Americans Have Multitude of Reasons to be Thankful | Larsen Financial
Home Idaho State Journal Posts Americans Have Multitude of Reasons to be Thankful
24 November 2006 by Author 0 Comments
Published – Idaho State Journal, 11/24/2006
Our great country was conceived by the Declaration of Independence which proclaims that life and liberty are the inalienable gifts of God – natural rights – which no person or government can rightfully take away, and affirms that these are indeed God-given rights, not bestowed by man or governments. It affirms that the purpose of government is to secure our God-given inalienable individual rights, and that government derives its powers from the consent of the governed. Our Declaration reduced government from master to servant for the first time in history.
Our United States of America is not perfect. No temporal entity operated by man can be, yet the principles upon which this country is founded are divine in nature, and the resulting government by and for the people, the best on earth.
The American people are the most giving people in history. When there are calamities, conflicts, and just causes, Americans are there either as volunteers or part of a government assistance program. As Alexis de Tocqueville said, “America is great because America is good.”
Politics aside, we should be grateful for a President who has taken the primary threat of the 21st century seriously, and has done all within his power to protect and preserve our country. Islamo-fascism and terrorism are serious threats that can’t be simply negotiated away, and the President has utilized all the tools at his disposal to protect America from them. Who would have thought that after 9/11 we would go five years without an attack on our homeland? I certainly didn’t.
With the prevailing value system, Pocatello is a perfect place to raise a family. My late friend, John Savage, when he retired, could have chosen anyplace in the world to retire, but through a process of elimination, chose Pocatello in part because of the aforementioned reasons, and loved it here. And for those without family, Pocatello is small enough we can claim one another as brothers and sisters.
When viewed philosophically, gratitude and thankful hearts require a degree of humility. The world doesn’t owe us anything, but in humility, we are thankful for what we do have and what freedoms and privileges are ours. We’re not entitled to have a good job, or a car or the host of temporal blessings that are ours, but we’re grateful for them and we express our gratitude to those who make it possible. We’re not entitled to have someone hold the door for us at a store, but we’re thankful for those who do, and we express it to them.
It is proper for us, indeed, requisite of us, to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans, so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all.
Of all people in the history of mankind, we have most to be grateful for. We should manifest that gratitude in our treatment of one another, with courtesy, kindness, and respect.
Americans Have Multitude of Reasons to be Thankful | Larsen Financial
Home Idaho State Journal Posts Americans Have Multitude of Reasons to be Thankful
24 November 2006 by Author 0 Comments
Published – Idaho State Journal, 11/24/2006
Our great country was conceived by the Declaration of Independence which proclaims that life and liberty are the inalienable gifts of God – natural rights – which no person or government can rightfully take away, and affirms that these are indeed God-given rights, not bestowed by man or governments. It affirms that the purpose of government is to secure our God-given inalienable individual rights, and that government derives its powers from the consent of the governed. Our Declaration reduced government from master to servant for the first time in history.
Our United States of America is not perfect. No temporal entity operated by man can be, yet the principles upon which this country is founded are divine in nature, and the resulting government by and for the people, the best on earth.
The American people are the most giving people in history. When there are calamities, conflicts, and just causes, Americans are there either as volunteers or part of a government assistance program. As Alexis de Tocqueville said, “America is great because America is good.”
Politics aside, we should be grateful for a President who has taken the primary threat of the 21st century seriously, and has done all within his power to protect and preserve our country. Islamo-fascism and terrorism are serious threats that can’t be simply negotiated away, and the President has utilized all the tools at his disposal to protect America from them. Who would have thought that after 9/11 we would go
 five years without an attack on our homeland? I certainly didn’t.
With the prevailing value system, Pocatello is a perfect place to raise a family. My late friend, John Savage, when he retired, could have chosen anyplace in the world to retire, but through a process of elimination, chose Pocatello in part because of the aforementioned reasons, and loved it here. And for those without family, Pocatello is small enough we can claim one another as brothers and sisters.
When viewed philosophically, gratitude and thankful hearts require a degree of humility. The world doesn’t owe us anything, but in humility, we are thankful for what we do have and what freedoms and privileges are ours. We’re not entitled to have a good job, or a car or the host of temporal blessings that are ours, but we’re grateful for them and we express our gratitude to those who make it possible. We’re not entitled to have someone hold the door for us at a store, but we’re thankful for those who do, and we express it to them.
It is proper for us, indeed, requisite of us, to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans, so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all.
Of all people in the history of mankind, we have most to be grateful for. We should manifest that gratitude in our treatment of one another, with courtesy, kindness, and respect.