America is not so great

America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.

It sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws for moral reason. We waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed; we cared about our neighbors; we put our money where our mouths were; and we never beat our chest.

We built great, big things; made ungodly technological advances; explored the universe; cured diseases; and we cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn't belittle it. It didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn't scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed by great men -- men who were revered.

The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.

RICK SCAGGS, Jackson