The Kind of Campaign Speech I'd Love To Hear

 What happened to "Ask not what your country can do for you..."?

I am still waiting to hear this kind of campaign speech, as follows:

My fellow Americans, the only way a country can become truly great is for its citizens to become truly good. So in the spirit of John F. Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you...” here are ten good things you can do for your country:

1. Make friends with people who are different from you. Foster understanding by celebrating good things from the diversity of your cultures, traditions and faith convictions. 

2. Be generous with your neighbors in need. Government programs must do their part, but each of us needs to generously volunteer our time and resources to help those less fortunate across the street and around the world.

3. Live a life of honesty and integrity. Show up on time at your work or school every day. Do your share and more. Never defraud your workers, employers, government agencies, insurance companies, or any other persons or institutions. 

4. Obey all legitimate laws, and work to change unjust ones. For example, if you are asked to wear a face covering and socially distance in public, do so without complaining. Be law-abiding not just for fear of being punished but simply because of who you are and the good example you want to set for others.

5. Respect all life from the womb to the tomb. Honor the unborn, and do all you can to spare the already born from the ravages of abuse, hunger, disease, war and poverty.

6. Save lovemaking for the married love of your life. Be faithful to your spouse and take responsibility to bring up children in loving, stable and nurturing environments.

7. Take special care of the planet’s soil, air and water. Reduce wasteful consumption by reusing and enjoying more of what you already have, recycling everything you can, and by relying less on forms of  energy that pollute the atmosphere and waste scarce resources. 

8. Don’t harm your body with tobacco, illegal drugs, or other harmful substances. Take personal responsibility for your health by eating right, exercising every day and maintaining a good level of emotional and spiritual well-being. The best kind of national healthcare is one in which each citizen first takes responsibility for maintaining their own good health.

9. Honor your parents, grandparents and all aging and dependent persons. Care for them as you would want to be cared for yourself, and don't simply abandon them or assign them to government funded nursing homes in their old age.

10. Avoid all forms of media that promote pornography, denigrate women, enflame bigotry and racism and glorify violence--and make sure to protect children from these destructive influences. Spend less time with TV, movies, video games and the Internet and more time in wholesome interactions with real people.

With God’s help, we could truly make ours a great country and the whole world a better neighborhood. And in the process we could save untold billions in law enforcement and court expenses, in health care costs, and in  prison and social service programs. 

Best of all, none of the above would require special legislation or an increase in tax dollars, only more personal responsibility by people like you and me.

The above "speech" is adapted from a July 11, 2011 blog post.