and poison people with dirty air and water. Really? Does anyone really think that because someone has a different point of view, they want to harm everyone else?
  The main problem, the way I see it, is that Washington and the media (liberal and conservative) don't represent most of us in the country. We still think this country is the best on Earth. We could find common ground on some of the issues Washington seems unable or willing to. We don't think our neighbor is the spawn of Satan because we disagree on politics. Do the people in Washington have any idea what we think anymore? Listen to them talk about each other and you realize very quickly that they care much more about retaining their power than they do governing by the will of the people. The media knows the more mud that gets thrown around the higher the ratings. Negative press gets higher ratings so we expect them to report only the very worst stories they can find. Most of us are the same proud Americans we have always been.
  So while another election draws closer and the ads run endlessly telling you how candidates should be in jail instead of running for office, take a deep breath and remember you live in the greatest country on Earth. Every day you wake up you have already won the lottery. I love debating politics but I never have been ignorant enough to think that people who disagree with me are any less patriotic or less intelligent than I am. They just have a different opinions on certain issues. Don't let Washington or the media fool you into thinking your friends and neighbors are stupid, hateful or fundamentally different than you. We are all Americans.

Till next.....