Food for Thought

By Alfredo Ortiz.

Our children have the right to the American dream

Beginning next week, I will be writing a regular op-ed that will provide commentary on a range of different issues that face our country.  Although an American, conservative Hispanic, these views will not just focus on those issues that are related to the millions of Hispanics that reside in America today, but really issues that pertain to the pursuit of our freedoms and principles as Americans and as set forth by our Founding Fathers.  I am not a politician, pundit, or personality, but just a citizen leader.  We are at a crossroads in our country and we can accept failure in government or work to change things.  I have opted for the latter.  As a strategist and consultant, I see where the “change” that we currently are experiencing is misdirected, and at the core, is based on the wrong values and vision for this country.  I see what is happening today in Washington, and I am greatly saddened and disturbed, not only for me and our country, but really for my little girl.  Nearly four years old, I know that the actions that are being proposed our current leadership will mortgage her future.  I know that my mother and father didn’t work as hard as they did, or give up as much as they did of themselves for me, just to have that hard work thrown away.  They worked hard to break a cycle of poverty they experienced and they knew that only in the United States of America was this possible.  And I answered the call and worked hard, and am now a successful husband, father and businessman.  But I too refuse to believe that I have worked this hard, for this long, to come this far, to have the government come and tell me that I am too rich and that I have to be patriotic and pay more taxes.

I was as poor as church mice growing up.  A proud son of immigrants, my dad a tailor and my mom a housekeeper, I have worked hard for every dollar we have today.  Thanks to the talents that my creator placed in me, His many blessings, and folks who believed in me, I succeeded when the odds were against me.  I remember how during the early days of my childhood, I would drive around town with my mom in her big Buick LeSabre on trash day, looking through trash to collect newspapers and aluminum cans that we would load up in her trunk and then sell at the local YMCA, all so that we could pay for groceries that week.  Or going from garage sale to garage sale, buying knick knacks that she knew she could buy for a dime and sell for a quarter.   Or helping her clean toilets at her housekeeping job because she was too tired to do more after a full day of her many other tasks.  Or my dad, the tailor, measuring to perfection, every suit he made, and not resting until his customers were satisfied.  Yes, we didn’t have much at all, but they both taught me that the American dream was possible for all, even for us!

It is amazing to think, that just over five years ago, a young man who was running for Senator of the State of Illinois, is now the President of the United States.  I must say that where else but in this terrific country of ours, could this happen?   Setting aside political differences, it really is an amazing story.  You know, I went back and listened again to his speech that night, and I can see why people were mesmerized.  He is an incredible orator, this is true.  But while so many elements of that speech were moving, there was one line that stood out to me.  In reference to the bickering among pundits and politicians, he said, and I quote “Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America; there is the United States of America.”   Now, if only his call for unity and bi-partisanship were true.  To date, I have seen no bi-partisanship.

Today, I say that this President, by his actions over the past year, has proven that there is in fact a liberal America, but it is HIS America, and it is NOT the America that I have grown to love for the past 40 years—assigning of czars that operate outside of our constitution, the push for cap and trade and card check laws which will only drive our small businesses out of business and now, and now, if all this had not been enough, his push to socialize a medical care system that currently is the envy of all countries.  My friends, THAT, THAT , is a liberal America that we cannot afford nor do we want, or at least I know that I don’t want.

The America that I love is the conservative America that our Founding Fathers envisioned and that our soldiers fight for everyday.  The America that I love is the America that rewards hard work, not penalizes you for doing too well.  Since when is “rich” a bad four letter word?  I want each and every single American to believe that if they work hard, stay on the right side of the law and never give up, that they can be as rich as they want and that no government will come between them and that goal.  Sir Winston Churchill once said, “The main vice of socialism is the even distribution of misery.”  We don’t need a government telling us that if you’re rich, you need to be patriotic and pay more taxes, as Joe Biden said during an interview in 2008.  He said, and I quote, “It’s time to be patriotic, time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut.”  Folks, I take offense that the government is telling me how to be more patriotic, more compassionate.  As a proud Christian and proud American, I tithe over 10% of our gross income, and I say to Mr. Biden, give me back some of my taxes, and let me be even more charitable.

As we prepare this week for a national day of Thanksgiving, please remember the many who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and let us remember the words of our most revered and first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, “…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

God Bless all those who serve our country tirelessly and God Bless America.

Alfredo Ortiz is Partner and Senior Vice President at Real Truth Marketing & Joy (RTM&J), a boutique strategy consultancy focused on developing growth strategies for Fortune 1000 companies.  He received his B.A. in Economics from Pomona College and his M.B.A in Marketing and Finance from the University of Michigan.

Related posts:

1. Food For Thought, 2010: Restoring America To Greatness Which is more powerful, fear or inspirational vision? This is...
2. President Obama Proclaims National Hispanic Heritage Month After Being blasted by a Latino Democrat September 15 marked the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month....
3. Healthcare Socialism By Chadwick Ciocci. A recent AP poll has some troubling...
4. Standing for Freedom By Rep. Mike Pence, Chairman of the GOP Conference Today,...
5. Discussion: Are Hispanics a Different Kind of Conservatives? Recent polls indicate that more than half of Hispanics identify...