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Show THE VOICE OF BUSINESS Tfo&nExsgjivingj a Inra For us By Richard L. Lesher, President Chamber of Commerce of the United States America, the land with more freedom, more opportunity and more prosperity than any other, sets aside one day a year to give thanks for all these blessings. Maybe the good Lord deserves two! I say this not entirely in jest, for we do have much to be thankful for more in fact, than most of us can remember on this uniquely American holiday. Yet how easy it is to instinctively reflect on what we want, rather than on what we already have... and on what should be, rather than on the good that now is. Certainly I would not suggest we take our eyes off the horizon. From our earliest days, America has been the world's beacon toward the future, and it is through this role that we have contributed most to the progress of mankind. Neither would I suggest America is already a perfect place, nor that we are even nearing perfection. We all know better. Our history is filled with mistakes, and problems like inflation, in-flation, regulation, taxation and unemployment which seemed bad ten years ago, are worse today. Indeed, polls indicate many Americans have never been more gloomy, more pessimistic about their future. Still, a mature nation can learn from its mistakes, pick itself off the ground and begin anew. America wants to do that, and is doing that. Slowly, we have begun turning away from the dishonest, free-lunch, no-fault philosophy that inflicted so much harm on our society. As we do, we can reach out with reassurance to such tested, traditional values as self-reliance, ambition, patriotism, concern for community, support for private charity and trust in heaven. Like old friends they're all patiently waiting for us. Some feel a bit neglected no doubt, but all are still ready to help us again as they have so often in the past. Of course some people have lost faith even respect for the traditional values. More and more we hear them criticizing America, disparaging her history, finding fault with her institutions, questioning her size and strength and impugning her motivations. But this rhetoric, no matter how strident, can never match the reality of our accomplishments. What these people forget, or refuse to admit, is that a recession here, however unwelcome, would be like prosperity nearly everywhere else. . What they ignore is that the average American gives away more each year in charity, than millions of other people can ever hope to earn for 12 months of back breaking labor. And even after Americans have given their share, they dig down and give more. Look at Cambodia, at the awful spectacle of nearly an entire country being callously starved by its "neighbors." If there is any hope, any at all for these helpless people, it will be thanks to all those in the United States who are thousands of miles away, but who still feel the pain, share the suffering suf-fering and refuse to sit and watch an innocent people die. I'm thankful to have people like that for countrymen. Equally important, I'm thankful we can live together in a free country the kind of country where people can start with nothing, then grow, improve, succeed finally leave this world having pro . their family the means to live better; the kind of country based 0 rule of law wTiefe, aTAbraharg Lii once said: "No man is good enouj govern another man without other's consent." Other countries, most other tries, lack these fundanu guarantees of individual rights result is people do not live as well a do. Ever wonder what we would ha do to achieve equality with the s Union? The answer is: Cut paychecks by more than half; t tens of millions of workers back t farm (where they would then pro to grow less food!); also, tear up destroy most of our railroads, ways, automobiles, single-fa homes, telephones and television Of course these are just mat sacrifices. Stripped away as well vi be so many of those precious pen freedoms that permit us to make I decisions concerning our jobs, ho churches, and schools. Does America have problems? bet she does. But we can lick I problems if we just remember principles have never failed us whe have had the wisdom and coura live up to them. Let's be thankful we, unlike so many others, still that opportunity. Because paraphrase an old English verse: There will always be America American will always be free, if American means as much to as America means to me. Happy Thanksgiving! |