I'm Pete du Pont with the National Center for Policy Analysis.
The fourth of July is the time for Americans to feel good about their country, and I won't detract from that festive mood. The economy's great, the cold war's receding to a passage in the history books, technological advancements continue apace….what's not to like?
Not much. But the problem with being fat and happy is that we tend to assume everything's fine when it almost never is. There's still a lot to be done to make sure fourth of Julys ten and twenty years from now are just as good.
And they're the same things that we've always needed to do. Make government less intrusive. Put more responsibility — for their own retirement, health care and education — in the hands of citizens. Don't make the costly mistake — again — of thinking peace means we don't need a strong military. And don't lose the American genius for finding the right combination of dazzling innovation and ties to tradition.
Those are my ideas, and at the NCPA we know ideas can change the world. I'm Pete du Pont. Next time, hate crimes.